Introduction to Documentary Filmmaking
Details
Level: No previous experience required
Requirements: No professional camera needed—mobile phones are welcome!
Group Size: Max 6 participants (intimate, interactive learning)
Language: English
Location: Online
Cost: €299 (regular), €270 (students, low-income, special circumstances)
Payment: PayPal
Other payment methods are available upon request
Are you passionate about documentaries?
Do you have a story to tell, but don’t know where to start?
Join my online workshop and discover how to create a contemporary, cinematic, and engaging documentary from start to finish! No previous experience is required—just bring your curiosity and a potential idea for a short documentary (don’t worry if you’re unsure; we’ll help you find your story!).
Workshop Schedule
Day 1 – Documentary Styles & Storytelling
Sat, 19.07.2025 | 10:30 – 14:30
Check-in & Introductions
Story Structure: Discuss your documentary ideas
Documentary Styles: Watch and analyze different styles
Brainstorming: Find the best style for your story
Day 2 – Pre-Production & Production
Sun, 20.07.2025 | 10:30 – 14:30
Check-in
Camerawork & Sound: Basics of shooting, shot sizes, composition, and recording sound
Usable Footage & B-Roll: Tips for capturing essential shots
Interview Techniques: Secrets and tips for great interviews
Day 3 –Tailored consultations about your shooting
Week of 21–27 July
Personalized Support: Guidance before, during, and after production
Day 4 –Introduction to editing (educational video sent before meeting) & Tailored Consultations
Week OF 28 July- 3 AUGUST
Learn basic editing techniques
Settings and essential tools
Cutting
Transitions
Sound
Texts & titles
Exporting
Tailored consultation before-during-after post-production, concrete help with issues related to the editing and storytelling.
Day 5 – Feedback & Screening
Sat, 09.08.2025 | 10:30 – 14:30
Feedbacks
Screening: Watch and discuss each other’s films
Celebration: Reflect on challenges and achievements
Why Join?
Hands-on learning in a small group
Personalized feedback and support
Learn at your own pace with guided facilitation
Celebrate your creative journey with like-minded filmmakers
Contact
Email: paganelli.linda@gmail.com
Questions? Don’t hesitate to reach out!
About the Workshop MENTOR
Linda Paganelli is an artist, anthropologist, and filmmaker who weaves together decolonial and queer*feminist perspectives with sensory, visual storytelling. With a background in Visual Anthropology, her work creates immersive, self-reflexive experiences that challenge conventional understandings of reality. Over the past thirteen years, she has worked with universities, museums, and galleries, crafting narratives around migration, belonging, memory culture, and the more-than-human world. Her projects have taken her from the complexities of conflict zones in Afghanistan, Israel/Palestine, and the Western Balkans to diverse communities across Europe. Through ethnographic filmmaking, Linda transcends academic boundaries, inviting a broader audience into these layered, intimate explorations.
She has taught at the University of St. Andrews, Viadrina University, Viadrina Center B/ORDER IN MOTION, filmArche e. V., the Visual Haus Cinema School, University of Amsterdam. Together with Alex DePew and Klaus Salminen, she runs the Berlin Film Community.
Introduction to Documentary Filmmaking