MyDocs supported by Finas presented 'The Art of Reenactment for Documentaries' masterclass with award-winning documentary filmmaker Ahmad Yazid.
Reenactment has been used in non-fiction filmmaking for more than a decade. But there is a specific way to approaching it when making documentaries. Also, the way we interview people and how that works seamlessly with the pictures - there's an art to it. Then when everything is shot, there is another big milestone - Editing. Is it JUST about putting visuals together with the interviews? This masterclass covered all these questions and more.
The filmmaker:
Ahmad Yazid brings 22 years of filmmaking experience to Rack Focus Films. He cut his teeth at his fathers production company from the tender age of 9, before his feet could even touch the editing room floor. After 10 years of editing, directing and camera experience he decided to spread his wings and moved to KL to pursue his dream of becoming a filmmaker. In 2004, he directed and edited his first documentary entitled, ‘Are we doing enough?’ The experience of directing this award-winning film was a turning point in his life. Documentary was his true passion. He then went on to direct documentaries for Discovery Channel, Asian Food Channel, The Crime and Investigation Channel and other Asian based broadcasters. He has produced and directed over 20 hours of documentaries and currently working on his first feature documentary about the Black Hawk Down incident.
What participants learnt:
1. Reenactment in documentaries: How is this done? What kind of reenactment is generally accepted by the channels? What are considered good and bad reenactments? How far can we stretch the truth and how do we stay true to the story?
2. The art of interview: What is the best way to approach an interview? Why do we interview people? What is our intention? How do we make our subjects comfortable? How to handle difficult subjects?
3. Editing: It is not just about putting pictures together! What are the different ways of creating historical and current events through editing? How do we do paper edit? Why should editing take a long time?!
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