Create a Short Documentary
Class - Photography | Registration opens 5/12/2026 9:00 AM EDT
Step into the role of storyteller and discover how powerful visual language can transform real life into compelling cinema. In this immersive three-week film making class, you’ll explore the art of documentary filmmaking through the lens of cinematography—learning how every creative decision, from lens choice to lighting, shapes the way a story is seen and felt.
Through guided instruction and collaborative shooting, students will plan and capture footage for a short documentary, gaining hands-on experience with the tools and techniques that bring authentic stories to life.
Week 1: Story First — Finding Your Voice
Great documentaries begin with intention. We’ll explore how to identify a story worth telling and how to shape it visually. Topics include narrative structure, subject development, and how cinematography supports storytelling. You’ll be introduced to lens selection, framing, and camera angles that influence perspective and emotion. By the end of class, we’ll define our project and begin planning our shoot.
Week 2: Filming with Purpose — Crafting the Image
This week moves into production. Students will film footage for a collaborative short documentary while applying core techniques: camera movement, composition, lighting, and capturing authentic moments. We’ll discuss how subtle choices—handheld vs. locked-off shots, wide vs. tight lenses, natural vs. controlled light—guide the viewer’s experience and deepen the narrative.
Week 3: Shaping the Story — From Footage to Film
With footage in hand, we’ll review and analyze what we’ve captured, focusing on how visual continuity and shot selection begin to form a story. While this course emphasizes filming, we’ll introduce foundational editing concepts and discuss how pacing, sequencing, and sound bring meaning to your work. Students will leave with a clear roadmap for completing their documentary.
What You’ll Gain:
- A deeper understanding of storytelling through cinematography
- Hands-on experience planning and filming a short documentary
- Practical knowledge of camera techniques, lighting, and composition
- Insight into how editing transforms raw footage into narrative
Continue Your Journey:
Join us for Part II: Editing the Short Documentary, where you’ll refine your footage and complete your film using professional editing techniques.
Whether you're new to filmmaking or looking to expand your visual storytelling skills, this class offers a dynamic, collaborative environment to create something meaningful—and cinematic.
Bryan Rierson
Bryan is a full-time commercial photographer with over 25 years experience based in the Winston-Salem, NC area. A graduate of the Randolph Community College Photographic Technology program, he has produced work for national advertising agencies, corporations, and worldwide publications. He also has extensive experience photographing portraits and weddings both on film and digitally. He began teaching photography in 2011 with the Peace Camera workshop series in Raleigh, NC. Bryan's personal work is now focused on medium and large format film portraits and landscapes.