Documentary Filmmaking

A highly practical, applied program in the production of documentary film for cinema, television or other media platforms.

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From the beginning of the master program, students will start working on the portfolio for the production of a feature documentary film that will represent their final dissertation work, while also taking other theoretical, and practical courses, with the possibility of choosing from a number of elective courses offered.

In order to finalize their studies, students will be expected to have completed all the credits comprised in the learning plan, as well as write a dissertation paper that will be defended in front of dissertation commission.

Additionally, they will present to the public in a public viewing the feature documentary produced during the course of their studies.

Rulează videoul
By the end of the First Semester, students will prepare a pre-production portfolio that will comprise a written proposal for a documentary film of 15-27 minutes, with the specification of the sub-genre, the synopsis of the film, edited according to standards (1 page) and an initial storyboard.
During the Second Semester the students will continue to develop the pre-production portfolio, by finalizing the script and preparing the production stage (continuing documentation, choosing film locations, starting the logistic and production planning, etc.).
On the Third Semester, students will start filming the feature documentary film. The portfolio will include the shooting plan, - locations and calendar, as well as the list of necessary materials and resources. At the end, they will present a rough director’s cut representing at least 50% of the length of the final film.
During the Fourth Semester the students will work on the post-production stage, editing and adding sound to the final feature documentary. They will also complete the portfolio with the master copy and the promotional material (posters, covers, or other type of materials)

Courses taught

  • Pre-production: Research and Scriptwriting
  • Anthropology and Documentary Filmmaking
  • Research in Creative Industries
  • Documentary Filmmaking (1)
  • Fiction and Reality in Documentary Films
  • New Media Documentary
  • Documentary Filmmaking (2)
  • Creative Transmedia Project
  • Postproduction: sound, editing
  • Project Production Management
  • Dissertation Writing

Optional courses

  • (Op.1) Contemporary Critical Paradigms
  • (Op.1) Critical Thinking and the New Medias
  • (Op. 2) Docutainment
  • (Op. 2) Docu-drama
  • (Op. 3) Interactive Movies
  • (Op. 3) Visual Storytelling
  • (Op. 4) Documentary film genres: anthropological and social
  • (Op. 4) Documentary film genres: science, exploring and adventure

Faculty

Dan Curean, Ph.D.

Program coordinator
documentary filmmaking, project production management, film directing

Rodica Mocan, Ph.D.

Interactive documentaries, new media

Florin Țolaș, Ph.D.

Cinematography, light design,
film directing

Xantus Gabor, PhD

Documentary filmmaking, film directing, science, exploring and adventure documentary

Cătălin Ștefănescu, Conf. spec.

Storytelling , script writing

John Appel, PhD

Film directing

Melissa Lee Price, PhD

User Experience Design, new media, social media, digital media

Nicoleta Sălcudean, Ph.D.

Creative industries, cultural policies

Oana Ivan, Ph.D.

Anthropology

Claudiu Turcuș, Ph.D.

Contemporary critical paradigms, critical thinking

Robert Wierzbicki, Ph.D.

Interactive movies, visual storytelling

Marius Șopterean, Ph.D

Visual storytelling

STUDENTS

PELICAM Festival 2017. 
Tatăl meu, Imre , Andreea Știliuc 
Master program presentation movie, 2015.
Refractara, Ioana Trifu.

Admission

Domain: CINEMATOGRAPHY AND MEDIA
Master: Documentary Filmmaking- English [Producția filmului documentar] Acredited by the Minister of Education, Bologna system, Full time studies, 4 semesters

General objectives:

  • Developing an understanding of the most important trends and developments of the documentary film genre within the context of the new platforms of distribution and new specific audiences in the information age
  • Practical learning, through analysis and practice at the highest standards, of specific documentary film genres: scientific documentary, social and anthropological films, docu-drama, and adventure documentary.
  • Acquiring skills and abilities necessary in the production of film for cinematography, television and new media.
  • Developing the ability to use the specific media and cinematography specialized language while creatively applying theoretical and practical knowledge in a professional setting.
  • Developing theoretical and practical knowledge about Romanian and international non-fiction contemporary film
  • Developing theoretical knowledge and practical experience in order to cultivate high professional and ethical standards, as well as professional courage and civic responsibility, as a non-fiction cinematographer.

Admission

  • The candidate will be interviewd in English based on an individual artistic creation project that must contain a motivation, a description of the target audience, a sketch of the structure, and a section to demonstrate the feasibility of the project.
  • The candidate must demonstrate his/her ability to manage and materialize a creative artistic project and his/her openness to transdisciplinary approaches. The interview will test the candidate's general knowledge of the field.
  • The written and oral presentation will be accompanied by a portfolio of artistic creations, whether linked to the proposed project or previous projects.

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