jrn 572de - news documentary

JRN 572 - Researching & Writing the News DocumentaryRich Hanley, Associate ProfessorLecture Eight

JRN 572 - News Documentary

Review Week:• This week is focused on a review

of materials to date.

• Students ought to review the posted historical materials, Bernard’s book and the lectures to deepen understanding of the skills necessary to develop ideas that matter to the top pros in this realm.

Review Week:• Now, let’s review ideas and the

need to conduct research from the start.

• Remember: ideas are all around us, sometimes they emerge from what we observe, other times they emerge from what we hear and still other times they emerge from what we read.

Review Week:• On the tactic to find ideas from

what we read, here are two ideas that stem from recent news articles.

• The ideas emerged because documentary writers are constantly reading news in the context of how the story would work as documentary.

Review Week:• Idea No. 1:

• Against the odds, the Orange Nine tried to keep a season going

• The story by Greg Brownell of the Post-Star of Glen Falls, New York, is about a girls’ soccer team that competes despite roster issues.

Review Week:• The idea has character, conflict

and change.

• The idea is timely, has great visuals, a hook, relevance, affordability, etc.

Review Week:• Please note: ideas don’t all have

to be about global or national events.

• They just have to tell a story that matters, visually.

• Follow the team as it prepares and competes; it becomes a character study.

Review Week:• Idea No. 2:

• The Battle for the #SoulofOakland

• The story is about how Oakland wants the poor and the homeless to leave as it rapidly gentrifies.

Review Week:• The idea stems from Joel

Anderson’s BuzzFeed article on the problem.

• It meets the requirements for a documentary that is important, can be told visually and contains all the other required benchmarks.

Review Week:• Back to the general approach

for ideas.

• The first question to ask is this:

• Does the subject you wish to pursue reveal something important about society that is otherwise unknown, ignored or unseen?

Review Week:• Does research into the idea

confirm its potential as a story that be rendered visually that a funder would want to support and that an audience would want to see?

Review Week:• The basic research includes a

first pass into story development and visual assets.

Review Week:• Story research includes:

- Primary research into the subject through an

exploration into original documents, studies, etc.

- Identification of characters or people who can be interviewed for a story.

Review Week:• Visual asset research includes:

- An exploration of the material available in public (e.g., government and private (e.g., news companies) archives,

museums, libraries, private collections and similar

repositories.

Review Week:• After that, think of the

mechanical aspects of the idea, as expressed by:

- The formulation of six modes as developed by Bill Nichols

- The structural narrative trajectory of documentaries- Bernard’s formulation of

10 standards to test ideas- The three C’s

Review Week:• Nichols lineup of modes is

important because it sets in place the narrative approach to a given subject.

Review Week:• The modes are:

- Expository - Poetic

- Observational - Participatory - Reflexive

- Performative

Review Week:• If so, the next question that

follows is:

• Can the story be told visually to hold an audience that wants to be both informed and, to some extent, enthralled by what appears on the screen (mobile, TV or theater).

Review Week:• From there, Bernard’s concept of

10 elements as posted in Chapter 3 provides a firm trajectory in transforming the conceptual to the point where an idea can be represented textually as a treatment or proposal.

Review Week:• The10 are: - Access and Feasibility

- Affordability- Passion and Curiosity

- Audience - Relevance - Timeliness

- Visualization

Review Week:• The 10 are (continued): - Timeliness

- Visualization - Hook- Existing Projects

- Is This a Film You’d Want to See

Review Week:• It’s not necessary to perfectly

align all 10 as the definition for some such as timeliness can be broadly conceived, but it’s best to have all working in your favor.

Review Week:• Alongside Bernard’s formulation,

the concept of the three C’s as identified by Trisha Das among others is also of critical importance in determining whether an idea is valid. (see Lecture Four)

• The three C’s are:

Review Week:• Character• Conflict• Change

Review Week:• Thus, if an idea is plausible

under Bernard’s formulation and carries with it character, conflict, change, is empirically supported by research elements and expertise, there is a strong chance that it will get funded, meaning it will get produced.

Review Week:• If not, any weak point will have

to be addressed by either re-orienting the idea or by simply dismissing it.

• Don’t stick with an idea that simply does not fit the genre.

• And use the treatment format to thoroughly test it.

Review Week:• That treatment will include the

first phase of research into story development and archival visual materials to prove that the story has an arc and the story can be rendered visually.

Review Week:• All the material covered in the

first half of the semester is essential to understanding the process of pre-production phase of a documentary film.

• But the most important piece is your first attempt at a treatment as it starts your process toward success.

jrn 572de - news documentary

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