StoryboardThe starting point is, of course, to think of an interesting topic that all the members of the group are enthusiastic about. It is important to formulate the basic idea of the film as precisely and clearly as possible. If you do not know what it is about and where the story is going, then it might not be a very good idea for a film.
A storyboard is useful (instead of improvising your way through) as you get a high degree of control. This ensures that you reduce the risk of lacking important shots in the editing room. It is clear, however, that the storyboard of a documentary cannot be as accurate as that of a fiction film (which does not mean that it shouldn't be as detailed as possible).
One of the fascinating aspects about filming reality is that it cannot be controlled. Invariably, new possibilities will turn up along the way. Thus, the storyboard should always be regarded as a preliminary script that can be adjusted on location. Just remember that the danger of improvising a lot is that you might end up with a story lacking some of the essential elements.
Film ResearchIt is a good idea to find some examples that you can draw inspiration from before laying down the aesthetics and method of your film. Discuss the qualities of each film and note the good elements. This will probably give you an idea of how you want to structure your own film. A good way of avoiding clichéd ideas is to watch lots of other short films, look out for any trends and stay clear of them.
Your choice of music plays an important part in the overall impression of the film, and these discussions should not be postponed until the editing phase. Short films must not be accompanied by a slow and poignant solo piano soundtrack.
It is a good idea to draw up some aesthetic narrative guidelines for what you can and cannot do. For instance, you can make guidelines about the interviews and the rooms where they should take place; whether or not the interviewer should be visible in the picture; whether the camera movements should be calm or swift; in which rooms or situations the camera should be on a tripod or handheld; whether the persons should be filmed from below, at eye-level, from above; if the interviewer's questions should be cut out (in which case a certain interview technique is required); whether you want to use voice-over commentary, and so on and so forth.
Preliminary Field Research
Thoroughly research your topic or source of inspiration. In order to get a fairly good understanding of your person and his or her story you need to visit him or her and make some test interviews. This will give you an impression of the person's limits and boundaries, and what s/he is willing to talk about. If possible, bring a video camera (to the first meetings) to find out how the person reacts to the camera, and to let him/her get used to its presence before the actual shoot. It also gives you a chance to map the different locations and thus plan more precisely what you want to be in the film (a test film is the basis for working out a fairly accurate storyboard/preliminary script.)
Cast and script
You should consider how to catch the viewer's attention and keep their interest. The ideal situation for realising a classic linear narrative remains the one of finding a charismatic personality who is working towards a goal along a road that is beset by frustrating obstacles.
"Keep It Simple, Stupid" (K.I.S.S.)
Before investing money, time and effort into shooting your film, it’s a good idea to test your script out on friends and strangers (as friends might fear offending you) and get as much feedback as you can.
Unless your friends are actors or demonstrate acting talent, it’s a good idea to avoid casting them in your film. Even one bad actor in a film can really let it down and destroy the viewer’s belief in the reality that your film is seeking to create. There are lots of great actors out there who are willing to work for reduced fees to learn their trade and make a name for themselves. You can find actors through advertising on the message boards of filmmaking communities.
Camera work
On the day don’t forget your movie camera, microphone(s), spare batteries, DV tape and the charger. It is also a good idea to take a digital stills camera, pen and paper and if shooting outside you need appropriate clothing and plastic sheet for protecting the equipment.
Keep a consistent style by having one camera operator throughout.
The tripod is your friend, keeping the camera steady gets the most effective and versatile footage.
Travelling or contextual shots to position your movie in time and space. Buildings, scenery, roads and the sea. You viewer might never have heard of Scotland.
Long simple shots with a spoken voice or background noise are good to use as a frame work for the movie. Typically, you want your editing to be seamless and unnoticed. Having dialog and music overlap various shots helps keep everything flowing without interruption.
Descriptive shots of rooms, views form windows, objects in the home, pets, etc. Close up, normal and long shots. Shoot the general pictures in different formats (e.g. full shot as well as close shot). Often people find themselves lacking a particular format in the editing room. In general, extra pictures might come in handy.
