SPORTS DOCUMENTARY FILMMAKING

And ACTION! Get rolling by meeting your director (aka your instructor) and your crew (fellow students), and gain an understanding of how the course will play out: Act I – ideas, Act II – production, Act III – post and launch.

• Meet your instructor
• Course structure 
• Assignments overview

Explore the booming world of sports docs, learn the DNA of sports documentaries vs. other genres, get the bird's-eye view of the whole production pipeline, and dissect legendary docs like The Last Dance - what made them stick in the minds of audiences?

• The current landscape
• Sports docs vs. other genres 
• How sports docs get made
• Landmark sports docs
• Case study: The Last Dance

Learn how to find your unique story angle and conduct both creative and logistical research to support it.

• Finding your story
• Making it unique
• Research: Facts & feel
• Research logistics
• Workshop 1: In break-out groups, agree upon an idea for a sports documentary and come up with key questions you would need to answer, both creatively and logistically, when researching.

Class 3 will teach you how to craft a killer pitch doc and pre-production manual that ties together your story, access, and the emotional flow of your narrative.

• Pitch docs: Internal & external
• Developing a creative manual
• Pre-production: Different shoots and their requirements
• Archiving & licencing 
• Workshop 2: Pitch your idea. Does it pass the headline test?

Master the art of asking the right questions that shape your narrative while keeping the interview natural and emotionally charged.

• Crafting focused interview questions 
• Tips & techniques 
• Technical considerations
• Navigating personal stories

Assignment #1: Come up with 5 questions for your protagonist using tips and techniques you’ve learned from the class.

Explore the technical side of camera gear, lenses, and movements to capture visually stunning and emotionally compelling footage.

• Camera theory & practical application 
• Essential terminologies 
• Camera bodies & lens selection 
• Grip, camera movement, & lighting 

Assignment #2: Choose a visual style or "look" from an existing sports documentary that you find compelling. Research the cinematographic equipment and techniques used to achieve that look.

Discover how to craft compelling visual stories by adapting your cinematography to different filming scenarios and make every frame count, from interviews to high-action moments.

• Filming scenarios 
• Practicalities of interviews 
• Actuality shooting 
• Shooting dynamic sports content

Assignment #3: Choose three distinct scenes you might include in your documentary, each representing a different filming scenario. For each one, provide a scene description, a Cinematography plan, and the intention behind it. 

Time to get hands-on with the footage. Dive into post-production workflow techniques to set you up for crafting a structured, engaging narrative from raw material.

• Taming the chaos: Post-shoot workflow essentials 
• Transcription & paper edits: Writing the story before you cut it
• Project structure 
• Demo: Walk-through on structuring the project

Discover editing software tips and tricks that will turn your raw footage into polished, emotionally resonant sequences.

• Overview of editing software
• Editing techniques
• Premiere Pro: Tips, tricks, & terminologies 
• Demo: Tips and tricks
• Guest speaker: Sharing further insight on useful tips and tricks

Learn how to create the perfect soundscape, from recording crisp audio on set to mixing music and foley to enhance the emotional punch of your story

• On-set sound recording 
• Music and SFX in editing 
• Mixing & post-production
• Soundtracking & licencing

Assignment #4: Discuss how you would incorporate music and sound into your documentary to make it unique and powerful. Provide a specific example of a scene where you would use sound creatively, and explain why.

Gain an understanding of how to weave a compelling narrative that flows naturally, using story arcs and emotional triggers to hook your audience.

• Narrative flow: Retrospective vs. actuality 
• Big picture & small moments
• Story arcs & narrative structure 
• Story vehicles
• Workshop 3: In groups, come up with your own unique story vehicle. Explain its purpose, how it supports your story, and the emotional or thematic impact it delivers

In this lesson, you’ll learn to perfect your final cut with sound design, colour grading, and post-production tweaks to make your doc ready for the big leagues.

• Final polish and lock 
• Post-production sound and grade
• Preparing for multiple formats and platforms
• Revisions, distribution, and promotion 
• Demo: How to grade in Premiere Pro and Davinci

Prep for the real world. Discover how to pitch your work, get your doc seen, and navigate career opportunities, from production companies to indie projects. And that’s a wrap!

• Getting your documentary seen 
• Working for a production company 
• Pitching your services
• Final thoughts and Q&A