3.0

credits

Average Course Rating

A compelling documentary begins with a compelling idea. (The term “documentary," for our purposes, resists categorization.) But by the time that documentary is completed, the initial idea has likely gone through a radical and rigorous exploration. The initial idea may emerge from a sudden thought, a chance encounter. It is the moment when a constellation begins to form. The final driving idea behind a documentary may bear little resemblance to that first thought. We will begin with each of your ideas, perhaps, little more than a vague feeling. The painter, Paul Klee, wrote that “drawing is taking a line for a walk." In this course we will take each of your ideas for a walk, imagining why and how the idea might be realized. The why and the how will involve imaginative thinking, seeking additional ideas that coalesce with that first thought. In this way we begin to assemble the constellation that is your idea. To some degree we are less concerned with the initial idea than the subsequent ideas it suggests. The process may involve archival image research, readings, your own writing, listening to music and sounds, and sometimes, just letting your idea wander off on its own. Our goal is to experience the growth of an idea into an articulated intention. That intention is then expressed through a plan incorporating visual style, sound design, and, if appropriate, text. There is no production requirement for this course. There is no requirement of film or video experience. You are required to bring with you an idea that has found you. The point of all of this is for each of you to engage, on a deep and thoughtful level, with an idea that has asked for your help.