Documentary Filmmaking: Core Elements
Session: June 2026
About this Self-Paced Course
You have an idea for a documentary film, but now you want an expert in the field to help guide you as you take the next step. In this eight-week self-paced course, you will learn how to move from concept through post-production with a documentary film. Along the way, you will develop a compelling proposal for potential funders of your project and get feedback on your work from a Sundance Collab Advisor.
This is a self-paced course. Self-paced courses allow you to watch pre-recorded lectures at your own pace, while working on deadlines to get individualized feedback on your work.
What you bring to the course:
- an idea for a short or feature-length documentary you plan to produce and/or direct. Creators at any level of experience are welcome.
What you’ll get from the course:
- An overview of a wide variety of formal approaches to documentary.
- An understanding of the difference between your topic/issue and your story.
- Tips to identify ethical issues in documentary filmmaking.
- An approach to access and cast your characters.
- Interview techniques and best practices.
- Methods for achieving your aesthetic goals.
- An understanding of the basic considerations of production, including assembling your team and gear and anticipating potential roadblocks in the field.
- Methods to organize and prepare your material for post-production.
- An overview of strategies for outreach and engagement campaigns.
This course will:
- offer opportunities for designated homework to be reviewed by a Sundance Collab Advisor. The work is designed to move your project idea through to a polished draft of a funding proposal.
- analyze clips from documentary films.
You will submit your work to a Sundance Collab Advisor for written feedback at two points throughout the 8-week course. For an additional fee, you may elect to meet with your advisor for a 60-minute 1-on-1 session during the course term.
A limited number of need-based scholarships are available and are considered on a rolling basis as they are received. Those who apply earlier will have a greater chance of getting support. To apply for a scholarship, please complete the course registration form.
Sundance Collab provides accommodations and support services to participants with disabilities. Accommodations and services are designed to meet the needs of each participant. Please email us at accessibility@sundance.org to arrange for services.
Self-Paced CourseScholarships
Sundance Collab offers a limited number of full and partial need-based scholarships for individuals who need assistance.
Due to limited scholarship funds available, we prioritize one course scholarship per participant in a 12-month period. Scholarship applications are available up to one week before the registration deadline and do not stack with discounts or promotions, including early registration.
Outline
Topics covered include:
- What to expect from the course
- Understanding documentary approaches, practices, and the reasons to make them
- Creating visual treatments
- Overview of the Nonfiction Core Application
Topics covered include:
- Where to find stories and determining which stories to tell
- How do you move from topic to story?
- What are the benefits and drawbacks of the three act structure?
- Identifying possible story “signposts” during your research
- Formulating key questions to guide the story ideation process
- Matching language in your proposal and your audio-visual language
Topics covered include:
Topics covered include:
- Finding a producer and assembling your team
- The pros and cons of self-producing
- How to create a project timeline
- Pre-production approaches
- Budgeting and scheduling
- Working with various crew sizes
- Addressing accessibility for D/deaf, blind/low vision, disabled, and neurodiverse crew and/or film participants
Topics covered include:
- How to prepare for the unexpected in the field
- Common production roadblocks
- Must-have gear for your kit and other tech considerations
- Backing up and protecting your material and data
- Legal considerations and releases
- Interview techniques
- The power of observational moments
- Sustainability on set and on screen
Topics covered include:
- Developing your post-production workflow
- Outlining
- Music rights
- Fair Use
- Working with an Editor
- Considering sound design in pre-production and production
- Working with a composer
- Knowing your audience
- Test screenings
Topics covered include:
- Sources of funding
- Creating fundraising trailers and pitch decks
Topics covered include:
- When to begin outreach and engagement
- Outreach and engagement strategies including social media
- Navigating film festivals and publicity
- Creating a sustainable career
Team
Part of Sundance Collab's unique educational approach is to create a teaching team of lead instructor and advisors for every course. For our self-paced courses, the video lectures will be delivered by the instructor and the group office hours or live class exercises and feedback will be conducted by a course advisor.
Note that the advisor(s) shown here may include both current and future session advisors.
Patrick Shen
Anayansi Prado
Erin Heidenreich
FAQ
Sundance Collab’s Self-paced courses provide flexibility to complete the work on your own time, but also within a structured timeline that helps you to advance your project. You will travel through the course with a cohort of creators like yourself, and - if applicable - are given assignments with due dates during key weeks of the course:
- Each week you will view pre-recorded lectures by the instructor structured around key topics.
- Post-Video Activities after each session are designed to apply concepts to your own work, and move your project to the next stage.
- If assigned, a course advisor will give you feedback on elements of your work.
- You will have the opportunity to join live class exercises or group office hours, hosted by Sundance Collab Advisors, at critical points in the course to ask questions and discuss concepts.
- In some courses, you will have the opportunity to purchase a 1-on-1 Zoom session with your assigned course advisor.
All members of the Sundance Collab community are welcome to take Sundance Collab Self-paced courses. Please review the course description to ensure the course is a good fit. If you have any questions about a course, please email collab_courses@sundance.org.
Note that each Self-paced course has a registration deadline, so please check the date and time to ensure you don’t miss the cut-off. If the registration window is open, you will see a "Register” button on the course page.
We do not allow creative partners to do our Self-paced courses as a team. However, both creators can individually register for the course.
We often offer a limited number of need-based, full or partial scholarships. Check the course description to see if that course currently has scholarships available. Scholarships are prioritized for one per person per year (from the date of issue). Scholarship applications are available up to one week before the registration deadline. To apply for a scholarship, complete the registration form by clicking the REGISTER button above and selecting the scholarship option, if available.
Applicants will be notified about their scholarship decision prior to the first day of the course. Due to the volume of applicants, we are not always able to provide a scholarship, but we may still offer a spot in the course.In this case, depending on the course, payment plans may be available and can be selected at checkout.
Yes, we offer two or three-part payment plans for Self-paced courses, depending on the length of the course. In all cases, the first payment is due at the point of registration. The remaining payment(s) are spread out throughout the course term. For specific payment plan dates for a course, please reach out to our team at: collab_courses@sundance.org.
In courses with live class exercises or group office hours, the sessions are recorded and usually made available within two business days. The videos will also contain the chat and transcript from the session, viewable in the video playbar.
Participants will have access to the lecture recordings and course materials for one year following the last class session.
All participants will receive a Certificate of Completion. The certificate will include the name associated with your Collab account.
You can find any courses that you are enrolled in or have already completed in the profile section of your Collab account under “Courses.”
You can access the course videos via a computer or mobile device. All of our live class exercises and group office hour sessions are conducted via Zoom.
Download and set up the Zoom software (https://zoom.us/download) and make sure you have the latest update. Here are some great resources from Zoom’s Knowledge Base to take a deeper dive into using Zoom:
- Watch Zoom's Video Tutorials or review training materials on the Getting Started page
- Join a Live Training from Zoom
If you have any further questions, please email collab_courses@sundance.org.
Sundance Collab provides accommodations and support services to participants with disabilities. Please contact us at (435) 776-7790 or email us at accessibility@sundance.org to ask any questions or to discuss your specific needs after you have been accepted into the course.