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UdemyVideo Editing & AnimationPaid courseAll LevelsCertificate

Documentary Filmmaking with Soul (Udemy.com)

How to Create a Modern, Cinematic, Story-Driven Documentary from Start to Finish- An Emmy Award-winning approach!

Created by: Dandan Liu

Last updated January 2022

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What you will learn

  • Plan, shoot, and edit a strong, cinematic documentary with deep storytelling roots.
  • Conduct powerful, story-driven interviews.
  • Cultivate your ability to see, listen, and feel your way into your stories, so every decision is intentional.
  • Compose and light for cinematic images.
  • Use audio recording equipment to get high quality sound.
  • Use Adobe Premiere pro to edit and refine their footage.
  • Develop an eye for location scouting.
  • Develop the "Shooting for the Edit" mindset.
  • Approach doc filmmaking as a craft.

How it compares

Against the other 293 rated Udemy courses in Video Editing & Animation on CourseDuck:

  • Rating4.6 out of 5higher than 74% of them
  • Reviews1,316#29 of 294 by number of reviews
  • Length1.8 hoursshorter than 78% of them
  • Last updatedJanuary 2022earlier than 62% of them

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Course Description

Learn an Emmy-award winning documentary filmmaking technique!

It's time documentaries get a fresh lift. Typically, they are taught with outdated methods which stem from the 90's, with boring talking heads and bad imagery. This class, instead, teaches you how to make modern, cinematic, and story-driven character docs that engage viewers both visually and emotionally.

This class will cover the whole documentary filmmaking lifecycle, covering how to plan, how to shoot, and how to edit. Part travelogue, part course, this course will show you how to craft a resonant documentary film with the hand of an artisan and eye of a storyteller. Showing behind-the-scenes footage, they bring you along Dandan's journey of making her beautiful short doc in Tokyo about a female boxer, also known as "The Japanese Million Dollar Baby."

All of the lessons are designed to be applicable, get straight-to-the-point, and use minimal affordable equipment. They present Dandan's signature filmmaking approach, where you'll get to travel with a light footprint and gain access to your character's world in a natural, non-intrusive way.

By the end of this course, you will have all the knowledge, confidence, and a complete roadmap needed to make your first documentary short.

Come join us in this creative adventure!

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Instructor Details

Dandan Liu

Hi there! I’m Dandan, an Emmy award-winning filmmaker, creative educator, and monk-at-heart living in the Italian countryside.

As a self-taught filmmaker, I started making films while on a 4 year journey living in monasteries around the world. One film led to the next, and after persevering for many years, I found myself working full time on film crews and streaming my films on Roku, Apple TV, museums, trains, and airplanes.

I’m passionate about teaching filmmaking, because I believe that everyone can make amazing films without spending thousands of dollars or years in film school. My classes differ from others in that they emphasize an artisanal approach, using minimal, lightweight equipment to craft high quality, resonant films.

My other passion is helping others build flourishing creative lives from their truth. Once a year, I lead my signature program called Unravel, which brings people on a playful journey of self discovery. If you're feeling lost, stuck, or like you're just going through the motions- definitely check it out on my website.

The fun awaits. Check out my courses below! Feel free to connect with me on instagram too @dandanliustudio.

Cheering you on,

Dandan

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Reviews

4.6

1,316 ratings on Udemy

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By Marc Dubois on 3/24/2022

Extraordinaire ! Je viens de suivre quelques formations sur la vidéo. La formation de Dandan est la plus aboutie. Par des exemples clairs et un cheminement longuement réfléchi, elle nous donne les outils pour créer notre propre histoire. Elle est arrivée à condenser toute la base de création d’un documentaire personnel en deux petites heures. Bravo ! Surtout merci !

By Volker Labitzke on 1/29/2022

Pleasant, inspiring and informative course. I had been looking for something that would give me an overview of the main aspects of documentary filmmaking and which would help me decide if this is what I want to do. The shortness of the course (less than 2 hours), combined with Dandan‘s positive and encouraging way of presenting the basics with a smile, made it the ideal starting point for me. I know now that I want to and will be able to make my first documentary. To build on my newly acquired skills, I have bought a few other Udemy courses, each of which puts an emphasis on a different aspect of documentary filmmaking (concept, storytelling, photo and video editing, monetising, music, graphics). I would highly recommend Dandan‘s motivational course to anyone who wants to find out if documentary filmmaking is the right thing for them while gaining some valuable basic knowledge at the same time.

By Amanda Prifti on 12/27/2021

This course was pleasant, but very introductory level. Didn't go into too much detail on each point, stating the basics. I was looking for a little more professional level information. Explaining shutter speed and aperture signals how basic the knowledge base of those who will benefit from this course are.

By AMEL AMEL on 5/17/2021

Je suis très contente de suivre enfin une formation réalisée une documentariste. Jusque-là je n'ai pu trouver que des formations menées par des hommes. Les femmes restent encore rares dans ce milieu. Une formation très agréable à suivre. La Formatrice explique simplement et de manière posée, son approche poétique d'appréhender la réalisation du film documentaire créatif. Les Chapitres sont très bien structurés, il y a de la théorie et de la pratique. Il y a également des bonus intéressants. Une formation idéale pour débutant e . Merci!

By Mufaro Kambarami on 11/15/2020

Until now it is perfect! So detailed!

By Delphine Gubert on 11/15/2020

Interesting start, more an introduction that a deep dive into the topic

By Ashish Mahobia on 11/8/2020

Good and basic

By Clinton Gray on 11/8/2020

Excellent content - that is factual and concise. Well spoken and information is conveyed in a clear and enjoyable manner.

By Khairi Johari on 11/1/2020

Very clear and concise instructions. Very up to date as compared to traditional style documentaries. Love the concept int this course. Will apply to my future documentary video projects.

By Miki Ori on 11/1/2020

Not for people more advanced than real beginners... Having said that, there are two exceptions to my opinion - preproduction section and the end product - final video - which you could decompose into bits and layers and find a lot of valuable nuances, not really conveyed clearly in the course.

By Chinmaya Kishore on 10/24/2020

its a beginner course, but very crisp and nice.

By Muhammed Alattar on 10/24/2020

Very helpful :)

Showing 12 of 195 reviews

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Overall Score : 92 / 100