Moving Image Documentary Production

Aim

The aim of this unit is to develop learners' understanding of the moving image documentary format and provide them with the skills needed to produce documentaries to broadcast standard.

Unit abstract

Documentary production represents one of the largest sectors of both television and film production, providing an extensive range of opportunities and professional roles within the industry. Documentary can canvas opinion and attitudes from a wide variety of communities and can dissect diverse subjects from serious global issues to pure entertainment.

This unit provides learners with the contextual backdrop to the documentary format, looking at a variety of practitioners and styles. Learners will then put this understanding into practice by developing their own documentary production and will develop the full range of skills needed from researching and planning through to the production process. The unit builds on preproduction and proposal writing, production and production management skills and provides opportunities to develop advanced specialist skills such as interview and presentation techniques and the professionalism required when working with the public.

Though 'factual' is the basic definition of the genre there is a wide range of opportunities for the development of creativity both within the production process and in the topic or subject content, providing opportunities for learners to develop proposals for productions that they find personally interesting and challenging.