Stoffentwicklung

Story Development Part 1
Today's documentary films are characterized by an enormous variety of forms. There are so-called classic (observational) documentaries, socially critical, poetic, autobiographical, and experimental documentaries, urban symphonies, hybrid forms, essays, docudramas; made for television or cinema, the internet or an art exhibition, and many other classifications. Basically, a documentary film is characterized by a good story with interesting characters and locations, narrative tension, and a special narrative perspective. So it is not enough to decide to make a film about homeless people, performance artists, urban landscapes, or the relationship with one's own parents. Each of these topics leads to an infinite variety of possible interpretations and cinematic design options. That's why it's important to define: - What do I want to tell? - What aspects do I want to communicate to the audience?

• What is my specific view of the events? - What perspective do I take? - What cinematic means do I use to create the style I want?
• How do I ultimately shape my ideas into a cinematic story? - How do I translate my material into an exposé, treatment, or screenplay in a dramaturgical way? Dramaturgy deserves special attention, as it is the framework that supports a cinematic work. Thorough research is also an important basis for the development of many documentary materials: - What tools are available for research?
• And how do I get in touch with potential protagonists and interview partners? Material development part 2 (May 23-25, 2014)
  The material proposals agreed upon by the pairs in the first workshop are further developed and reviewed for practical feasibility. In the meantime, protagonists and filming locations have been visited, so that enough background information has been researched to allow various dramaturgical approaches to be played through and analyzed in the exposé. In this part of the workshop, the “frameworks” or treatments for the short films are created, and on this basis, concrete preparations for filming begin.