I'm actually at the tail end of my 1st documentary and through it all people like you and your type of content has helped me through a lot of steps! thanks! 🙌
Just from watching this video it has helped me get out of a creative rut I've had with my first documentary and I've been able to restructure it within a few hours. Thank you so much for the helpful advice Mark, long-term subscriber!
Just the little infographic is worth the price of the click! I’m using this structure for an upcoming RU-vid video. I watched this several times to get it to sink in. Thanks a ton Mark
Well you just keep helping don’t ya bro every time I watch I learn I probably suck at implementing it into the process but it’s on my mind when shooting and the editing is becoming really fun trying to create a story outa the raw images we’re collecting on our trips ,really appreciate the scope you bring mate good shit indeed cheers
Simple frameworks like this are SO valuable to a creator like I am. Thank you for this content!!! Would be interesting to see how you would compress this down to 30sec-4 minute pieces??? What would be your considerations?
Do you have any BTS of the commercial you filmed with BMW with the man sitting at his desk? I know it was short but it looked great. I want to be able to make short commercials like that.
I was just thinking this morning that I hoped you would have a video soon. I'm hoping to join AOD in Sept as I am currently working on my first doc. Your YT videos have helped me so much already. One question I had was - do you show your doc or pieces of it to the people you are making the doc about before its finished or just wait until you are done? Idk if I should show snips of what I have or just hang on until the end. Help? Either way thank you for these tutorials. Hoping to join the a AOD fam soon!
Depends, but I usually show them a locked cut before I upload. But it can get tricky if they’re insecure about their own image as they might start asking for things to change
I assume the response to my other comment was a fake account (not Mark Bone) and I have NOT actually won a camera... or...?! Mark doesn't seem like an all-caps and fragmented sentence type of guy. lol
Mark, just want to say, Its been rad watching you grow into your RU-vid presence, and I have learned a lot from you, so Thank you! Aspiring to be focused in the Documentary style of filmmaking, I'm already pre registered for AOD, cant wait!
I respectfully disagree about the fact that you shouldn't hint the resolution before arriving at the end of the film. In movies like Grizzly man and the most recent Fire of love the filmmakers tell you right away how the main characters are going to end, but you keep watching because you want to understand more about them and the choices that led them to that point. I get that this video is more about short films, but still i think it depends on the story you are trying to tell
Hey Mark, I've run into an issue lately that I was hoping you may be able to help me out with. You often say, and I fully agree, that when you go out and shoot, you should always be asking yourself "what are you shooting, or what story are you trying to tell?" This is excellent advice, but what would you recommend doing when you are just going out and shooting with no real story in mind? For example, if I want to just wake up one day and take the camera around town and film, I often don't have any story in mind. I'm just kind of capturing moments. But, the problem I've run into lately, is that its just not cohesive. Nothing comes together in the edit. And that's obviously because I just don't have a cohesive idea when I go shoot. My last several attempts to just go out and film, have been fruitless in the edit. I'll get some nice looking shots here and there, sure, but the video over all... falls apart. Do you ever run into this problem? Are you *always* going out with some sort of story in mind? And if so, would you have any tips on how to spur of the moment think of a story or an overall theme when you just wake up and want to go film? I do everything myself, so sometimes its not easy, or even feasible, to just think up a story, find a subject, location scout, etc etc. Sometimes I just want to work on my camera skills. But I don't want to just let the footage I capture collect dust. It feels like a failure when I come out of it empty handed or with an edit that just doesn't feel good. The strangest part of all this to me is that when I got my first camera, I never had a story in mind when I'd shoot. I just wanted to take this new cool camera out and mess around with it. I'd come home and *somehow* I'd have a workable edit. They weren't the best looking edits of course, but they somehow felt complete. Cohesive. The video just came together. I don't know how I did it anymore, and I feel like I've lost something. I almost feel like I've somehow gotten worse. Which makes no sense since I should be getting better. Anyways, if you happen to have any advice on this, I would be very appreciative. Thank you.
Word can not tell how much I appreciate your teachings... thanks so much Much love from Sierra Leone West Africa Out here we don't have much and recent equipment but we use what we have
Hi Mark, I know that this amount of money is even less than the famous drop on a hot stone compared to the value of your videos; it is intended to show some more appreciation than just hitting the "Like" button, anyway. I am at the very beginning of my journey, and your videos are my main source for inspiration, for learning, getting an overview and most importantly for some effective structure on where to start and where to go. I cannot thank you enough. At least, I can say now: your next coffee is on me. Enjoy! Thomas, Germany
Mark, Was wondering if you ever share a rough edit with the characters you are documenting. And if you did, does it change how a character is working with you and how might that affect the story you are telling.
Have you done a video (either on here or on AOD) that covers how you plan for your storage needs? How you backup, store and access you footage while editing, etc?
Great work brother. I have a humble suggestion. Can you make a video on how to structure, storytell, shoot docuseries? Or are the concepts basically the same? Keep killing them man!
I have been using this model for the last couple years on storytelling projects for clients. I call it The Three C's - Context, Conversion, Conclusion. Context: Where is this person coming from and why should we care? Conversion: What is the change or evolution that they go through and how? Conclusion: What are the positive outcomes revealed by this evolution? Thanks for making your videos! See you this fall in AOD 🙌
You have helped me so much to prepare from all the tips to suggesting milanote! It’s amazing! I’m making a jiu jitsu film about a competitor going to the biggest tournament in vegas! I’m leaving tomorrow to record the competition and then doing the interview afterwards! Wish me luck mark you’re amazing!
