London Film School, offer full-time MA Degree courses in both Film Making and Screewriting.

This four-day course is designed to provide a detailed and practical guide on how to produce a feature documentary, factual programme or series. Starting with the early stages of how to develop an idea the course will take participants step-by-step through development, treatment presentation, budgeting, scheduling, cash flow, legal and compliance issues to the finished product and then onto festivals and selling into the international market.

The course is especially useful for those who already have some experience of documentary filmmaking in a particular area, but want to learn the details of how it all fits together in order to manage a project from start to finish.

'Too Old To Be A Mum?' (2010) Co-Producer: Tracey Gardiner

"This was a perfect subject for a television documentary...
the pictures made their own argument." The Telegraph, January 2010

 

Course Outline

This course is interactive: participants are expected to come along with one or two ideas written up to talk about. These ideas will be discussed within an industry context with pointers given on how to be effective in developing ideas. Existing treatments, taster tapes and documentaries will be used to illustrate useful points. Ideas will be workshopped in the group providing useful external feedback. By the end of the first two days participants should be able to more clearly shape their ideas and have a better understanding of how they could fit into the market place.

During the second two days of the course participants’ will create gain a schedule and budget for their project. They will also be shown how cash flow works, the necessity of cost reporting and why programme as completed forms matter.

Each participant should bring along a PC or Mac laptop with Excel (for those without Excel, LFS can provide a limited number of laptops with notice). Those unfamiliar with Excel should not be deterred since a basic grounding will be provided at the outset of the class. The focus will be on the principles behind budgeting rather than the practicalities of manipulating a spreadsheet. As a guide Tracey will budget for a one hour factual programme which will be projected onto a screen. By building up a budget line by line and by creating a schedule, a picture of how to run a production and the producer’s responsibilities will become clear – sample contracts will be discussed. Included will be: how to plan for post production and how to ensure all the paperwork is in order at the end, so that the film is ready to hand over to the broadcaster, to appear in festivals and be taken on by international sales agents.

Long or short, fully financed or funded through favours – this will provide researchers, assistant producers and fledgling independent film makers with a solid grounding in all aspects of producing, from ideas generation to pitching, from budgeting to the back end and from copyright to contracts.

Course Aims:

• To provide a rigorous framework for deciding which ideas to develop and to understand what makes a treatment good.
• To workshop participants ideas and to explore how to make them appeal to funders and how to approach commissioners, co-producers and production companies.
• To build up a budget line by line for participants projects.
• To understand contractual issues
• Raising production funds from alternative sources.
• Understanding how the back end and distribution works.

Day 1:

• Which ideas should you develop? – the analysis you’ll need to apply to decide whether an idea is worth working up.
• Researching an idea – how much research should go into an idea in order to write a treatment?
• Writing a good treatment – useful tips to apply to any written treatment that will make it stand out from the crowd.
• Presenters – when should you get one and how?
• Taster tapes – when are they necessary?
• Who should you pitch the idea to?

 

Day 2:

• Ideas presentation - participants pitch their treatments having re-worked them overnight as a result of Day 1 and show taster tapes.
• Feedback – each idea is thoroughly workshopped; an opportunity to hear from other participants.
• Action points - everyone leaves with a clear idea of what they need to do with their idea next.
• Collaborators – should I approach a production company or go directly to broadcasters, or get a distributor on board?

 

Day 3:

• Scheduling – the starting point; a timetable for production and the resources needed.
• Working up a budget – each area of cost is discussed and participants build up budget for their project.
• Cash flow – how to work out when you need funds to arrive.
• Cost reports – are you under or over budget and why does it matter?

 

Day 4:

• Contracts – location and interviewee agreements, getting insurance including E&O.
• Copyright – music and archive.
• Post production – preparing and budgeting for post production and for international distribution.
• The impact of producing with different funding set ups – from deferments to international co-production deals – who is buying what?
• Selling and marketing the film.
• Alternative Funding – foundations like Wellcome and BritDoc, regional Film Council bodies, EIS tax break schemes, crowd funding.

 

Tracey Gardiner - Tutor Profile

Tracey Gardiner entered television in her late 20s after a career as a stockbroker in the City, and has recently set up her own production company, Iridescent Films. Twenty years ago Tracey joined FulcrumTV and quickly began developing and producing factual programmes. She started out making programmes about business and current affairs but then branched out into science, arts, history and observational documentaries, putting together co-production deals and private finance to fund projects.

Key award winners include: SEND ME SOMEWHERE SPECIAL (Grierson Newcomer Winner 2005, Producer); HOW M&S LOST ITS BILLIONS (Wincott, Best Documentary 2007, Executive Producer); SIGHTHILL STORIES (Scottish BAFTA, Best Factual Programme 2009, Executive Producer). Most recently Tracey co-produced TOO OLD TO BE A MUM? (BBC, 2010) and exec produced THE WINNER LOSER (BBC, 2011, shortlisted in the mid length category for the International Documentary Film Festival 2011).

"The film tiptoed through the ethical eggshells with an equanimity that did its makers proud. The bare facts spoke loudly enough ... this was a perfect subject for a television documentary, because the pictures made their own argument." - Benji Wilson, The Telegraph, TOO OLD TO BE A MUM?, January 2010.

"Some programmes peel away your prejudices, and some simply confirm them. Then there is that rare programme that leaves you with your mouth hanging slightly open, feeling thankful you are not required to make a judgement one way or another. This was how I felt while watching TOO OLD TO BE A MUM? ... It was to this film's great credit that it never presented any of [its material] as an aid to making your mind up about anything." - Tim Dowling, The Guardian, January 2010.

'Sighthill Stories' (2009) Executive Producer: Tracey Gardiner

Scottish BAFTA, Best Factual Programme 2009

"A revealing and uplifting portrait of a community undergoing
massive change in challenging times." BBC

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Times: 10.30am-5.30pm
Capacity: Max. 12 participants
Fee: £400

10% Early Bird discount is available until 1st August.

 

How to apply

Please submit the following items (only one application is required):

• Application Form
  (click to download)
• CV
• Personal Statement (i.e. a few brief paragraphs explaining why you're applying for the course, what you hope to gain from it etc.)

Once your application has been approved we will provide you with instructions for booking your place online.

The places are offered on a first come first served basis until each course is full.

Email us:
Carolyn Atherton:
workshops@lfs.org.uk

Telephone us:
+44 (0)20 7836 9642