Writing for Documentary Film
Do you watch documentaries?
Would you like to direct a short film?
In this workshop, you will learn how to craft a brief documentary film proposal.
You do not need any filmmaking experience. You do need a great story and a few ideas about how you want to tell it.
Workshop #1 will start with an introduction to the key elements of a documentary film proposal, such as the POV (point of view), the protagonists, the dramatic arc, and universal themes. Relevant documentary film excerpts will be screened to reinforce these points. Then we’ll discuss some of the issues that you need to consider in order to move from a great idea to a serious proposal. At the end of the workshop, you will be invited to create a draft one-page proposal of your film project before the next session.
During Workshop #2, participants will present their draft film projects to the group. Each presenter will have an opportunity to ask the group for honest and respectful feedback regarding ethical and/or creative issues. Whenever relevant, I will share some of my personal documentary filmmaking experiences; for instance, how and why certain scenarios were modified during the development stage. Finally, I will provide information regarding “next steps.” Whether you want to learn how to conduct further research on a particular topic or how to access filmmaking equipment so you can start experimenting with images, I will help steer you in the right direction.
A born storyteller, Megan Durnford (she/her) is a Montreal-based writer and documentary filmmaker. Her latest documentary film, Last Respects, won the Betty Youson Award for Best Canadian Short Documentary at the 2023 Hot Docs International Film Festival.
After 15 years of writing for periodicals, multimedia projects and nonfiction books, Megan made her first foray into documentary film with Just a Lawn (2007), a short documentary about the dark side of “perfect” lawns. In 2011, Megan directed Une brique à la fois, an affectionate portrayal of four Quebec adult LEGO builders. This 45-minute documentary was nominated for a Golden Sheaf Award (Documentary Arts/Culture) at the Yorkton Film Festival and was broadcast on Canal D in Quebec. In 2018, Megan directed I Am Still Your Child. This documentary film, about the impact of parental mental illness on children, was broadcast on national CBC. Megan has studied documentary film at the Summer Institute of Film and Television in Ottawa and at IDFAcademy in Amsterdam.
Her latest writing projects include profiles of documentary filmmakers Julien Elie and Justine Harbonnier for POV magazine and a nonfiction book for children, entitled Our Plastic Problem, for Orca Book Publishers.