Contents

Preface

Why this book?

A note about words

I The Nature of Television Documentary

1  Introduction

Haven’t I seen you on TV?

Smaller, faster, better, cheaper…

A heady time

2  What is a Television Documentary?

Showing not telling

The melting pot

57 different varieties

3  How do we Start?

This is how we see the world

4  Telling the Story

The subject

The thread

Change

Beginning and ending

The intention

Film time

II Constructing a Television Documentary

Section A: Building the Story

A view of the real world

5  The Building Blocks

Pictures and words

Acts and sections

Scenes and sequences

The narrative scene

Description and exposition

The interview

Titles and junctions

End credits

Section B: The Tools

6  The Lens

Focal length

Aperture

Depth of field

7  The Microphone

Section C: Building the Form

8  The Frame

Camera placement

Shot size

The wide shot

The long shot

Group shots

The full and mid shots

The medium close-up

Close-ups

The talking head

9  The Shot

The narrative of the shot

Speed of movement

Direction of movement

Subject and camera movement

Motivation

Zoom and track

Pan and crab

Crane and tilt

Crash zoom and whip pan

Combined movements

The hand-held shot

Shot sound

10  The Sequence

The choice of shots

Continuity

Cut-aways and cut-ins

Pace

Rhythm

Sequence sound

Sequence music

Sequence narration

The cut

Matching the shots

The fade and the dissolve

Image manipulation

III Producing a Television Documentary

Section A: Pre-production

11  The Proposal

Where?

Who?

What?

12  Costing a Production

The schedule

Development

Pre-production

Production

Post-production

Budgeting notes

Production staff

Contributors’ fees

Production expenses

Production office costs

Purchased materials

Facilities’ costs

Costume, make-up, scenery, props, VisFx

Shooting, lighting and sound

Editing

Stock and duplicating

Graphics

Music

13  Outline, Treatment, Script

Outline

Treatment

Script

14  Research

Content research

Production research

People

Locations

Events

Other materials

The research report

Section B: Production

15  Production Planning

Managing the team

Preparation

16  The Shoot

The shooting day

Section C: Post-production

17  Editing

The editor

Editing technologies

Viewing the rushes

The rough cut

The fine cut

Sound editing

Music

Track laying and dubbing

18  The Review

What’s it all for?