Ross Kauffman (Born Into Brothels), Richard Hankin (The Jinx), Deborah Dickson (Ruthie & Connie), Ann Collins (Joan Didion: The Center Will Not Hold), Tom Hurwitz, ASC (Queen of Versailles) confirmed faculty; what you will learn, and more!
We're working closely with our filmmaker faculty to build a strong workshop with in-depth classes for our "Documentary Filmmaking: The Art of the Interview" this summer. In this workshop, you'll gain the critical skills necessary to create engaging interview-based documentary.
The workshop is geared toward people with a variety of experience levels. Maybe you already have a film in mind that you want to enhance? Are you working in fiction, or as a journalist, but want to work more in the ever-expanding doc world? Are you a student or recent grad and you need to add new filmmaking skills to increase your hireability? Then this workshop is for you!
In this workshop, you'll work with Oscar-winning director Ross Kauffman (Born Into Brothels), Oscar-nominated director Deborah Dickson (Ruthie & Connie), and Emmy-winning filmmaker Richard Hankin (The Jinx) on how to find the most interesting subjects, conduct smart interviews, and do it all with your own distinct style. Award-winning cinematographer Tom Hurwitz (Queen of Versailles) teaches you how to light and film an interview; and editor Ann Collins (Joan Didion: The Center Will Not Hold) guides you on how to make the most of your material, and to build a story out of the material you've captured. These filmmakers and other experts will also give essential critical feedback on your work to help your projects progress.
In documentary, you must navigate many situations with your subjects––and determine the look and feel of your film. Will your interviews be well-lit and formal, in a quiet studio, or a casual conversation at the dining room table? Or, will you catch all the action as it happens, asking questions as you walk down the street? There's a knack to it, and in the two weeks of this workshop, we'll give you the skills to pull it off.
In this course you will:
- Have hands-on labs on the streets of New York City
- Sharpen your documentary directing skills, learning how to choose your interview setting and best communicate with your subject(s) for desired results
- Have access to industry-standard HD cameras, gear, and edit systems
- Learn professional techniques, including where to place the subject(s) in an interview in relation to natural and artificial lighting, mastering documentary sound - often the Achilles heel of inexperienced filmmakers, how to film for the edit, and much more
- Learn edit techniques for clear, creative, and concise storytelling
- Screen works-in-progress with feedback / critiques from experienced filmmakers, faculty, and peers
- Watch contemporary interview-based documentary, and have Q&A with guest filmmakers
- Increase your network of interesting filmmakers and collaborators
