Story Development Bootcamp (Virtual)

On Zoom:

Saturday, April 18 & Sunday, April 19 | 10PM-3PM (including 1 hour lunch break)

COURSE DESCRIPTION

In this interactive bootcamp, you'll learn how to turn documentary ideas into film-ready concepts, step by step ... from research to treatment development and character/theme development. This course is for people new to filmmaking as well as practicing filmmakers. You will get the chance to work on your own projects and receive feedback from the instructor and peers. To maximize your learning experience, please come prepared with your story idea and an open mind ready for development.

You’ll explore the following topics:

• The importance of research in documentary filmmaking.

• Discussion on different documentary styles and approaches.

• Generating documentary ideas.

• Story structure and story progression strategies.

• Techniques for identifying compelling subjects and narratives.

• Narrowing down your ideas and selecting a topic for development.

• Identifying key characters and themes in your documentary.

• Documentary treatments and their purpose.

• Techniques for building character arcs and thematic depth.

• Group discussions and peer feedback on character and theme development.

ABOUT THE TEACHING ARTIST: Jenny Montasir

Jenny Montasir is a seasoned video journalist and documentary filmmaker with over a decade of experience. She spent four years in Egypt reporting on women’s rights and social justice issues, with her impactful work featured by outlets including the BBC, The New York Times, MSNBC, The Huffington Post, Voice of America, AJ+, TIME, and The Guardian. Jenny has taught multimedia storytelling at Northwestern University and news videography at Montclair State University. At Docs In Progress, she has led courses in Story Development, Smartphone Filmmaking, Intro to Video Journalism, and Interviewing Techniques.

Refund policy:

If your circumstances change and you must withdraw from a class after registering, please be aware of our refund policy:

Withdrawal 20 or more calendar days before the first day of a program: 75% refund

Withdrawal 11-19 calendar days before the first day of a program: 50% refund

Withdrawal 10 or fewer calendar days before a program: No refund

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