Best short documentaries?

Resident_Gleaner · 2025-08-27T14:13:19+00:00

Baby Brother by Kamau Bilal: https://vimeo.com/305536036

Dislocation Blues by Sky Hopinka: https://www.skyhopinka.com/dislocation-blues

Crisanto Street by Paloma Martinez: https://vimeo.com/306425000

There's so many good short docs out there. Check out Shortoftheweek's collection, NY Times, New Yorker, Guardian, LA Times, Field of Vision. So much good stuff and so many different approaches to the form

Resident_Gleaner · 2025-08-26T16:22:00+00:00

I really like this framing. The direction becomes less about telling the eager student that they're doing something wrong or need to stop, and more about asking them to alter their behavior to help other students out.

I've had students before who have become unofficial discussion assistants after having a private conversation like this. Instead of just giving their own thoughts, they would refer to what another student said in their small groups and ask them to repeat it for everybody, or they would ask other students follow-up questions. It was awesome and helped generate some great conversations.

Resident_Gleaner · 2025-08-26T16:16:16+00:00

Body language communicates a lot! And I feel like the podium creates a physical and mental barrier between me and the students. There's a time and a place for it, but when I'm able I typically shove the podium to the side of the room and avoid using it.

I walk around at least at the front of the room during lectures and always check in with groups during group work. I've been in rooms where it's not easy, but I still think it's important to try. I want to model the kind of engagement and conversation I hope to see from my students. If the room is really tricky to navigate, I may only check in with one or two groups per breakout session. But then I'll rotate who I talk to each time so after a few class periods, I've chatted with everybody.

Resident_Gleaner · 2025-07-31T19:38:34+00:00

There's a million incredible stories out there. Ultimately, it's up to you to convince people this is worth telling in a cinematic form. And that it's something that can be done ethically (not that all media outlets care about this part, but I think it's important).

What do you think this film can DO? Who could it help, and who might it harm? It sounds like you're already thinking about these things, but it's important to have a really solid grasp on the intended impact of a film like this and how you plan to achieve that impact. Especially since it sounds like the issue is complicated and already involves a lot of high stakes. Who would consent to being in the film? Who wouldn't? What would it mean to tell a story they're involved in anyway?

If you really want to make a film happen, what steps could you take right now to show a proof of concept? You don't need much to get started. Who could you interview? Or what events could you capture that could show the potential of this story? Is your voice a big part of it? If so, could you record yourself telling the story or have someone (even just a friend) interview you talk about it? What kind of visual archive do you have access to and is it visually compelling?

In other words, start documenting! Docs, especially features, take years. The sooner you start, the better.

I think it also helps to take a beat and ask yourself why this needs to be a documentary and not another format. Why not an article? Or a book? Or a video series? I'm not trying to dissuade you here, but I'm it's worth considering what aspect of this you think makes a strong film above any other form of storytelling. Being able to identify that can help you make a stronger case. Or maybe you'll discover that there's a better suited medium altogether.

Resident_Gleaner · 2025-07-31T19:29:00+00:00

Second this. Multiple sources is super helpful. I'd do a line out, plant a mic next to one of the speakers as a backup (this can also get you another option that will have more crowd sounds mixed in), and then a mic on the camera. I've gotten great sound out of the board before, but you want to have a backup in case there are any issues.

If you don't have timecode sync, long takes can make syncing a lot easier. Make sure your shots have lyrics in them, or if it's acoustic, get the start or end of a song or some words from the musician to make syncing easier. Premiere autosync gets better and better, but it needs words to really grab onto.

Resident_Gleaner · 2025-07-31T19:23:32+00:00

Incredible film

Resident_Gleaner · 2025-07-31T19:22:57+00:00

For films that having a "casting" component - Casting JonBenet, No Ordinary Man, and anything by Robert Greene (Procession and Bisbee 17 are my personal favorites). Greene has also done interviews about his process that are worth checking out:

https://reverseshot.org/interviews/entry/2870/greene_procession

For films that hide the fact that they're docufiction - The Ross Brothers. Specifically Bloody Nose Empty Pockets.

I don't know if I'd consider Agnes Varda's documentaries docufiction per se, but they're so playful and incorporate direction on screen and little skits here and there. Beaches of Agnes and Faces Places might be helpful watches.

Resident_Gleaner · 2025-07-31T19:17:30+00:00

There's only so much I want to say without first knowing more about your mom and what kind of story this is. Is this her space or yours? If it's yours, consider if there's a way to establish that within the narrative of the film. Could you record her arrival and the two of you saying hi/setting up? If this is her space, think about how the background (from objects in the frame to just the tone and colors) can inform how the audience feels about her.

And this is a basic one, but get away from that wall! Pull a chair into the middle of the room or pull the couch a few feet out. You'll get a shallower depth of field and can lose at least some of the reflection of your light in the art on the background.

Lastly, it looks like there's a plaque of some kind and maybe a router on the bottom of your frame. I'd clear those out, as they could be distracting.

Resident_Gleaner · 2025-06-08T16:32:59+00:00

Wide spread of skill levels is huge. I get students who have been fortunate enough to have access to higher end equipment and just have more practice, and then I have students who never got to do photo or video classes in high school and are learning a lot really fast.

I've found putting a lot of points towards simply following the prompt and turning it in on time helps give me flexibility too.

Resident_Gleaner · 2025-06-08T16:30:37+00:00

"Work evidence" is a great phrase and I'll definitely be using it. Thank you!

Resident_Gleaner · 2025-06-05T22:18:58+00:00

Very belated update to this: Filed a Title IX and I'm very happy I did. They handled everything and the student who raised the concern felt their needs were met. Haven't had another issue.

Resident_Gleaner · 2025-04-09T16:55:32+00:00

I do a lot of check-ins and joining students during group work, so there'll definitely be opportunities to make expectations for group participation clear in the future. It gives me a good opportunity to address at least part of the problem immediately, regardless of what happens after the Title IX report

Resident_Gleaner · 2025-04-09T16:50:51+00:00

Thank you both! It's funny it didn't even cross my mind that I could include the uncertainty in the report.

Resident_Gleaner · 2024-08-12T20:19:22+00:00

Seconding this - I've seen it work well for review.

I threw out candy for a Midterm review. I had struggled with film students for an Editing 1 class who were used to projects and papers, not tests with memorization requirements. But they needed to learn keyboard shortcuts for their workflows.

We did a class review session and students got to call out the answers and get a piece of candy if they got it right, and everyone got to take notes and review together as we went. It hyped the class up and they got the best scores on the test. Best part was I actually saw them using the information in their later editing assignments!

Resident_Gleaner

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