YI On Set: The Documentary
Jan 25, 2010
New York FIlm Academy representatives teach YI Leaders how to operate cameras, January 2010. Photograph by Danielle Linzer
In preparation for the documentaries we will be making about 2010, the Whitney Biennial, YI Leaders are working with teachers from the New York Film Academy. Last Friday we had an introduction to the art and artists that will be shown in the Biennial. We also watched and compared clips from a dramatic narrative film and a documentary. As a group we came to the conclusion that a documentary is defined as a non-fiction film without any acting where the director presents the “truth” using interviews and facts. We also learned basic film terminology, such as different types of shots and shooting techniques.
Riana and Lisette practice different camera shots and shooting techniques, January 2010. Photograph by Danielle Linzer
We spent the first part of our Monday session learning how to operate the cameras we will be using for our documentaries and the second part talking about different types of documentaries. We learned that documentaries can be divided into nine non-exclusive, overlapping categories: experimental, personal, informational, anthropological, biographical, verité/direct cinema, political, propaganda, and poetic. Finally, we split into groups for shooting our own documentaries. One group will be working on the history of the Biennial and exploring the theme of 2010. Another group will work directly with one of the Biennial artists, including a behind the scenes look at an artist's studio. And the third group will document the teen audience response.
By Charlotte