Make that Documentary (4 Classes on Wednesdays in April&May)

Make that Documentary
Your First Documentary Filmmaking Class

Make your first short documentary so you can make your next one!

Logistics: We will meet together for 2 hours and 30 minutes four times over the course of 4 weeks. We’ll assign you homework each week so that by week 4, you’ve completed a short documentary. Choose from one of these 3 choices, all taking place at Advent Coworking:
Thursdays in March: 3/5 , 3/12, 3/19 and 3/26
Wednesdays in April-May: 4/22, 4/29, 5/ 6, 5/13
Wednesdays in May-June: 5/20, 5/27, 6/8, 6/10
$150=take 4-night class & be in our cohort OR $60 per night.

Week 1: “You have an all-access pass to the world.”
Identify & mobilize all the resources at your disposal.
(We’ll walk you through a realistic inventory of your current People, Gear, Tools, Locations, Skills and Collaborators.Learn about additional tools & people available to assist you for free or cheap.) HOMEWORK includes: Editing exercises, schedule your interviews & b-roll filming)

Week 2: “It’s a real conversation with real people.”
How to capture the best possible interview. (Gear: Proper use of your audio gear, placement of cameras, three point lighting. People: the art of the interview, creating a comfortable, safe space for people. How to prepare your questions. How to capture the unexpected and unplanned. Ethical questions and building trust. Don’t let your gear get in the way of your conversation with the person.) Alternative ways to interview besides one-on-one talking heads (while traveling, capturing audio only).
HOMEWORK includes: Conduct interviews, log footage, outline beginning, middle & end of your film.

Week 3: “Adding the layers that make your film shine.”
Where are you in your project right now? What do you need to do or learn to continue building your project? How can we (people in the room) help you? Plus, we’ll cover planning and filming b-roll, partnering with a music composer, correcting audio mistakes, creating opening and closing credits, subtitles (various languages).
HOMEWORK includes: Create and add these layers to your project. Review a classmate’s work & share your notes on it.

Week 4: “Show your Work”
You’ll show us your project in its current state and recieve notes from everyone in the room. How to find your audience and show them your movie. What are your next steps to take to polish up your project? What were your favorite parts of making this project? What tasks do you want help with in the future? We’ll give an overview of film festivals: from scams to good ones.
HOMEWORK includes: inviting people to our May screening, polishing up your project

May 2020 Public Screenings: We are organizing an evening of screenings to take place at VisArt on Eastway Drive in Charlotte, NC. Invite your family and friends, enjoy popcorn and treats and see & hear your movie on the big screen in their small theatre! This will take place on a Sunday in May, the exact time and date to be announced. There will be a small cost to attend to support the non-profit VisArt (approximately $5 pp) & pay for the space.

About Guest Teachers
Julie will be joined by many different guest teachers who all have their own expertise. This will be an enriching class for sure!

About Julie
Julie McElmurry Biography
Hi, I'm Julie. I grew up near Cherokee, NC and now live in Charlotte, NC. I'm a documentary filmmaker who loves creating movies, creating events and creating a space for people to find friendship, connections and community among each other.
My career so far has included teaching college students, grad students and adults. I ran the logistics of a graduate program for 4 summers so yeah, I know how to teach and I love to help professionals with decades of experience translate that knowledge so they can teach too.
I created the Charlotte Unconventional Film School in 2017 as a way to bring together local professionals and adults like me who want to learn from them.we’ve taught over 800 local adults filmmaking skills.