What I've Learned from Documentary Storytelling

Documentary Storytelling from Skylar Brown on Vimeo.

This assignment has taught me a lot about documentary storytelling, first off you have to plan it, and it’s not just something you can jump headfirst into. Like all good films you have to have a message you are trying to convey or "the gift of the story" and a plan on how you will convey that story. Not only does a plan help you get organize to convey your story to the audience but it helps you convey your ideas to your partner or team during production. Another lesson that I have learned is that finding well lit area to shoot is your best call especially if you do not have your own lighting available to set up. I really had to think on my feet on how to light a dimly lit room which included borrowing lamps from other rooms that were accessible. Another thing I have learned from this experience is to trust your partner with the camera, since I usually shoot by myself and even when I am working with the production team I’m usually always camera operator. Working with someone else as the camera operator was a very new experience for me and it took almost all of my will not to touch the camera, I had to have faith that my partner understood me and what I wanted from the shots. The final thing that I had learned is when you have to consider what the audience will think, if there is an awkward pause in the middle of the film it may make sense to you but the audience may not understand also it is a good idea to put subtext of a person’s name who you are interviewing. Overall this assignment was a fantastic learning experience, I've learned what works, what doesn't work, I've made a few mistakes but the feedback that was provided by my peers will help me in the future.