A presentation delivered by Courtney Hermann at the 2012 University Film and Video Association meeting. From 2008-2012, Courtney Hermann and her Documentary Production students participated in the International Documentary Challenge, a timed filmmaking competition where teams from across the world are given a documentary subgenre and a theme, and must create a 4-7 minute film from start to finish in just 5 days. Courtney and her students have produced 10 films in all--4 were selected as contest finalists and premiered at the Hot Docs International Film Festival in Toronto. One film garnered additional commendations as the winner of the POV/American Documentary award. Three were selected for inclusion in the "Best of Doc Challenge" DVD, distributed by Typecast Releasing and KDHX Community Media. This Power Point document, created for a workshop Courtney was invited to present at the University Film and Video Association meeting in 2012, uses experiences with the International Documentary Chalenge as case studies to address how instructors might manufacture a scenario where there’s enough at stake to motivate students to commit themselves to the cause of a collaborative project, and in the process open up a wealth of opportunities to learn about filmmaking and about themselves as filmmakers.

1. This Experience Nearly Killed Me,
But I Would Definitely Do It Again:
How to Flirt with Disaster in Order to Achieve
Valuable Learning Outcomes from an Intensive
Group Production Experience

2. Intensive Group Production
A course or workshop structured around the
collaborative creation of one or more films from
concept to completion.

3. Philosophy/Assumptions/Observations

4. Philosophy/Assumptions/Observations
There appears to be a correlation, if not a
causality, between the specter of failure and
eventual success.

5. Philosophy/Assumptions/Observations
That there is something to be lost is a pre-
requisite to achievement, as is the student
filmmaker’s need to be challenged to do his or
her best work.

6. Philosophy/Assumptions/Observations
The instructor must model the commitment
and enthusiasm they wish the students to
adopt.

7. Philosophy/Assumptions/Observations
There’s not really that much to be learned
through failure. Therefore, the instructor
must will the students to succeed.

8. Guiding Question of this Workshop:

9. Guiding Question of this Workshop:
How do you as an instructor manufacture a
scenario where there’s enough at stake to
motivate students to commit themselves,
body and soul, to the cause of a collaborative
project…

10. Guiding Question of this Workshop:
…and in the process open up a wealth of
opportunities for students to learn about
filmmaking and about themselves as
filmmakers?

11. Case Study:
The International Documentary Challenge

12. Not So Square (2011)

13. Key Elements
BUY IN

14. Key Elements
INVESTMENT

15. Key Elements
COMMITTMENT

16. Key Elements
REFLECTION

17. “This competition made me realize I’m a
better filmmaker than I thought.”

18. “This was a crazy experience and I would do
it again in a heartbeat.”

19. “I never thought I could be so dedicated
in my life.”

20. How is success measured?
Winning a contest?
Awards?
Distribution?

22. Process—BEFORE THE PROJECT BEGINS
• Recruit
• Create a small hurdle
• Establish a clear goal

23. Process—BEGINNING OF THE PROJECT
• Solicit and interrogate ideas
• Generate an equipment list
• Generate initial marketing materials
• Create a fundraising campaign
• Investigate post-production facility options
• Rank crew positions/duties
• Define roles and responsibilities
• Establish communication

24. Process—MIDDLE OF THE PROJECT
• Micromanage from a distance
• Encourage students to execute
• Help students troubleshoot
• Help students manage interpersonal conflict
(without becoming a referee)
• Make sure marketing materials are generated

25. Process—AFTER THE PROJECT
• Organize a public screening
• Collect Self- and Peer- Evaluations
• Evaluate the students
• Divide remaining budget for distribution
• Consolidate project to share with participants

26. Process—END OF THE PROJECT
• Arrange group travel to screenings
• Help PMD continue distribution efforts
• Hang a display in the hallway at school
• Post content-rich information on the school
website
• Keep in touch via social media
• Get participants back together

27. Technical--HARDWARE
• DSLRs (Canon 7D, 5D)
• Second System audio recorders (Sound
Devices 702, Zoom Recorders)
• Radio Lavs (Lectrosonics + Tram)
• Beechtek Boxes (in case of single-system
shooting)

28. Technical--SOFTWARE
• Compression software (MPEG Streamclip, Adobe
Media Encoder)
• Editing Software (FCP7, Media Composer,
Premier Pro)
• Compression software (MPEG Streamclip, Adobe
Media Encoder)
• DVD Authoring (DVD Studio Pro, Adobe Encore)
• Web Authoring (Web CMS)
• Video Hosting (Vimeo, upload to web host via
Fetch, Cyberduck)

29. Technical—PRODUCTION WORKFLOW
• Pre-established naming conventions
• Video Village (dumping media,
conversion/transcoding, ingestion, project
organization within editing software, synching,
generating backups)

30. Technical—POST WORKFLOW
• Scene assembly (multiple editors working
simultaneously)
• Film assembly
• Rough cut
• Fine cut
• Color Correction
• Sound Mix
• Mastering
• DVD creation, upload to web

31. Technical—POST-PRODUCTION WORKFLOW
• Media Management and Project Consolidation
• Last chance at improving file management
(creates a project that can be shared, provides
the possibility of easy access to elements at a
later date, makes the project small enough for
permanent storage on an external drive)