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 MULTIPLE AWARD WINNING INSTRUCTOR: PLATINUM HOUSTON WORLDFEST INTERNATIONAL!! 


You have a great idea for a documentary but you don’t have the knowledge to make it happen.  This workshop is designed for those first time documentary film makers who may want to launch their careers in film and television documentaries or for those film makers who want to expand their skills into the field of documentaries.  The workshop combines theory, history and production techniques.  Using case studies along with student ideas, the goal of the workshop is to provide an intense overview of the art of documentary production.  You will learn how to evaluate non-fiction ideas, create your own ideas and develop an understanding of the documentary aesthetics and the storytelling process.  Learn what makes or breaks a documentary.  Bring your own ideas to the workshop and learn how to make it happen.   The workshop will be supplemented by many hand outs.

Day One Itinerary:

 Discussion of documentaries and examples

• Selecting a topic
• Research
• Writing a treatment long and short form – development of the idea (storytelling  techniques)   
• What is a proposal and treatment
• Writing a script outline, idea script and script,
• Breaking down the script for shooting
• Review your own treatments

Day Two Itinerary:

• Interview techniques
• Explanation of documentary production gear, camera, audio, and lighting
• Explanation of basic lighting set up
• Basic shooting techniques, including importance of cut aways and "B" roll
• Breaking down raw footage and logging
• Post production; logging footage, paper edit to script, rough cut edit to narration, fine cut edit, adding music, sound tracks, titles and credits
• Financing, distribution and film festival
• Review, final questions

COST:  $185.00 FOR THE WEEKEND (to order, go to PLACE ORDER button)
               9AM – 5PM, BEVERAGES AND LUNCH  PROVIDED

LOCATION: 1806 Five Iron Dr., Castle Rock, CO  80104;  PHONE:  303.660.8515

EMAIL: tatankaproductions@hotmail.com

WORKSHOP INSTRUCTOR:

Tom Karges has been producing and directing long and short form investigative international documentaries and natural history programs for more than thirty years in the United States and abroad.  He and his wife, Sabrina  (a producer/editor) formed their own documentary company, TaTanka Productions in 1999 which became a 501c3 non-profit in 2004. Tom has spent a third of his career living and working outside the United States primarily for ABC and CBS News divisions, United Press International and most recently HDNet, a High Definition Satellite Network broadcasting in the US, Mexico, Canada, Japan and many other countries on Dish Network and Direct TV. In fact he has produced programs in more than forty countries. Early in his career he was interviewed on a regular basis on National Public Radio during the Iran Hostage Crisis from Tehran and also during the Israeli Invasion of Lebanon.  His programs as a producer/director have appeared on HDNet's World Report, ABC Nightline, ABC News World News Tonight, Al Jazeera International and as a Director of Photography for ABC 20/20, CBS Sixty Minutes, BBC, ITN and Discovery.  In the past six years he has produced 23 half hour documentaries for HDNet in Iraq, Afghanistan, Europe, Mexico, US and 6 short form documentaries for Al Jazeera  International in Afghanistan. Tom has won many festival awards and one of his most recent was for his investigative documentary “Iraqi Athletes, a Test of Endurance," won the prestigious Platinum Remi Award at the Houston World Fest International Film Festival in Houston.  Tom is presently working on two projects. One is in the proposal stage – a docudrama on Charles Goodnight – a Texas trail driver to be funded by the National Endowment of the Humanities and private grants. The second project -- a documentary on the politics of poppies in Afghanistan titled, "The War Within: Afghanistan at a Crossroads."  The proposal and trailer are complete and Tom is seeking funding.
 
Tom and the love of outdoors brought about his passion for wildlife and natural history film making.  His wildlife work can be seen at the Wildlife Experience Museum, Denver, Colorado, National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Centers throughout the United States and on French Television (St. Thomas Productions.)  Presently, TaTanka is in post production on “Elk Wars” a one hour documentary on the over population of elk at Rocky Mountain National Park. TaTanka is also in post-production on “The American Bison”, (working title).  It is the story of President Teddy Roosevelt’s role in saving the Bison from the verge of extinction in 1905.  The two programs will be shown on American Public Television/PBS. “Songs of the Wild” is a television series on the National Wildlife Refuge System is just now in the marketing stage.  The proposal is complete and the pilot “Ghost Herds of the Wichitas” recently won the Gold Award in the TV Pilot Category at the Houston WorldFest International Film Festival.