Creative Production: Documentary Video (P4073)

Process Book
Name
Creative Production: Documentary Video (P4073)
Date
Week One
The process of creating and developing a documentary video requires acquiring knowledge to understand how directing, making and editing the film is undertaken both at preproduction and postproduction influence the final outcome of the documentary. Documentaries represent the observable world in actuality based on the past and the present to depict lives and events, and since a documentary is non-fictional it ought to be factual and truthful (Beattie 2004). There was prior preparation and rehearsal, which is necessary to improve the filming and capture relevant content. Typically, gathering all the elements, the documentary requires considering the script, casting, director, technicians and financing. In the case of the low-budget documentary, there is sharing of responsibilities where the group members worked together and there were no technicians.
Week Two
Like any other film figuring the beginning, middle and end is important in the narration as there is structure and clarity on what needs to be done to meet the required specification. The narrative structure also depends on the subject matter and in the beginning the subject matter is introduced and this is important as it guided the group when editing and highlighting what is expected in other parts of the film. The reasons for the documentary and what is covered is explored with the most important aspects included and other parts edited out, while the conclusion highlights the resolution or plans for the future. Rabiger (2004) points out that the way the time effects are handled influences the narrative structure since there is more emphasis on some moments, people, events and places.
Week Three
As an editor of the group knowledge on the theoretical approach to documentary cinema helped in making the documentary as this was a reference on what the film ought to represent in the narration and voice . In the interactive documentary project the audiovisual aspects, photography and the film are edited in the postproduction process with the final cut of the sound and image editing. Besides the theoretical aspects of the documentary the practical point of view is closely linked with acquiring documentary making skills and carrying out the documentary. choosing the camera and microphone in the narration exercise further supports efforts to facilitate the camera interview.
The growth of nonfiction cinema influenced the development of the documentary form, where there was more focus on shot sequencing and screen grammar, which are further explored later on to improve the documentary. Identifying a worthwhile idea that is interesting makes a big difference in how people perceive the documentary, and the more engaging the idea and documentary the more likely that there are positive reviews. Additionally, the editing supports a visually compelling story to make it interesting while accurately reflecting the observations.
There are different angles and angle movement that are considered in making the documentary and editing and ensuring that the angle and distance are not extreme help to capture the expected visual representation. The angles influence what is represented and the manner of representation and in the creative project choosing the most appropriate angle besides the narrative structure and audiovisual elements helped to develop the documentary as expected. Research on how different filmmakers have tackled representation informs decisions on editing the content with the group members working together to actualize the project.
Week Five
The complexity of documentary film production in teams provides opportunities to learn about documentary production, directing, producing and screenwriting, editing and other roles in film production. There is an element of creativity in documentary production despite the documentaries being nonfiction. In learning about documentary film production the students work in teams and groups, which help to strengthen their skills to work together now and in the future. When the documentary remains true there is attention on producing the documentary based on what has been observed (Beattie, 2004). The production practices and contexts reflect various narratives depending on the subject matter where there is investigation of the subject to get a bett...