Within this module, I plan to film and produce a short poetic documentary about Bradford and it’s features as a city. The reason I give for proposing this film is that on social media, Bradford is often portrayed and stereotyped as a very negative place to live. Bradford, as a city, has its problems, however, this does not mean that Bradford is overall a terrible place. Bradford has a very rich film heritage, in which it won UNESCO City of Film for having such a rich film history. Bradford has even won the City Of Culture Award for 2025, due to Bradford’s rich diversity.
The film will range around 3-5 minutes, showcasing a glimpse of the city of Bradford. This film will differ from other forms of documentary as there will be no spoken dialogue. The film will consist of an instrumental track and cinematography of the city of Bradford. There are different types or (as film theorist/critic, Bill Nichols calls them) ‘modes’ of documentary (Anderson-Moore, 2023). There are 6 ‘modes’ in total. These consist of ‘poetic’, ‘participatory’, ‘observational’, ‘expository’, ‘reflexive’ and ‘performative’. The Documentary will incorporate elements of two modes, specifically ‘observational’ and ‘poetic’.
There will be 3 roles on this project as I will need a cinematographer and an assistant camera operator. I will also collaborate with some musicians (ranging from 2-4) to compose the track that will go alongside the visual aspect of the film. The cinematographer (D.P – Director of Photography) will oversee obtaining the shots for the film. I will be working very closely with the cinematographer, as I will the musicians. The assistant camera operator will oversee the camera’s accessories including lenses and batteries. The musicians will oversee the music aspect of the film and making sure the track is completed. I will sit in on the recording session of the track itself.
I will be directing this project as the film is on a topic that I’m passionate about as I am originally from Bradford. I will also work on storyboards, call sheets, shot lists as well as frequently collaborating with the D.P (Director of Photography) and the musician. I will oversee every aspect of the production of the film since I will be working with a small film crew and a small group of musicians. I will also be organising shooting days and locations of where we will be filming. Post-production including editing will be carried out by myself. The cinematographer may assist me during this time of production.
I will be collaborating with two other film students and a set of musicians. The film students will be aiding me throughout the visual aspect of the production whilst the music students will oversee creating the track to go alongside the film. I will also document the production of the track and provide other musical material for the musicians, so they have a ‘blueprint’ to work from when recording the track. I am aiming to work with musicians who play/record jazz-like music as that is the ideal track I would like for the film. For example, the track ‘Mysteries of Love’ from the film Blue Velvet (1986) (Dir, David Lynch) (Lynch, 1986).
My research sources will consist of certain books and films. I have been provided research material on documentary making and realism in factual films, however, the film may be perceived as ‘biased’ as it is from the filmmaker’s perspective. I intend to use the Media Students Handbook. This contains immense information about documentary production and a debate about realism in documentary (Branston & Stafford, 2010). I have also used certain films as influence for the film such as Man With A Movie Camera (1929) (Dir, Dziga Vertov) and Grey Gardens (1975) (Dir, Albert Maysles, David Maysles) (Maysles & Maysles, 1975). These films look at life and people through the filmmaker’s perspective, however, still maintaining that realist look on how people act in what they do from day to day (Vertov, 1929, Maysles & Maysles, 1975). I’ve used the soundtrack for the film, Blue Velvet (1986) (Dir, David Lynch), for inspiration as I would like the soundtrack to have a smooth, comforting tone (Lynch, 1986).
I will also be referring to other books and websites for research throughout the production of the film. For example, I will be using the book “Directing the Documentary” by Michael Rabiger, which goes into detail on the processes of making documentary films and gives a detailed guide on pre-production for documentary, all the way through to post-production and the editing process of documentary film. I will also be researching Bradford’s film heritage as this is an element I would like to incorporate into the film, this I will be researching via Internet resources. I will also aim to improve my filmmaking techniques via researching the practical side of documentary filmmaking using the Book, “Making Documentary Films and Reality Videos: A Practical Guide to Planning, Filming and Editing Documentaries” by Barry Hampe (Hampe, 2007).
I will potentially spend 2-3 weeks on pre-production generating shot lists, location recce’s (reports), storyboards, call sheets etc. This is where I will be collaborating heavily with both the D.P (Director of Photography) and the musicians as they will play key parts in the set up for the film. Once pre-production is completed, I will proceed into production which I’m planning to last at least 3 weeks as I predict that I will need to have as much footage as possible. Then post-production should take another 2-3 weeks as the editing process is possibly the most vital part of the assembling of the film.
Production Schedule
| 1 Week | 2 Weeks | 3 Weeks | 4 Weeks | |
| Pre – Production (Ethan Duckworth) | ** | ** | ** | |
| Production (Ethan Duckworth, Harry Speight, Mathew Rowan | ** | ** | ** | |
| Post – Production (Ethan Duckworth) | ** | ** | ** | * |
| Music Production (Harry Speight, Ethan Duckworth | ** | ** | ** |
** – length of time for processes to be completed
* – Potential overtime
There are potential issues I could encounter, during the making of the film. The main issue is the road works that are currently proceeding in and around Bradford. This could obstruct the camera team obtaining shots as the road works are extremely present in Bradford. Another issue that could appear is weather conditions. Most of the shooting of the film will take place outside as I want to exhibit Bradford as a city. I will counter these issues by assessing the situation as the time of shooting.
Throughout this module, I have the opportunity to apply knowledge and techniques in documentary filmmaking processes. I plan to develop my practice in this area in the future by familiarising myself with different methods and styles of filmmaking, so that my knowledge in this area is balanced out. Also, I will gain the opportunity to work with other filmmakers and musicians.
Bibliography
Anderson-Moore, O. (2023) Nichols’ 6 modes of documentary might expand your storytelling strategies, No Film School. Available at: https://nofilmschool.com/6-modes-of-documentary (Accessed: 21 February 2024).
Blue Velvet (1986) [DVD] (2004). USA: Prism Leisure Corporation.
Branston, G. and Stafford, R. (2010) ‘13. Documentary and Reality Debates ’, in The Media Students Book. 5th edn. London; New York , UK; New York : Taylor & Francis Ltd, pp. 358–377.
Dziga Vertov’s the man with the movie camera (1929). U.S.S.R.: VUFKU.
Grey Gardens (1975). United States: Portrait Films Inc.
Hampe, B. (2007) Making documentary films and reality videos: A practical guide to planning, filming and editing documentaries. New York, New York; USA: Holt.