Cinematic Documentary Filmmaking: Shoot, Edit, Launch
A course by Chloe White , Documentary Filmmaker and Director
Learn how to make a documentary by creating a short film on a subject of your choice, from the initial research to the post-production process
Learn how to make a documentary by creating a short film on a subject of your choice, from the initial research to the post-production process
“I’m drawn to smaller stories that are told in a beautiful, intimate way. Mostly focused on the female experience and people living in the margins of society.”
Chloe White, is a documentary filmmaker and director of the production company, Whalebone Films. Her work has gone on to receive international acclaim, from Camden to Buenos Aires. She also produces content for clients such as the BBC, the Guardian and Topic.
In this online course, you’ll learn the entire process of documentary filmmaking, from the initial research and planning to the filming and editing. By the end of this creative journey, you’ll be able to share your personal vision of the world through your camera and onto the big screen.
What will you learn in this online course?
18 lessons & 24 downloads
- 100% positive reviews (112)
- 7,963 students
- 18 lessons (4h 4m)
- 24 additional resources (7 files)
- Online and at your own pace
- Available on the app
- Audio: English, Turkish
- English · Spanish · Portuguese · German · French · Italian · Polish · Dutch
- Level: Beginner
- Unlimited access forever
Recommended software for this course
Adobe PremiereWhat is this course's project?
Create a 3-5–minute film on a subject of your choice.
Projects by course students
![Via deil ciliegi - A Documentary by Janaka Samarakoon [Teaser]. Audiovisual Post-production, Film, Video, TV, Filmmaking, and Video project by Janaka Samarakoon - 09.20.2024](https://cdn.domestika.org/c_fill,dpr_2.0,f_auto,h_210,pg_1,t_base_params,w_210/v1727351028/project-covers/001/783/852/1783852-original.jpg?1727351028)
Who is this online course for?
This course is for anyone interested in the world of cinema, and wants to create their very own short film from scratch.
Requirements and materials
Students should be familiar with using a camera. Basic editing skills are useful, but not necessary.
To take this course, you need something to film with, and access to video editing software like Premiere.
Reviews
A course by Chloe White
Chloe White is an award-winning documentary filmmaker and photographer and director of Whalebone Films. Her films are intimate, considered portraits, focusing mainly on the female experience. Chloe lectures in Documentary Film at the University College London and London College of Communications, and lives in Hastings, UK.
Her clients and partners include the Guardian, Topic, Al Jazeera, Nowness, BBC, Channel 4, Oxfam, Save the Children and the BFI. She has had films screen at festivals internationally including at Camden International Film Festival, Open City, and Sheffield Doc Fest and is a winner of the prestigious Macdowell fellowship.
Content
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U1
Introduction
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About Me
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Influences
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U2
The Cinematic Documentary
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What Is a Cinematic Documentary?
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The Production Processes
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U3
Project Development
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Developing the Idea
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Visualising the Film
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Writing a Proposal
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U4
The Shoot and the Edit
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Technical Considerations
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Prepping the Shoot
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The Shoot 1
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The Shoot 2
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Editing the Footage 1
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Editing the Footage 2
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Editing the Footage 3
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Editing the Footage 4
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Editing the Footage 5
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U5
The Documentary Industry
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Distribution and Promotion
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Pitching and Funding
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FP
Final project
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Cinematic Documentary Filmmaking: Shoot, Edit, Launch
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What to expect from a Domestika course
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Learn at your own pace
Enjoy learning from home without a set schedule and with an easy-to-follow method. You set your own pace.
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Learn from the best professionals
Learn valuable methods and techniques explained by top experts in the creative sector.
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Meet expert teachers
Each expert teaches what they do best, with clear guidelines, true passion, and professional insight in every lesson.
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Certificates
PlusIf you're a Plus member, get a custom certificate signed by your teacher for every course. Share it on your portfolio, social media, or wherever you like.
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Get front-row seats
Videos of the highest quality, so you don't miss a single detail. With unlimited access, you can watch them as many times as you need to perfect your technique.
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Share knowledge and ideas
Ask questions, request feedback, or offer solutions. Share your learning experience with other students in the community who are as passionate about creativity as you are.
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Connect with a global creative community
The community is home to millions of people from around the world who are curious and passionate about exploring and expressing their creativity.
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Watch professionally produced courses
Domestika curates its teacher roster and produces every course in-house to ensure a high-quality online learning experience.
FAQs
Domestika's courses are online classes that provide you with the tools and skills you need to complete a specific project. Every step of the project combines video lessons with complementary instructional material, so you can learn by doing. Domestika's courses also allow you to share your own projects with the teacher and with other students, creating a dynamic course community.
All courses are 100% online, so once they're published, courses start and finish whenever you want. You set the pace of the class. You can go back to review what interests you most and skip what you already know, ask questions, answer questions, share your projects, and more.
The courses are divided into different units. Each one includes lessons, informational text, tasks, and practice exercises to help you carry out your project step by step, with additional complementary resources and downloads. You'll also have access to an exclusive forum where you can interact with the teacher and with other students, as well as share your work and your course project, creating a community around the course.
You can redeem the course you received by accessing the redeeming page and entering your gift code.
Adobe Premiere
washbearproductions
Great little course. About to shoot my first doc in a while and just kind of wanted to kind of go over things, and she is an excellent teacher. Now, the editing part was pretty terrible to watch through cause this is more for beginners, and this was kind of like learning the alphabet all over again. But I highly recommend this course for beginners.
binendra
Good course! If you are beginner just go for it.
gloria_kreiman
Excellent course. Very comprehensive, clear, and useful. The teacher conveys passion, calmness, sensitivity, and a lot of important concrete information. Absolutely recommended.
janaka_samarakoon
PlusGreat course! The teacher is highly empathetic. I’ve been directing short documentaries for over five years, and Chloe's insights have inspired me to embark on directing my first feature-length documentary. Thank you!
crystalcaslesmode
Very useful if you are beginner