CREATIVE DOCUMENTARY WORKSHOP

This professional, practical documentary workshop is designed for filmmakers and film students with a passion for visual storytelling. It provides you with a very unique opportunity to gain first hand experience crafting a documentary.

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What’s on offer

The workshop is fast, intensive and absorbing. Our key goal is to give students the tools, the mindset and the support they need to work in the real world. By the end of the workshop, students will have evolved professionally, worked with industry leaders, have professional documentary experience and a short documentary for their showreel.

A graduate of UCLA Film School, and AFI Directing Fellow, and an EAVE Producing graduate, Yolanda leads a practical, hands-on workshop where filmmakers have the opportunity to explore first hand the creation of the documentary. Students discover the world of documentaries through lectures and screenings, shoot exercises to prepare, keep a production journal, pitch ideas for a single collective documentary to be created, learn to write proposals, learn to light, compose, edit, discuss marketing and distribution for docs and participate in a public screening of the project. Each member of the workshop will receive a copy of the material they shoot, for use in their showreel.

Animal adoption Cubelles Barcelona
About the instructor?

Co-founder of afilm, Head of Studies, Filmmaker.Yolanda has made films with Oliver Stone, José Luis Garci and Roger Corman.

A member of Women in Film, Los Angeles, Yolanda received her B.A. from UCLA’s Film and Television program (University California, Los Angeles), then was accepted as a Directing Fellow at the American Film Institute (Los Angeles) and finally into Producing at EAVE (European Audiovisual Entrepreneurs, MEDIA, Luxembourg).

She has directed and produced various feature films, including: The Supers. Feature. 2017, (Premier, Sitges International Film Festival) and The Forsaken. Feature. 2015, (Premier, Sitges International Film Festival)

Yolanda began her career a Production Assistant on Oliver Stone’s The Doors, and went on to become Oscar award-winning Director José Luis Garci’s Assistant Director (throughout Spain), as well as at Roger Corman’s Studio (Venice, California). Her work in Development includes Deluca Artists Group (Beverly Hills), Trauko (Bilbao) Executive Producer Koldo Anasagasti (former Director San Sebastian Festival, Eitb Television) and José María Lara, PC. (Pamplona).

She works extensively in television, including at Eitb (Basque Television), on programs including action / adventure shows.  She’s also branched out into documentaries, including the adventure series “De Leyendas y Mitos” and the political feature documentary, “Lendakari”.

Yolanda has taught Directing, Producing, and Screenwriting for many years, including at the University of Barcelona (ESCAC).

What will you get out of it?
  • You will learn about the documentary format, genres,  styles
  • You will learn about documentary versus narrative structure.
    • You will learn how to present a documentary Package
    • You will learn the basics of camera operation
    • Your will learn the basics of lighting
    • Your will learn the basics of microphoning
    • You will learn interview techniques
  • You will learn how to the basics of Editing
  • You will learn about what to do with your doc once you have completed it- budgeting / Marketing/ Distribution / Festivals
afilm Indepdent filmmaker
What will you be doing?

DAY ONE

  • Course introduction and content. Documentary overview, study examples, a brief history.
  • The Art of Pitching: Pitch ideas for a short documentary
  • Project guidelines

DAY TWO

  • Documentary vs narrative structure. Breaking down structure.
  • Project pitches: Select project
  • Structure – Students will break down a documentary film.

DAY THREE

  • Development and Pre-Production
  • Packaging: How to prepare a Package.
  • Students   will prepare a Package for their project

DAY FOUR

  • Camera Fundamentals
  • Camera operating
  • Lens Fundamentals

DAY FIVE

  • Interview techniques/ interview questions.
  • Fundamentals of Lighting-  Different lighting styles.
  • Fundamentals of Sound: Lavalier and boom microphones.
  • Interview looks, techniques and lighting styles.
  • In class shoot simulation

DAY SIX – EIGHT

  • In field filming / Film Equipment/ Footage back up storage

DAY NINE

  • Final Cut Pro Editing
  • Fundamentals of Sound editing
  • Rough Cut Documentary

DAY TEN

  • Editing – Lock Picture.
  • Budgeting. Marketing – What is next?
  • Distribution and Festival strategies
  • Documentary Screening and Diplomas
“Nothing is as exciting as sharing stories about the human condition, especially those stories that bring about change.”Yolanda Torres, Filmmaker