Documentary Project Proposal Template

Documentary Project Proposal Template

From: Documentary Video Boot Camp June 14-18, 2010 Adapted by David Tamés from a document by Peter Thompson based on the book Directing the Documentary by Michael Rabiger.

Working Title:
Producer: Director:
Cameraperson:
Sound recordist:
Editor:
Other collaborators:

Working Hypothesis and Interpretation
What are your persuasions about theworld you are going to show in your film, the main “statement” that you want to emerge out of the filmʼs dialectics? Write a hypothesis statement incorporating this wording: In life I believe that: My film will show this in action by exploring (situation): The main conflict is between: Ultimately, I want the audience to feel: and to understand that:

Topic
Write a concise paragraph about: 1. Yourfilmʼs subject (person, group, environment, social issue, etc.) 2. The necessary background information the audience must have to understand and to be interested in the enclosed world you intend to present. Be sure to show how this information will emerge.

Action Sequences
Write a brief paragraph for each intended sequence that shows an activity. (A sequence is usually delineated by being in onelocation, one chunk of time, or an assembly of materials to show one topic). Incorporate the following: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. What the activity is and what conflict it evidences A metaphor to explain its subtextual meaning The expected structure of events What the sequence should contribute to the whole film and to the hypothesis What facts the audience must gather from watching it What key, emblematicimagery you hope to capture

Main Characters
Write a brief paragraph about each of your main characters. For each include:

1. Who (name, relationship to others in film and so on) 2. Where (where does this person fit in the scheme of things?) 3. What (what is this characterʼs role, what makes the character(s) interesting, worthy of special attention and significant? What is this character tryingto do or to get at?)

Conflict
What is at issue in this film? Consider: 1. Who wants what of whom? 2. What conflicting principles do the characters stand for? 3. Does your film put different principles in opposition (of opinion, of view, of vision and so forth)? 4. How will we see one force finally meet with the other? (the “confrontation”--very important) 5. What range of possible developments doyou see emerging from this confrontation?

Audiences Biases
To make a documentary means not only using conflicting “evidence” to put forward your subjectʼs dialectics, it also means knowing what stereotypes or expectations carried by your audience your film must deliberately set out to alter. 1. Biases ( may be positive or negative) 2. What alternative views, facts or ideas does the audience needto understand 3. What evidence will you show to get the audience to see those different truths

On Camera Interviews
For each interview, list: 1. Name, role in life, metaphoric role in filmʼs dramatic structure 2. Main elements the interview will seek to establish

Structure
Write a brief paragraph on how you hope to structure your film. When you are doing this, consider: 1. 2. 3. 4. How willyou will handle the progression of time in the film How and at what point information important to story development will appear What you intend as the climactic sequence and where this should go How this relates to other sequences in terms of the action rising toward the filmʼs projected “crisis” or emotional apex and the falling action after it 5. Sequences or interviews you intend to use asparallel storytelling

Form and Style
Any special considerations in shooting or editing style that might further your filmʼs content. Here you might comment on narrative lighting, camera handling, type and amount of intercutting, juxtaposition of scenes, parallel storytelling and the like.

Resolution
Write a brief paragraph about how you imagine your film will end and what you would like the...