Scripting and Pitching Your Documentary (On Demand)
About this On Demand Course
This is an On Demand course that was developed from existing live online library content. On Demand courses allow you to watch video lectures at your own pace, with curated resources and other materials to support your work. You can begin taking this course at any time.
Think documentaries don't need a script? Think again.
In this On Demand 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 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.
View the Outline tab for more details on the course.
All course videos are closed-captioned. For other accommodations and support services, please email us at accessibility@sundance.org.
On Demand CourseOutline
Topics covered include:
- Course Overview
- Creating the Narrative
- Finding Your Story Engine
- Q&A on The Writing Process
Topics covered include:
- Communicating Your Story
- Working with Directors and Editors
- Creating Your Artistic Process
Topics covered include:
- Character-Driven Storytelling
- Interview Techniques
- Refining Your Story in Post-Production
Topics covered include:
- Pitching Your Documentary
- Next Steps in Your Documentary Filmmaking Journey
Team
Mark Monroe
Instructor
Writer, director, producer, and co-founder of Diamond Docs, Mark Monroe is a two-time EMMY winner, three-time WGA award winner, and BAFTA nominee, whose credits include ICARUS and THE COVE, which both won the Academy Award for Best Documentary. Other notable credits include JIM HENSON IDEA MAN with Ron Howard, Grammy winner THE BEATLES: EIGHT DAYS A WEEK with Ron Howard, Peabody nominee LUCY AND DESI with Amy Poehler, THE BEE GEES: HOW CAN YOU MEND A BROKEN HEART with Frank Marshall, PAVAROTTI with Ron Howard, BECOMING COUSTEAU with Liz Garbus, BEFORE THE FLOOD with Leonardo DiCaprio, THE DISSIDENT with Bryan Fogel, WATCH THE SOUND with Mark Ronson & Morgan Neville, and TALES FROM THE TOUR BUS with Mike Judge. A journalism graduate from the University of Oklahoma, Mark began his career as a writer for CNN.
FAQ
Sundance Collab’s On Demand courses provide flexibility to learn on your own time, whenever you’re ready. On Demand courses do not provide you with feedback on your work, but they do provide suggested activities and curated resources.
Participants will receive a Certificate of Completion for all of the On Demand courses and 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.”
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.