The background and thinking that go into producing a documentary▪ The idea▪ The format in which the idea is presented▪ The trends that may have affected the

choices of format and storyline

Documentaries are produced using either Single-camera ▪ or

Multiple-camera

In documentaries, The functions of the director and the

producer are often blurred

The idea: ▪ An idea is the first step in developing a story or

documentary.▪ Some ideas make for wonderful television

documentaries ▪ Others, although meaningful and exciting, belong in

different formats, such as newspapers, magazines, articles, or books.

Specific documentary formats (which act as the containers for the idea) Found footage:▪ Old film or animated still shots

Expanded coverage: ▪ This can be edited or unedited.

Creation: ▪ In these programs, a dynamic situation is

created

Recreation: Events are recreated

using documentary techniques and styles to simulate reality.

Montage/Quick cuts: The 1960 commercial

for Jamaica which used 50 shots in 60 seconds

Trends: These are affected by innovations and

inventions in hardware and software and by changes in conventions.

These trends shape our approach to documentary television production

Both short and long pieces often rely on a production plan that calls for interviews and coverage (or “B-roll”)

Once the idea is in place, we must begin to consider plans Preproduction Production Postproduction

Preproduction often yields a many lists:▪ Lists of people to interview▪ Lists of questions to ask▪ Lists of crew members’ names and contact info▪ Lists of equipment needed▪ Lists of services needed, such as:▪ Animation▪ Graphics▪ Sound effects

▪ Proposed time lines

Review the 9 tips on shooting interviews Page 227 & 228

Viewing your footage You should plan on viewing all your

footage and logging what you see. It will make it easier to find and select

footage during editing Along the way, you should give some

thought to “pacing.”▪ What is pacing? (Pg 228)

Editing Even though it’s television—a video

medium—video always follows audio

Reality TV – Click Here

The major difference between documentaries and reality programming Seems to be about information &

entertainment.▪ Documentaries primarily aim to inform, but they can

be entertaining. ▪ Reality programs aim to entertain, but they can be

informative.

As reality TV’s popularity has increased, producers have begun to use many different production formats.

Lifestyle changes: Fantasies fulfilled: Docusoaps starring:

celebrities: Hidden camera: Reality game shows Talent searches: Spoofs:

• Documentary:• Historical recreation: • Science:• Dating:• Law

enforcement/military:• Makeover:

As a production format, reality programming requires, broadly speaking, The same kind of staffing that’s required for

most other formats. ▪ The key ingredient may be that the bulk of the material

is spontaneous, but ultimately the material is scripted.▪ We are led in and out of segments, scripted questions

are asked, and situations are created that provoke unscripted responses

Good audio for reality productions can be tricky.▪ The following are some ways to get workable audio:▪ Put a microphone on everyone.▪ Hide the microphones where the speakers can’t help but

speak into them.▪ Have locations from which speakers talk, as in a town

meeting.▪ Have standby overhead mics

Review the tips listed on Page 243