Workshop: Get Your Documentary Idea Commissioned, Funded & Made
Standard £150
Freelance/Student £125
Members £100
Got a documentary idea but not sure how to: move it forwards, get some interest, get it funded, commissioned and broadcast? This one day course is for anyone, from complete beginners to experienced producers, who have a documentary idea but don’t know how to move it forwards, develop it and get it made. This workshop applies to online documentaries, broadcast TV documentaries and one-off theatrical release documentaries. During the day we break down the development process, working through what’s needed to create a compelling pitch, then a fully rounded proposal, a treatment, shooting schedule, budget and sizzle teaser.
The workshop will cover the following:
1. PITCH
– What is a story?
– What is a documentary?
– Where’s the access?
– The title
– The pitch
2. PROPOSAL
– Planning the proposal
– Tag line
– Identifying the critical information for each section
– Writing and rewriting the proposal
– Sizzle teasers
3. TREATMENT
– Point of view
– Treatment and execution styles
– Presenters, narration
– Re-versioning, added value and interactive options
– The opening sequence and how to start
– Narrative reveal, arc, structure
– Script
– Empathy, pace and audience engagement
– HEC test
– The importance of themes
4. PRODUCTION
– Rights, release forms
– Shooting schedule
– Budget
– Production managing and workflow
Dean Arnett is an award-winning, self-shooting producer, with 23 years’ experience. After many years working for the BBC, he is now freelance, shooting documentaries, corporates and TV features with a variety of cameras, all around the world. He also provides training for the BBC, PA, Archant and other media groups.
