Your Complete Filmmaking Guide

Do you have a specific story in mind? In this lesson we will explore various ways to find a good story and the right people to help build your documentary film.

Let’s look at studying the importance of storytelling and assembling the elements for building compelling content. The journey begins by projecting your creativity allowing your story to flow.

Now, it's time to write your story. In this lesson, we'll check out different lengths of your story using synopsis and talk about why they're important.

A personal story: How and why I was inspired to film a documentary film and its sequel.

Before you pick up that camera, understand why it is important to plan and budget for your film.

A flow chart is essential for mapping out a documentary film's structure, ensuring a coherent flow and engaging storytelling but also provides you with an effective visual layout.

Let's create a basic production plan. This will allow you to have a deeper insight into the structure of your production. Feel free to download the template for this lecture.

Budgeting for your documentary film is crucial to allocate resources efficiently, secure funding, and ultimately bring the project to fruition while maintaining financial control. However, it also allows you to have a realistic perspective of costs, allowing you to decided whether or not it is a viable project. Customise the downloadable template to suit your project.

Scheduling for a documentary film allows you to have control of the filming, editing, and post-production tasks, making sure that your work is organised and completed in a timely manner. This enables the project to meet deadlines and maintain its creative and logistical integrity. Feel free to download the template for this lecture. 

Effective time management for any project, especially for your documentary film is vital to maximise productivity, meet production deadlines, and allow for thorough research and creative exploration, but also minimise or even eliminate unnecessary stress.

Let's look at creating a Mood Board for your documentary film. Feel free to use the downloadable MS PowerPoint sample and get creative.

Creating a storyboard is crucial to visualise and plan the sequence of shots, helping you maintain a clear narrative structure and visual cohesiveness throughout the production. This is complimented with a shot list that adds an additional tool to your production planning. Feel free to download the shot list template for your use.

An integral part of planning your documentary film is knowing your location where you intend to film.

Filming with a drone can be an exiting experience and rewarding but you need to consider a few important factors before you invest.

These important documents protects you as a filmmaker, secures permission from subjects and participants, and safeguard sensitive information, ensuring legal and ethical compliance in the production of your film.

A general over view of this topic, 'The Gear', and why one of my favourite cameras is still a Canon EOS 5D Mark III.

I've invited a fellow independent filmmaker, Michelle Kaldy, to talk about her Sony A7 series camera and to describe some of the highlights and challenges she has.

In this session, we will explore the pricing of cameras commonly favoured by independent filmmakers, using data from mid-2023. These include new and used cameras.

There are certain cameras that I enjoy working with. In this lesson I will describe why I like using these cameras and the specific use they have.

These are some of the technical aspects that are worth considering before buying your first camera or upgrading.

Let's compare a few different cameras and explore the importance of image sensors.

Introducing the main fundamentals of frame rate and shutter speed, which play a crucial role in controlling motion and exposure in filmmaking.

We are now looking into the world of media storage and some of the specifications we need to pay attention to.

One of the key elements is understanding ISO and native ISO in cameras. In addition we will continue this lesson with what speed boosters and lens adapters are and their applications.

Let's look at the difference between High Definition (HD) and Ultra High Definition (UHD) and what to consider for your documentary film.

Having the right lens for the right scene can make an incredible difference in the mood and atmosphere you are conveying to your audience. These are some of the lenses I use to achieve a certain visual outcome.

Now it's time to explore the creative interplay between aperture settings and focal lengths to master the art of visual storytelling.

Continuing our understanding on how light influences the visual appearance of our content.

Let's delve into the essential tools of neutral density and polarized filters, uncovering their powerful impact on controlling light.

Histograms are a great aid when you're balancing the whites and shadows.

Some lenses create pesky artefacts that we want to avoid. Let's look at why they happen.

Like chromatic aberration, we look at another artefact that could be used as an artistic expression, or a distortion that we want to avoid.

Get ready to look at the world of audio gear, learning how to capture and craft exceptional vocals and soundscapes to complement your visual storytelling. Furthermore, we will take a look at costs of some audio equipment, captured in mid-2023. 

In this practical lesson, we'll focus on the art of setting up audio gear, how to get the best sound recording for your content and also, how we can use 32 bit float to our advantage.

Lighting creates the visual atmospheres, mood and tone for our films. In this lesson we'll look at lighting options, cost effective equipment to get you started and pricing (mid-2023).

It's time to look at setting up some basic but very effective lighting. We'll look at the type of lights used, how they are positioned to create a certain tone.

The power of white balance adjustments allows you to capture the true colours of your environment and skin tone. Here some important facts to know and put into practice.

Stabilizing your videos is important unless you want that really shaky handheld look. Having stable shots in a documentary film removes distractions from the main point of interest. Let's see how we can do this with some cameras that have inbuilt stabilization systems.

It's time to stand out from the crowd of independent filmmakers and bring stabilization to your documentary film. Let's look at the equipment and prices (mid-2023).

In this lesson, we'll look at how to stabilize your camera movements, without a camera stabilizer. This is especially useful when you’re roaming.

Have you ever wondered what computer you will need for editing your documentary film? I've invited an IT specialist, James Garland, to explain the ins and outs of computers used specifically for post-production.

There are many horror stories out there where editors have lost an entire day's worth of work because of a blackout. I will show you how I have my computer system set up to prevent issues caused by power outages. We will also start looking into post-production. If you don’t have an editing suite, here’s a way to download a free version of Davinci Resolve.

After we have downloaded the editing suite, let's look at some basic editing techniques using DaVinci Resolve.

Music and professionally shot stock footage are available at your finger tips. Here are some tips when you're using royalty free music and videos in your production.

Thinking of using voice overs for your documentary film? This lesson will explore some brief techniques and options for adding effective voice overs to your content.

An inventory list for production gear is vital as it ensures efficient organisation, accountability, and preparedness for your projects.

Over the years I have seen the occasional neglect of equipment, especially after a shoot. Let's look at things to consider, to maintain and prolong your production gear.

Crowd funding can be a powerful tool when it comes to raising funds for your first documentary film. In this lesson we look at the type of approach you will need to consider in order to build a successful crowd funding campaign.

Let's explore an alternative way to secure funding for your compelling storyline.

In this lesson we will discuss the power of knowledge,  and how it can be a tipping point for securing funding.

This lesson looks at why talent is sometimes needed in documentary films, where to find talent and what is involved in paid and unpaid acting.

Let's explore the artistic techniques of filming interviews that will engage your audience and convey your subject's story effectively.

As a solo filmmaker, it can be a challenge to film a discussion between two people. Let's look at the most effective way to overcome these challenges.

Have you ever wondered how filmmakers craft the story of a journalist in a high-paced environment?

Understanding the art of visually captivating sequences that can enhance your storytelling.

A brief look at time laps photography and the value it can ad to your content.

Why are behind the scenes so important and why it should be done in parallel with your filming. 

Although we quickly covered the use of drones earlier in this course, we will now take a look at some of the key features and how it can ad value to your production.

This is an optional exercise to practice your skills as a filmmaker.

In this lesson we will dissect the crucial nature of artwork for your production.

Let's examine how a trailer for your documentary film, exclusive screeners and submissions to film festivals can play an integral role in the success of your film.

In this lesson we will examine how and where to find a distributor for your documentary film, but more importantly, how to prepare before the search begins.

Downloadable music cue sheet source: American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers