“The most important take away was that there is an organized path
and pattern to making a documentary that a novice can follow”
- Student in a Docs in Progress class
CLASSES AND RECURRING WORKSHOPS HELD AT THE DOCS IN PROGRESS DOCUMENTARY HOUSE IN SILVER SPRING, MARYLAND
To See a List of Upcoming Classes By Date, Click Here.
To see a List of One Day Workshops and Seminars, Click Here.
DOCUMENTARY PRODUCTION
This hands-on workshop focuses on how to plan, shoot and edit. Participants will work in teams to produce a 3-5 minute video. Open to new filmmakers.
Offered: Winter, Spring, Fall
Click Here to See When The Next Session of This Class is Offered.
INTRO TO ADOBE PREMIERE PRO VIDEO EDITING
This hands-on workshop is aimed at filmmakers who are new to the Adobe Premiere Pro or Adobe Premiere editing systems. This class will cover how to establish a workflow in editing; logging and capturing footage; editing clips in the timeline; working with basic transitions, titles, and audio; and outputting to tape and QuickTime files. Source footage will be provided for participants. Open to new filmmakers and experienced filmmakers who are new to Premiere. Basic knowledge of Macintosh computers is highly recommended.
Offered: Winter, Summer, Fall
Click Here to See When The Next Session of This Class is Offered.
MAKING YOUR DOCUMENTARY A REALITY: A PRE-PRODUCTION WORKSHOP
Do you have a great concept for a documentary but don’t know where to start? Or perhaps you have started but are feeling a bit overwhelmed by the process? This interactive workshop will help you learn how to research and focus your story, define your audience, develop a proposal and budget, and plan for production. All in a supportive environment among peers.
Offered: Winter, Fall
Click Here to See When The Next Session of This Class is Offered.
WRITING THE DOCUMENTARY TREATMENT
You have a film in your head, but how do you effectively translate your ideas into words? How do you describe a film that hasn’t been made yet? Whether you are raising funds for your own film or working for a client, eventually you’ll be asked for a treatment. A treatment is defined as a “description” of a film – but what form should that description take? Is there a standard format? How does it differ from a proposal or a script? In this three-session class, you will learn how to write a treatment that engages and excites – and helps you to find the film you want to make. Participants will receive samples of successful treatments and will develop their own treatments during the course.
There are no upcoming sessions of this training.
PUTTING THE “FUN” IN FUNDRAISING (FORMERLY CALLED DOCUMENTARY FUNDRAISING 101)
This one day workshop provides participants with concepts and tools that can help documentary filmmakers complete their documentary projects by securing resources necessary to do so. Participants will learn how to develop a fundraising plan, track the fundraising effort, conduct donor research, conduct a fundraising drive, and solicit grants from corporations and foundations. Open to new and experienced filmmakers.
Offered: Summer
THE BACKPACK FILMMAKER: SHOOTING SOLO
Are you shooting your own documentary? Want to know how to improve your camerawork and sound while still maintaining your composure as a director? How to maximize the quality of your filmmaking when you are working with a small DV camera and basic lighting and sound equipment? This hands-on one day workshop will help you get great visuals and decent sound. You will learn how to frame the documentary interview, how to effectively use both natural and artificial light inside and outside, and how to produce good sound — all using the most basic tools available.
Offered: Spring, Fall
MARKETING MONDAYS MINI-WORSKHOP
Do you have the perfect two line description and still for your film to make it pop off the page in a festival catalogue? Does the website for your film make someone want to spend more than 10 seconds on it? Are you using social media to its fullest potential? Are you thinking about who your audience is and how to reach them? While a great documentary requires attention to art and craft, even the best made documentary will gather dust if there is no attention to marketing and outreach. This series of interactive mini-workshops helps filmmakers build promotional skills. The workshops look at real-world examples and also call on participants to share websites, promotional materials, and outreach plans for feedback from the instructor and fellow participants.
There are no upcoming sessions of this training.
MASTER CLASS: DOCUMENTARY STRUCTURE AND STORYTELLING
Now that you have started production and have edited some footage, are you facing challenges in finding the structure of your story? This class will help filmmakers who are at the intermediate stage of production get their films workshopped by the instructor and fellow students. Open to filmmakers who already have some footage edited or have started production.
There are no upcoming sessions of this training.
LOCATION
Unless otherwise noted, all classes and workshops are held at the Docs In Progress Documentary House in downtown Silver Spring, Maryland at 8700 First Avenue (corner of First and Fenwick). We are only a few blocks from the Silver Spring Metro. Some free parking is available in the gravel lot behind our house. Additional parking is available in the Cameron Street Garage across the street (free after 7 pm on weekdays and all day on weekends). Click here for more detailed directions.
PAYMENT
Once registration is open, payment may be made by credit card or PayPal account through the online registration process. We also accept payments by personal check. Please make checks payable to “Docs In Progress” and indicate which course(s) it is for. Mail to 8700 First Avenue Silver Spring, MD 20910.
REFUND POLICY
If your circumstances change and you must withdraw from a class after registering, please be aware of our refund policy:
Withdrawal 30 or more calendar days before the first day of class: 75% refund
Withdrawal 11-29 calendar days before the first day of class: 50% refund
Withdrawal 10 or fewer calendar days before class: No refund
WEATHER POLICY
In the event of inclement weather, we will make a decision by 3 pm on whether to cancel that evening’s classes. (For Saturday classes, we will make the decision by 6 pm on Friday). If you have not received a notification from your instructor, call our office at (301) 789-2797 (if we are not there, we will leave an outgoing message).
