Trying to make this documentary project more interesting...

H

harmonica44

For a film school project, the assignment is for students to pair up and make a documentary on each other. I would do one on one student, and he/she, would do one on me.

However, I don't have a life that is much interesting to make a documentary out of, and neither does the other student perhaps. So I was wondering, is there anything we can do to spice this up? I actually wanted us to make a documentary on something external, like a real world issue or something possibly important, or more fascinating, but not sure if the school will let us do that of course.

I can find out, but is there anything we can do for this assignment to make it better and something that is actually worth talking about ourselves with?
 
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Good luck, and I'm sure there are many interesting things about you that you can talk about on hers. Since she is directing yours make sure to let her direct and maybe she can coax some good stuff out of you. You are not directing the one about you right? So let her do her thing. And then you do your thing directing the one about her. And stop sweating it. It's a beginner project.
 
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It just feels like theme should come before characters. Like when Michael Moore decided to make Fahrenheit 9/11 for example, he decided he wanted to do a movie on 9/11 first. It's not like he just decided on his characters first, and then round up a bunch of a characters, and then discover that they all were all coincidentally connected 9/11. It seems that themes to explore as an idea should come first, and then choose people to fit that theme. But I will do it this way :).

Yep she directs the one about me and I direct the one about her :). I will do that.
 
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It could simply be the teacher's way of a community ice breaker, and you learn something along the way. You are not trying to make an Oscar-winning doc on day one.
 
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harmonica44 said:
Not all documentaries are about characters though. A lot of my favorite documentaries, such as the ones by Michael Moore for example, are about issues, more than the characters. In his documentaries, there are people, but there is no one main character, and instead he concentrates on a whole issue in itself as the main focus point. That's what I mean when I say a lot of documentary stories being about issues.
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So find out what issue your subject (the other student) is interested in
and make a documentary about that issue. In "Roger & Me" there is one
main character and that character is in IN THE TITLE. That documentary
by Michael Moore is about Michael Moore. Who did you think the "ME" in
the title refers to?

Then (as indietalk says) you allow the other student to make the documentary
they want to make. STAY OUT OF IT! Don't "suppose" what they should do.
Show the other director respect. It's clear that you are an indecisive person
who is paralyzed by choices yet very much wants to make movies. THAT would
make a great documentary.
harmonica44 said:
It seems that themes to explore as an idea should come first, and then choose people to fit that theme.
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That is the challenge, isn't it? That's why the teacher is doing this assignment. To
challenge you. You won't always get to make ONLY what YOU are comfortable
making.
 
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By the way we are all rooting for you in film school. Hope it works out and you learn a lot, deadlines are good for you, as you can turn in some finished work you may have procrastinated over w/o any deadline.
 
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h44, I am exceedingly confidant that you'd make a very interesting subject for a short documentary. And regardless of who your partner/subject is, they too have a story to tell.

ALL people have something interesting about them. Find something unique about them. Do they have a favorite hobby that is a little out of the ordinary? An interesting perspective on life? Some personal experience they'd be willing to discuss that most people might not be familiar with?

Shit, you could probably just ask them to tell you about how their grandparents had an influence on shaping who they have become, and I can practically guarantee they'd have something interesting to say.

For comparison's sake, my 1-minute documentary that I made for this introductory assignment was about a fencing instructor, and he ended up spending the entire interview comparing fencing to music. Whodathunkit?

My opinion is that you should complete the assignment as the instructor has tasked, no changes needed.

Best of luck!
 
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Your first post has a story already written in itself. The fact that you believe that you find making a documentary about another student/each other uninteresting is interesting. As already said, it's about finding out who you are. We can give your classmate a whole list of things that can be done about THEIR documentary, it's up to you to figure what you want YOUR documentary to be about.

Dodging the assignment isn't the way to go. If you're asked to write a 100 word paper about yourself and end up doing a 101 word paper in order to make sound more appealing, then you've already failed.
 
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Okay thanks. I definitely will not dodge the assignment. Thanks.

I'm surprised if people on here think that it's good that I am going to film school, cause when I asked about it before, some said it was a waste of money, and that they overcharge, and that I will not be learning what I cannot learn on my own, so I am kind of surprised, if that is the case. I just went against some of the advice there and did it, cause the graduate students I talked to said it was worth the experience.
 
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harmonica44 said:
I will not be learning what I cannot learn on my own.
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YUUUUP. If there is one thing you're known for on here, it's that you're really good at learning things on your own.

Wait a second i got that wrong. It's the opposite. You're known for asking questions about everything and being incapable of learning anything independently. Film school will be good for someone like you.
 
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harmonica44 said:
I'm surprised if people on here think that it's good that I am going to film school, cause when I asked about it before, some said it was a waste of money, and that they overcharge, and that I will not be learning what I cannot learn on my own, so I am kind of surprised, if that is the case
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And some said it was a good idea for you to go to film school.

As usual, you were confused that you got differing views. We've
seen that in you for several years. You read somewhere one opinion,
come here to find out what others think, get a different opinion and
then are paralyzed.

Even though you chose to focus on those who said film school isn't
a good idea, I'm glad you finally made a decision. I know it was very
difficult for you to go against what some people said and choose what
is best for you.
 
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Okay thanks.

directorik said:
And some said it was a good idea for you to go to film school.

As usual, you were confused that you got differing views. We've
seen that in you for several years. You read somewhere one opinion,
come here to find out what others think, get a different opinion and
then are paralyzed.

Even though you chose to focus on those who said film school isn't
a good idea, I'm glad you finally made a decision. I know it was very
difficult for you to go against what some people said and choose what
is best for you.
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I hope it's best for me. I probably just got scared and regretful about it and honed in on the advice that said don't do it, rather than do. I was also contemplating whether or not to move to a better city for filmmaking opportunities. I have been wanting to work on other people's sets to gain more experience, but it's very difficult to find movies being shot where I live. I was told by some other filmmakers that the only two places where movies are being made frequently to get on, where L.A. and Vancouver.

Only time, an actual L.A. company came to where I live to shoot. And I had the opportunity on the one feature here so far, but that's about it, aside from short films. So maybe I should move to one of those cities after, but the cost of living is so much more compared to where I live, and I would take a huge hit. So I was wondering if it has to be done. Or maybe I would strike out in those cities as well and not get on any sets much there either likely. But the people I have talked to who do live there, say there is a lot of opportunity compared to where I live.

I even talked to some celebrity filmmakers at a comic con fan expo, and they said the same thing, and that I would have to move, at any luck of getting real movie opportunities. Do you think I would have to do it?
 
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harmonica44 said:
I was also contemplating whether or not...
I was told by some other filmmakers...
So maybe I should...
So I was wondering if...
But the people I have talked to...

Do you think I would have to do it?
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You are paralyzed by choices.

I wish I could help. If you move you will face difficulties and more
opinions and choices. If you stay you will always wonder if you should
have moved. If you move and you are still paralyzed by choices you
will wonder if you should have stayed.

My advice is to stay where you are until you are ready to make a choice
without asking people on a message board. The day you can post here
saying, "Yesterday I moved..." or "Yesterday I shot a scene..." without
asking what we think is the day you will move forward in your goal.
 
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harmonica44 said:
Yeah I could do that but all these other filmmakers are going to school in Vancouver and L.A. and they say they are much better schools, so that gets me all thinking...
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Paralyzed by choices. So now what? You make NO decision? You
spend the next six months asking here if you should drop out of
the school you're in and move to where there is a "better" school?
 
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