Intro to Documentary Production Class Series (Saturdays)
This five-session, hands-on workshop is designed for new filmmakers who want to create a short documentary from concept through postproduction. Participants will develop a character profile about a person of their choice and learn how to shape the story through interviews, B-roll, archival photographs, and archival footage.
The course emphasizes learning by doing. Students should arrive with a potential subject in mind, preferably a relative or local community member who is available for interviews and connected to an engaging location or activity. They should also prepare a brief explanation of why the person’s story would be compelling.
When: September 19 through October 17, 2026, on five Saturdays: September 19, September 26, October 3, October 10, and October 17.
Showtimes: 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. each session, with one hour reserved for lunch. The page’s individual-date listing identifies October 17, 2026, from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Description: The class covers the planning, filming, and editing of a short documentary, including visual storytelling with interviews, B-roll, archival footage, and archival photographs. Each participant will make a short documentary centered on a person.
Preparation: Students must select a documentary subject and have that person available for interviews. The subject should also be associated with an interesting place or activity. Participants should prepare a short pitch explaining the story’s interest.
Equipment and editing: Docs In Progress provides cameras and postproduction equipment and software, including Adobe Premiere Pro. Students should plan for an additional four to six hours of B-roll filming outside class. Extra editing time may be reserved during Docs In Progress’s regular business hours.
Teaching artist: Michael Anthony has two decades of experience creating documentaries, web series, films, and livestreams. His work has screened at film festivals in Martha’s Vineyard, Chicago, and Atlanta. His documentary *Walls That Bleed* received nominations for major awards, including recognition connected with HBO. His short narrative film *Choices* won Best Short Narrative Film at the Spaghetti Junction Film Festival. He holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Professional Theater, with a directing focus, from North Carolina A&T State University and a Master of Fine Arts in Experimental and Documentary Arts from Duke University.
Tickets: Price not available. Registration is through the linked Eventbrite page.
Ages: Not specified.
Venue: Docs In Progress, 8560 Second Avenue, Suite 113, Silver Spring, Maryland 20910.
Accessibility: No accessibility information is currently available for this event.
Parking: The venue entrance is on Apple Avenue, around the corner from Alexander House. The Cameron Street garage operates 24 hours a day. On weekdays, it charges $1 per hour for the first four hours and 65 cents per hour afterward between 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m.; parking is free there on weekends, federal holidays, and after 7:00 p.m. on weekdays. Garage payment requires the parking-space number and can be made at a pay station with cash or a credit card, or through the ParkMobile or MobileNow apps. Nearby metered street parking may also be available; daytime Monday-through-Saturday parking generally requires payment and is usually limited to one or two hours. Do not park or stop in spaces designated for police use.