Creating My Own Documentary

Assigned a final project, I now get to create my own mini documentary about any topic of my choosing. With so much to choose from, I wanted to do some final research before narrowing down some topic ideas.

The Bare Bones Camera Course for Film and Video by Tom Schroeppel

Chapter Seven: Lighting

In this chapter, Schroeppel gives readers the best tips on shooting at the right times and getting the right lighting system for your shot. The four-point lighting system (key light, fill light, backlight, background light) is crucial for getting the right lighting for your subject, and was very helpful for a beginner director like myself.

Small excerpt from The Bare Bones Camera Course for Film and Video by Tom Schroeppel, shows efficient four-point lighting system.

I definitely plan on using this system for this project and all future projects, and other advice Schroeppel gave, such as:

Reflectors and fill lights can brighten up shadows cast by backlight and sidelight.
Focusing quartz, broads, and softlights can all help in fixing interior lighting.
Keeping the light high and subjects away from walls can avoid unnatural-looking shadows on walls.
Film shows more shadow detail than video. (WHAT?!)

Chapter Nine: Doing It

This chapter really gives me the confidence to go out and commit to future projects. Schroeppel motivates his readers by guiding them through

By going through each step of the production process such as planning a shoot, creating storyboards, and even working in uncontrolled situations, Schroeppel really sets his readers off with everything they should know! I really liked his point of working in uncontrolled situations when things don’t go according to plan, as he mentions how you can still get great shots by hustling even more to get them, and these situations can actually be even more fun knowing you have working footage. As a person who stresses themselves out easily, this advice definitely calms my nerves for this project, and makes me excited for production!

After researching, here are some examples I found of video storytelling I’ve seen recently:

Up (2009) – “Married Life” Opening Scene

When talking about storytelling, this scene always comes to my mind. With no narration or dialogue at all, this scene takes viewers through the couple’s entire married life, all the way to the end. Through ambient sounds and the fun music turning sad as the scenes go along, viewers can feel so many emotions throughout just this opening scene. One of my favorite storytelling scenes, this scene was incredibly well produced, as it tells a story of a couple’s entire marriage in just a five minute clip.

Piece By Piece Movie Clip – I Loved Music (2024)

This entire movie was incredibly well produced and took a new turn on biopics, as the entire movie showcased Pharell William’s life in Lego. Even interviewed guests, such as Pusha T, Snoop Dogg, and Kendrick Lamar were all Lego pieces telling his story. This scene in particular was when Pharrell Williams talked about his synesthesia, and how he can see colors through his mind’s eye. I love how visual and colorful they ended up making the scene, by letting the song fade in and take over his room. This really shows how music took over in this moment, and they took the time to show viewers how synesthesia may look in a Lego world. Overall, this movie is incredible to watch (highly recommend!) and this scene captures one important part of his life in an amazing way.

I didn’t really want to include a scene from this show because of how vulgar some language and scenes were, but “The Idol” written by Abel Tesfaye (The Weeknd), Sam Levinson, and Reza Fahim became a flop in 2023 after its release. Viewers complained of the show being too explicit, but also had confusing writing and awkwardness surrounding the acting. The show attempted to combine pop-star fantasy with a dark psychological descent, but its storytelling ultimately ruined everything. The characters were pretty inconsistent throughout and the show lacked a clear narrative arc with scenes often jumping around one another. Many viewers also noted how many of the more provocative scenes were made just to add in more provocative scenes, not to serve the show’s purpose at all. For a project with huge hype among Gen Z, “The Idol” became a prime example of how writing without structure leads to a storytelling failure.