ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the production phase of documentary, by which people refer to the creative, technical, and logistical processes of generating all the media components of a project. It focuses on cultivating field production practices for documentary media. Whether a project contains human subjects or not, documentaries are about relationships—with crew, with collaborators, quite simply with everyone people encounter in the field. The chapter begins with the production histories of three distinctly different documentaries, each modeling an array of unique field production experiences and offering valuable lessons about balancing preparation and flexibility. It deals with practical tips for interviewing subjects and for shooting on the fly when prep time is impossibility in the field. The chapter provides insight into the production phase that will aid in people's analysis of documentary media. It also explores the need for creative image and sound testing and the development of technical workflows in advance of production.
