Docu Workshop - Pitching

8/11/2019 Docu Workshop - Pitching

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ALAY NG SINENG-SINE:Unang Seminar-Worksyap

sa Pagbuo ng Dokyu

Angela Mhae R. Herrera

09.25.14Valenzuela City Auditorium


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SINING-SINE 2014

SILIP-SIPAT-SURI

SA ISYUNG PANLIPUNANNI NOYPI


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SINING-SINE 2015

ALAY LAYA:

Panata ng Valenzuelano

Tungo sa Pagbabago


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THEME:Phases and faces of positive

changes and progress in thecity.


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MECHANICS:

THREE PARTS:

1. Pitching

2. Writing3. Producing


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Pitching

- Anyone who attended todays

workshop session is eligibleto make

a team and pitch a topic.- A team may consist of a maximum of

8 members.

- Submission of Topic Proposals is

until October 10, 6:00pm.


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Writing

- Whoever will be shortlistedin thepitching process will be eligibleto

attend the next part of the workshop

series: Writing Workshop.

- You have the entire sembreak to work on

the scripts.

- Submission of scripts will be scheduled

at the beginning of the 2ndSemester. Details

to be announced.


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Producing

- From the scripts submitted, only 20teams will advance to the last part of the

documentary making process:

Production Process- The 20 finalists will attend another

workshop on Production and

Postproduction and will automatically bepart of Sining Sine 2015s Gabi ng

Parangal.


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WORKSHOP OUTLINE

PART 1

Defining Documentary

PART 2

Storytelling in Documentary

PART 3

Pitching


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PART 1:

DefiningDocumentary


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The word documentary comes fromthe French word documentaire, which

means travelogue.

Indeed, travelogues abound in the

documentary landscape and have left

an indelible mark on straight

documentaries where viewer is takenon a journey.


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A film or video primarily concerned withcapturing human behaviorto better our

understanding of the human condition,

using reallife with real people

Presentation of facts and information

that can engage the viewer intellectually

and move him emotionally


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It welcomes complexities and attemptsto draw some significant insights from

realitys loose ends and unresolved

contradictions.


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KEYWORDS:

Actualityand

Human Condition


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The documentarist has a passion for what

he finds in images and soundwhich

always seem to him more meaningful than

Anything he can invent. He is dedicated to

not inventing but in selecting and arranging

his finding that he expresses himself.

- Erik Barnouw, Documentary (1974)



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The Story

- It may begin as an idea, hypothesis,or series of questions

- Becomes more focused throughout

the filmmaking process, until thefinished film has a compelling

beginning, an unexpected middle,

and a satisfying end.


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What does it take to be a

True Documentarian?

* Self-knowledge

* Passion* Talent


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Self-Knowledge

- Good grasp of what is truth and what is

falsehood

- Without it, you would have a great difficulty

figuring out peoples characters and

circumstances


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Passion

- The main requirement for a documentary

maker is to have a

great interest in humanity [and] the passion to

put it across, to articulate it

- Nick Deocampo


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Documentary Genres

* Docudrama

* Cinema Verite

* Documentary as Advocacy


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Cinema Verite

- Literally means cinema of truth

- Aims to capture reality in its most natural

form with minimal manipulation.

- No narration and artificial lighting

- No music and sound except the actuality

being filmed.

- No staging of action or directing

- Minimal editing transitions


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Documentary as Advocacy

Art is not a mirror held up to reality,

but a hammer with which to shape it.

- Bertolt Brecht


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PART 2:

Storytelling inDocumentary


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Story is not only our most prolific art formbut it rivals all our activities. We tell and

take in stories as much as we sleep and

dream. Why? Why is so much of our lifespent inside stories? Because stories are

equipment for living.

- Robert McKee


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The VisualLanguage

- In telling stories through a visual medium, you

must first learn the mediums grammar.

- The primary component of the visual language

is what we see on the screen.

- To construct a memorable story, the raw

materials at your disposal can be divided into

two: picturesand sounds.


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Picturescan be a combination of:

* Live action footageof people, places, events

and objects shot for the purpose of your piece;

*Archival or library pictures(both moving and

still) of public figures and historical events;

* Dramatizations, re-creations and

reenactments of past events; and

*A black screen


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Sound elements can include:

* The spoken word as used in interviews,narration and voice-overs;

* Natural soundor what is referred to as

synchronous sound;

* Sound effects or nonsynchronous sound;

* Music;and

* Silence, which is the aural equivalent of theblack screen.