Shoot as many angles as you can. Different angles keep the viewer interested and if you shoot multiple angles of one shot, you will have more options for editing.
In a static shot movement, such as a tree blowing in the wind, retains interest. If you use such camera movements as panning, make sure you have several takes of each shot in which the camera is moved at different speeds. This will give you more possibilities in the editing room.
Avoid zooming, as it is difficult to edit a shot that contains a zoom. If you need to get closer to an object it is better to move the camera.
In general it is good to make the shots a little longer than first intended – you never know what you might need in the editing room.
Be ready to switch on the camera (or leave it on) if something unexpected happens that takes the full attention of your character to sort out. It might turn out to be a magical moment that you should consider using instead of one of the scenes from the script. In general, you need to be spontaneous and open to chance.
The camera plays a role: it acts on the sender's (i.e. your) behalf. Remember that the camera angles (low or high etc) and movements are significant for the degree to which you express respect for, solidarity with, antipathy against, etc., the people in the film.
Participant Considerations
Shoot the 'soft' things first (the daily chores). Don't shoot the interview until the person has become used to the presence of the camera as well as his/her role as an 'actor.'
If the person is occupied with something, s/he is more likely to forget the camera.
In order to balance the unequal relationship between interviewer and interviewee and to make the interview situation less artificial, it might be a good idea for the interviewer to share some stories and contribute to the conversation. These can be edited out later if required.
Let the interviewee finish his or her story, even though you have already gotten what you wanted (to show respect for what s/he is saying).
In the documentary short film the spoken word (monologue or dialogue) plays an important role. Still, it is worth keeping Alfred Hitchcock's words in mind: When we tell a story in cinema, we should resort to dialogue only when it's impossible to do otherwise.
In order to make your persons appear as natural and spontaneous as possible, it is important to shoot the different scenes at psychologically the right times and places. (In the right place and order)
In order to make the best of the interview and make the interviewee feel more comfortable, try to place yourselves in a low status position. You can tone down your high status position by pretending that you are not in complete control of the technical equipment. It may also have a relaxing effect if the interviewer improvises their questions instead of reading off a script.
If a scene doesn't turn out as you planned (and it has to be re-shot), don't indicate that the interviewee didn't do well (even if that is the case). Instead, find some other excuses for re-shooting the scene; for instance, that the sound wasn't good enough, the picture was out of focus and so on.
When you need to check your filmed material, it is a good idea to leave one or two members of the group to chat with the interviewee (while the others check the pictures).
All documentaries are somewhere in between inventing and capturing reality and although the distance between the two poles is short, you should reflect on where your film is placed between these poles. To what extent is your film obliged to depict reality? Are you inventing your own representations of real life in order to make reality more distinct? Are you placing authentic people in situations that they wouldn't otherwise have been in?
There are many ethical questions involved in the production of a documentary. From the beginning you must consider whether you are portraying people appropriately. Are you twisting in any way the image(s) of your subject(s)? What should and should not be shown? (Is it essential to show a very messy kitchen?) Are you crossing their boundaries? Are you invading or exposing their privacy? Will they feel good about the film afterwards?
Editing
Filmmaking is predominantly a collaborative process. Good editing can really transform a film but if you’re directing and editing your own film you might be too attached to certain shots to know which bits to chop out to make your film a stronger, more coherent piece.
It is always a good idea to get somebody to view your production with a fresh eye.
Be ready to make changes – maybe even to give up the original concept of the film (i.e. throw away the storyboard) if you find out that what you had planned doesn't really work. This goes for the shooting phase as well as the editing phase.
General Editing Rules
Transitions can be annoying. You can rarely go wrong with just cutting from one shot to the other, but if a transition is necessary, fades and dissolves are your friends.
Avoid Repetition and punch line Twists
Short films must not open with an alarm clock going off and the main protagonist waking up in a brightly lit room.
Opening credits are a bad idea with a short film. If you must show credits for a short film, they should be at the end. Just the title is sufficient enough at the beginning.
Good Luck!
