You're welcome!

Good question. You could use a three-act structure in your weekly vlog like this: Act 1: Setup - Introduce your topic, grab attention with a hook, and set up what’s to come. Act 2: Development - Dive into the main content, showing progress, challenges, or insights. Act 3: Climax & Resolution - Wrap it up with a key moment, final thoughts, and a clear conclusion. This keeps your vlog engaging and gives it a clear beginning, middle, and end. Good luck!

@@documentaryfilmacademy Thank you very much I am filming my first one next week !

@ Good luck!

You’re welcome! Glad you found it helpful.

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You’re welcome! Thanks for the kind words. Good luck with your documentary project. More videos to come soon!

Glad it was helpful!

Hi Sandra! Absolutely, the 3-act structure can be adapted for a docu-series, especially for streaming platforms. Each episode can follow a mini 3-act structure (setup, confrontation, resolution) while the entire series also follows a larger 3-act arc. This approach helps maintain tension and engagement across episodes, making it perfect for storytelling in a docu-series format. Thanks for watching and engaging! 😊

Thanks I'll add it to the list of future videos to create.

Hello! In big-budget wildlife documentaries (also known as blue chip wildlife documentaries), preparation involves extensive research and planning, including understanding the behavior and habitats of the wildlife to predict their movements. Crews use high-end equipment with features like long telephoto lenses, high-resolution sensors, and robust stabilisation systems to capture detailed and steady shots from a distance. Additionally, they may spend days or weeks setting up hides or camouflaged positions to minimise disturbance to the animals and to get the perfect shot. Most of the time manual camera setting ares used (rather than auto) to achieve the desired cinematic quality and precision required in such unpredictable environments.

Thank you so much :)

You can make a documentary using your phone. Focus on good lighting, stable shots, and clear audio. Use a tripod for stability and external microphones if possible. Many successful documentaries have been filmed this way!

If you have any specific questions, just let me know.

You’re welcome. Good luck!

Good luck! If you have any questions… let me know.

You are so welcome! 🙂

Thanks Naveed!

You're welcome :) Sounds like you've got a great documentary setup. Get the microphone as close as possible to your subject and make sure the mic is pointing at their mouth. Otherwise it will sound muffled. Good luck!

Thanks Jay!

Great to hear you’re enjoying the videos. Awesome. I’ll add it to the list. 😊

Thanks so much for the kind words and your support. It means a lot. Yes, more videos to come! Stay tuned. 😊

You're welcome! Ok, great - good to know :)

Ok, great!

Hi Alex, Here's a quick way to change and resize the image on your title page: 1. Right-click on the title page's background. 2. Select "Replace image." 3. Choose the new image you want to use. 4. Once the image is in place, double-click on it to adjust its size easily. Goodluck! :)

@@documentaryfilmacademy oh ok, seemed like you had done a shortcut in the video, as I diddnt see the replace photo steps, did you cut that all out?

@@alexwestgate8860That would be great if there was a shortcut - if you find one, please let me know. Yes, I cut that bit out as I wanted to focus on what to include in a treatment, rather than how to use Google slides.

@@documentaryfilmacademy might be far fetched, but I’m currently making my pitch deck now, if I send over the link can you give me some tips on it? Thanks!! Alex

@@alexwestgate8860Yes, happy to take a look. Feel free to email it through to me via the DFA website.

I understand where the confusion may arise, and I appreciate your perspective. Let me clarify. In documentary filmmaking, narrative style indeed contributes significantly to storytelling, but the narration style serves a distinct and critical function by shaping how the story is conveyed to the viewers. Narration style is about the choice of delivery - be it through interviews, a voiceover, direct interaction with the audience, or pure observation - each offering a unique perspective and emotional depth. In distinguishing "narrative" from "narration," we're differentiating between the overall story structure - which includes character arcs, conflict, and plot development - and the specific method used to communicate that story to the audience. Both are essential, but they serve different purposes in the documentary's design. The narrative style is like the blueprint of a building, outlining its form and structure, while the narration style is the pathway that guides visitors through it, affecting their experience and interpretation. If you have any other questions, just let me know. ✌️📹

@@documentaryfilmacademy A film is not a building. There are no parts of a film that the audience that does not see. The structure of the film is THE pathway that the audience takes.

😊🙏

🙏🙂

Glad it was helpful!

You're welcome!

Me too!

Hey there! Great question. When you're recording in SLOG 3 but using a Monitor LUT (Look-Up Table) on a device like the Atomos Shinobi, you're essentially viewing a corrected or "graded" version of your footage on the monitor, even though the actual recording remains in the flat SLOG 3 profile. Now, when you activate the LUT on the Shinobi and use false colors, the false colors will be referencing the LUT-applied image, not the SLOG 3. This means you'll be exposing based on how the image looks with the LUT applied, rather than the flat SLOG 3 profile. In practice, this can be beneficial because it allows you to expose for the final look you're aiming for, rather than just the flat profile. However, it's essential to remember that the actual recorded footage will still be in SLOG 3, so you'll have the flexibility in post-production to adjust exposure, colors, and other parameters. So basically when you activate the LUT and use false colors on the Shinobi, you're exposing for the LUT-applied image. It's a way to help you visualize and expose for the end result while still retaining the flexibility of the SLOG 3 profile in post-production. Hope that helps! Let me know if you have any more questions. 👍

This was crystal clear! Let's assume that U don't have rec 709 LUT on shinobi but I do have it on my FX. The same thing would apply to this situation as well, right? I turn on the LUT on camera to VIEW on FX3, shonobi would show the LUT from my fx3 and I would be using fall color for that LUT. Am i right? Sorry for the poor description. IN summary: No matter I use LUT to view the image on shonobi or on fx3, false colors would apply to the LUT not on Slog3, right? Thhanks again! @@documentaryfilmacademy

@@peterkertesz2861I think it’s to whatever color or LUT is present on the screen using the false color tool.

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Thanks Nikhil!

🙏

Thanks! 😀

Thanks Vivo.

It all depends on what you’re filming and what lighting conditions you’re filming in. I’d recommend a camera with 15 stops of dynamic range if your budget allows.

You're welcome!

Yes, the course is still available: www.documentaryfilmacademy.com

Thanks Brian, glad you enjoyed it. I'd recommend using a C-stand with an extension boom arm.

You’re welcome 😊

Yes, but I’d install a LUT onto your monitor so you can use false colours with the LUT.

Thanks Karim!