Film Documentary Production: Roles, Terms, and Scheduling
Film Documentary Production
Key roles in film documentary production include the editor, production manager, reporter, camera crew, fixer, and output editor.
Pre-Production Meeting
A pre-production meeting typically involves the director of news and current affairs, the editor, the social affairs correspondent, the reporter, and the camera operator.
Example: Four March sisters navigate poverty and personal aspirations during the Civil War, each yearning for love, success, and a life true to themselves.
Modal Verbs
- Ability: can/be able to
- Permission: can/could/may
- Possibility: could/may/might
- Advice: should/ought to/had better
- Obligation: must/have to/need to
- Lack of Obligation: don’t have to / don’t need to
Key Roles Defined
- Correspondent: Works for a newspaper or TV station to report news from a distant place.
- Wires/Press Agencies: Such as Associated Press.
- Talking Heads: Contributors or interviewees giving opinions or evidence.
- Newsreader/Newscaster: Presents the news on a radio or television broadcast.
- (EDL): An idea of how the editor wants a program to be edited.
- Intercut: To edit and mix two concurrent scenes.
- Production Manager: Ensures equipment is working and health services are available for the crew.
- Reporter: Travels to the location where filming takes place and records and writes the piece of news or documentary.
- Fixer: A freelance journalist who sets up interviews and gets permission to film.
- Output Editor: Responsible for one edition of a program.
Commissioning, Bids, and Pitching
- Commissioning: The process where independent producers sell their work to broadcasters, who have previously developed a list of ideas.
- Bids: Cost-based proposals.
- Pitching: The process where a screenwriter tries to sell an idea for a film to a producer, typically presented orally.
Other Important Terms
- Scoop: A news item appearing in one radio station, newspaper, or TV channel before all others.
- Slot: A position in a sequence or series; scheduled time for a program.
- Trail Ahead: To promote a documentary or program with a preview.
- Slant: A particular way of presenting information to appeal to certain groups.
- Editor-in-Chief: The publication’s editorial leader with final responsibility for operations.
- Deputy Editor: Assistant to the editor-in-chief.
- Screenplay: A story written for a film.
- Thumbnail Sketches: Very brief descriptions of the principal characters.
- Marketing Ploy: A trick used for marketing.
- Feature-Length Drama: A full-length dramatic film.
- Lease: Rent.
- Billboard: A flat surface for advertisements.
- Gimmick: A device designed to attract attention.
- Leaflet: A small sheet of printed matter.
Key Pitch Elements
Genre, title, logline hook.
Advertisement Elements
Text, image, target audience.
Filming Schedule Checklist
Essential elements for a filming schedule include:
- Name of the team/production company
- Title of documentary
- Week(s) for filming and exact dates
- Location
- Transmission date (TX)
- Crew on location and roles
- Technical requirements
- Check-list pre-travel
- Day-to-day filming agenda