Scripting and Pitching Your Documentary

Think documentaries don't need a script? Think again.

In this self-paced course, award-winning documentary filmmaker Mark Monroe guides you through the writing process for a documentary feature film. Monroe has writing credits on more than 60 documentary projects, including:

• Jim Henson: Idea Man (2024 Emmy Award winner)
• Lucy and Desi (2022 Emmy Award winner)
• Icarus (2017 Academy Award winner)
• Chasing Ice (2012 Academy Award nominee)
• The Cove (2010 Academy Award winner)

In this four-week course, Monroe reveals the strategic art of shaping hundreds of hours of raw footage into compelling cinema. This course builds upon a previous Sundance Collab Master Class and features exclusive insights and conversations with established documentary storytellers Morgan Neville (Won’t You Be My Neighbor?, Piece By Piece), Geeta Gandbhir (The Perfect Neighbor), and Kavery Kaul (The Bengali).

Participants will learn Monroe’s secrets in mastering:

• Narrative Architecture: How to structure suspense, emotion, and momentum, no matter the genre.
• Collaboration: His exact methods for collaborating with directors and editors to serve the story.
• Character Creation: The process for forging audience connection by defining the heroes and antagonists of true events.

In this course, you will learn:

• The work of a documentary writer.
• Additional creative roles in documentaries, and when a writer is needed.
• How to approach writing documentaries using a narrative approach.
• The importance of treatments, story maps, timelines, and interview preparation.
• Tips for working with directors and editors. 
• An illustration of key concepts through Monroe’s films The Cove, Fantastic Fungi, The Biggest Little Farm, Icarus, Dogtown, Z-Boys, and Eight Days a Week. 

Who this course is for: This course is ideal for aspiring and established documentary filmmakers looking to shape the story of their next project. 

Additional Benefits: Your enrollment includes a workbook and access to several additional videos from Sundance Collab's Video Library.

Live Interaction and Support:

• Weekly Group Office Hours: Join our live online sessions with a Sundance Collab Advisor. This is your opportunity to ask questions, discuss challenges, and get real-time feedback in a supportive group environment.
• 1-on-1 Sessions (Additional $150): For more personalized support, you can book a 60-minute, 1-on-1 meeting with another Sundance Collab Advisor to receive guidance on your documentary project. 

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.