Aimed at new and emerging documentary producers and directors, this 5-week online course provides a detailed overview of the whole pre-production process, from research, casting, proposal writing, and taster-tape making through to funding and pitching.
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- WHAT: Providing an overview of the pre-production process in detail, from research, casting, proposal writing, and taster-tape making through to funding and pitching.
WHERE: Online distance learning, take part in this class from your home with a computer/tablet.
COURSE LEADER: Run by Chloe White, a filmmaker who runs her own production company, Whalebone Films.
WHEN: Monday evenings, 1st June – 29th June, 7-9 PM.
COMMITMENT: 2 hours contact time per week, with extra hours outside of sessions working on your pitches.
WHAT YOU GET: Seminars and discussions with a professional filmmaker and business owner, and a thorough grounding in how to develop and produce your ideas.
HOW MUCH: £195.00 | Concessions: £185.00 | UCL Students: £165.00
DEADLINE TO SIGN UP: Sign up by Wednesday, 27th June 2026.
BURSARIES: See our Bursaries page for info on how to apply.
AGES: 18+
We often think of documentary filmmaking as being organic, “in the moment”, and impromptu. And this is all, of course, true. But there is also a huge amount of prep work that needs to be done in order to turn a film idea into reality. In this course, we’ll go through the whole pre-production process in detail, from research, casting, proposal writing, and taster-tape making through to funding and pitching. The course is aimed at new and emerging producers and directors, with a focus on presenting creative independent documentary film formats. Students are encouraged to prepare a real or hypothetical film to develop and “pitch” during the course. This course will leave students feeling enabled to take the next step with their film ideas and with a thorough understanding of how rigorous planning and preparation can lead to a better film.
Session 1
First, we will learn about the different modes of documentary. Understanding the different forms will help us in thinking about the kind of film we want to make, and is crucial when it comes to pitching our films.
Session 2
In this session, students will learn how and where to find documentary ideas, and then, once sought, how to dig deep. We’ll discuss how and why we research our topics and what this involves. We’ll then consider character, how to “cast” for a documentary, and what it means to build a relationship with our contributors.
Homework: start researching a documentary
Session 3
This week, we’ll discuss how to tell a story in a documentary, how to develop our film ideas into a narrative, and then how to translate this into a written proposal and script.
Homework: write a synopsis of the film idea
Session 4
Make a taster. Pitching, funding, commissioning. Figuring out logistics, budget, equipment, and thinking about the look and style of our film
Students will then learn about the “industry” and how to get their films funded or commissioned. We’ll look at different examples of taster tapes and learn more about pitching our ideas. We’ll then start to think more about the practicalities of filmmaking. Students will look at example budgets, and think about how much money we actually need to make a film. We’ll think about insurance and what paperwork we need to have on a shoot.
Homework: Make a taster tape
Session 5
Feedback session
Share synopses and taster tapes of our film ideas and give feedback.
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- Photo credit: Adam Pietraszeswki.
This course will be delivered via online distance learning, and students will require a computer or other internet-connected device.
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If you still have other questions relating to a specific course or request, please get in touch with us via email shortcourses@opencitylondon.com
What is UCL’s section of Public Anthropology?
Public Anthropology is a subsection of UCL’s Anthropology department. It hosts the short course programme, Open City Documentary Festival, and several graduate degree programmes.
The two main strands within Public Anthropology are media and creative and collaborative enterprise, which both merge industry expertise with academic research agendas.
Graduate degree programmes based in the Public Anthropology section include:
Public Anthropology houses London’s global non-fiction film festival, Open City Documentary Festival. Open City Documentary Festival produces an annual film festival, the bi-annual journal Non-Fiction and screening projects throughout the year.
Public Anthropology runs short courses in filmmaking, audio, virtual reality, film theory, practical camera training and film editing.
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Tutors
Chloe White
Tutor
Chloe White is an award-winning documentary filmmaker and photographer and director of Whalebone Films.
Her films are intimate, considered portraits, focusing mainly on the female experience.
Her clients and partners include the Guardian, Topic, Al Jazeera, Nowness, BBC, Channel 4, Oxfam, Save the Children and the BFI. She has had her films screen at festivals internationally including at IDFA, CPH, Camden International Film Festival, Open City, and Sheffield Doc Fest and is a winner of the prestigious Macdowell fellowship.
Chloe lectures in Documentary Film at the University College London and London College of Communications, and lives in Hastings, UK.