ENGLISH III AP DOCUMENTARY PROJECT GUIDEBOOK did you do it? How did you capture what it was really like? How we felt, “How and how we made each laugh, and how we got through the day; how did you do it?... Also how do cameras work?” Elllie Kemper as Erin on the final episode of The Office – Throughout the first semester this year you and a group of others will plan, direct, film, and edit your own documentary film. This project will count for a major grade in the second semester. Besides a major grade however, your film will also be competing in a contest across all the AP English classes. The top 3 films, as decided by your English III teachers, will be sent for judging in the UIL Filmmaking Contest. That means that producing a great film will not only net you a major grade 100, but also a chance to put Film Contest Semifinalist” or even on your college resumes. This project “UIL “Finalist” will not be easy, however following this guide will help ease the stress, simplify the process, and help you make an amazing documentary. Much of what I’ve included in this guide are things I’ve learned from my own experience in the contest in 2015 as well as through years of self taught film work. This guide well help guide you in every step of the documentary filmmaking process, from coming up with an idea to making the finishing touches on your film. So whether you’re just in it for the grade, or you hope to create an award winning video, I hope this guide will be indispensible as you work through this project during the next few months. - Nikolas Trusko UIL FILM CONTEST RULES Time Limit and Deadlines Each school is allowed to submit 3 films in each category: narrative, documentary, and animation Documentaries must be at least 3 minutes and no longer than 7 minutes in length All films must be submitted by January 15th
ENGLISH III AP DOCUMENTARY PROJECT GUIDEBOOK “How did you do it? How did you capture what it was really like? How we felt, and how we made each laugh, and how we got through the day; how did you do it?... Also how do cameras work?” – Elllie Kemper as Erin on the final episode of The Office Throughout the first semester this year you and a group of others will plan, direct, film, and edit your own documentary film. This project will count for a major grade in the second semester. Besides a major grade however, your film will also be competing in a contest across all the AP English classes. The top 3 films, as decided by your English III teachers, will be sent for judging in the UIL Filmmaking Contest. That means that producing a great film will not only net you a major grade 100, but also a chance to put “UIL Film Contest Semifinalist” or even “Finalist” on your college resumes. This project will not be easy, however following this guide will help ease the stress, simplify the process, and help you make an amazing documentary. Much of what I’ve included in this guide are things I’ve learned from my own experience in the contest in 2015 as well as through years of self taught film work. This guide well help guide you in every step of the documentary filmmaking process, from coming up with an idea to making the finishing touches on your film. So whether you’re just in it for the grade, or you hope to create an award winning video, I hope this guide will be indispensible as you work through this project during the next few months. - Nikolas Trusko UIL FILM CONTEST RULES Time Limit and Deadlines Each school is allowed to submit 3 films in each category: narrative, documentary, and animation Documentaries must be at least 3 minutes and no longer than 7 minutes in length All films must be submitted by January 15th
documentary_project_guide.docx