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Storytelling Structurefrom The Tools of Screenwriting by David Howard and Edward Mabley

The story is about somebodywith whom we

have some empathy

This somebody wants somethingvery badly

This something is difficult, but possible to do,get, or achieve

The story is told for maximum emotional impact

and audience participation in the proceedings

The story must come to a satisfactory ending

(which does not necessarily mean a happy

ending)


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Story Basics

Idea

Premise

Plot Dramatic Structure

Character and Problem


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IDEA

What makes a good subject

Where it come from

Must be something you feel passionate about

Determining the larger picture, zooming in to

the smaller


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PREMISE

The backbone or the controlling idea of the

story

The reason why you make the documentary

Message: the ethical or moral point youwant to make

Guiding principle: keeps you track with your

original vision The expanded version of the theme


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PLOT

An incident, episode or event that hooks

into the action and spins it around in

another direction

Anything that moves the story forward


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DRAMATIC STRUCTURE

The narrative

What holds everything together

Linear arrangement of related incidents,

episodes, and events leading to a dramaticresolution.


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The Three-Act Structureby Pamela Wallace

Act One is all about who: Who is the main

character?

Act Two is all about what: What must he doto achieve his goal, and what happens to

change him?

Act Three is all about how: How does he

overcome the final obstacle, solve his problemor reach his goal, and triumph (or not)?


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Act One: The Exposition

Introduction of character with their differing

points of view

Dont disclose too much information too soon Show. Dont Tell.


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Act Two: The Confrontation

Will come from turning point

Most challenging and longest part among the

three acts To keep your audience involved, you have to

stimulate their minds and touch their souls


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Act Three: The Climax and Resolution

The last big test of the main character before

getting his or her object of desire

The action the creates this change must bepure, clear and self-evident, requiring no

explanation.

The flow of life moves from cause to effect, but

the flow of creativity often flows from effect tocause


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To summarize dramatic structure:

In Act One, you set-up the main

characters and the dramatic premise

and you define and clarify theproblem or conflict.


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In Act Two, you focus on the

characters struggles and the

obstacles he encounters, building

the tension to such an intensity thatthe protagonist is forced to make a

decision, which leads to some sort

of transformation.


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In Act Three, you provide the

answer, or the resolution, to the big

question you posed at the beginning

of your story. The final climaxdoesnt necessarily have to be a big

bang with all-out fights and screams.


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THE CHARACTER AND PROBLEM

Two fundamentals to keep in mind when dealing

with characters and their problems during

docu making:

1 Characters are defined by their actions

2 Most bad people dont know or refuse toacknowledge that they are bad.


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Character and Action

- Action is the externalization of what the

character thinks, what he is made of and what he

wants.

- The more specific, tangible and primal the SuperWant, the easier it will be to interest the viewer

and to compel him to wonder what is going to

happen if he doesnt get what he wants.


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The Problem and Conflict

- The conflict is the problem

- It creates a disruption of the characters normal

life

- It is the emotional glue that holds theaudiences attention


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Two Types of Conflict

- Internal conflict is Man against himself.

- External conflictsinclude

* Man vs. Man

* Man vs. Nature

* Man vs. Fate and/or Time

* Man vs. God or the Supernatural


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Character Arc

Introduce the character and his situation

Identify his conflict

Reveal his true nature with all his

complexities Weave these conflicts and complexities

together

Leads to the climax of the story

Change in the character should be reflected

in the resolution


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PART 3:

Pitching


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What is Pitching?

This could be the most difficult part ofthe documentary making process since

you have to sell your topicto a funding

body, an NGO, a film studio or televisionnetwork, and the atmosphere in which

this selling occurs in high pressure.


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How to Pitch?

First, try to come up with a one-liner.You will need a sentence which will

make the producers or the screening

committee grasp the overall concept atonce.


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How to Pitch?

Second, state the general structure.And since its a documentary, you want

to leave the plot points to the

unexpected and focus on the characteror the subject. Explain why people

should be interested in them.


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How to Pitch?

Third, state the objectives or thereason/s why you chose your topic and

what message or point would it impart

to the audience. A backstory of yourtopic might help as well.


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Source:

Kenny, Isabel Enriquez. Making Documentaries

in the Philippines.Anvil Publishing Inc. 2005.

Documents

Docu Workshop - Pitching