DP  Documentary Project  Report

Each member of the DP project team is required to submit a separate DP Project Report typed in this format.  DO NOT submit reports in plastic binders, covers, or sleeves!!!  Naked paper and a staple will suffice.  To save paper, use no more than an 11pt Font, single spaced with half inch margins top, bottom, left and right.  Use this document as a template to type your actual report.  Describe your role in each of the following aspects of the project.  Rather than providing just a list of events, you should include a narrative description of each event.  Make sure you list the date, time, and hours for each event and then the sum Total Hours for each of the following headings below:

   1.  Project Concept - discuss your input in the original idea/development of the DP project concept.  (List Total Sum).

   2.  Writing - discuss your involvement in the writing of the script for the DP project.  (List Total Sum).

   3.  Pre-Production Coordination - list the dates, times, and hours you spent on the following pre-production activities:  (Make sure to list a Total Sum for all Pre-Production hours).

A) Casting or Pre-Interviewing Talent -
B) Location Scouting or Location Clearances -
C) Facilities, Equipment, or Crew Scheduling -
D) Craft Services (food), Lodging, or Transportation Arrangements -

   4.  Production - list the dates, times, and hours for each location shoot along with the function that you, your co-producer, and each crew member performed. (List a Total Sum for all Production hours on the project).
	
	Wed  July 14th  “Beach Scene Shoot “ (8am-6pm)  10hrs
	Director – Joe Blow
Camera – Suzie Q
Boom – Bob Blow
Grips – Tom Blow, Jane Doe

We arrived at the location 2 hours before the talent in order to set up our gear and dress the set.  Suzie was supposed to bring the props, but forgot to load them in the car.  We had to send Tom to pick them up which delayed our lighting setup, so when the talent arrived, we were not ready and the talent had to wait.  This made us look kind of unprofessional, but we were able to start shooting by 11am after schmoozing the talent and keeping her comfortable.  On our first take, the camera…………

Fri  July 20th  “Doctor’s Office Scene Shoot “ (5pm-2am)  9hrs
	Director – Suzie Q 
Camera – Joe Blow
Boom – Jane Doe
Continuity – John Doe
Grips – Bob Blow 

We arrived at the location 3 hours before the talent in order to set up our gear and dress the set.  There wasn’t much room to spread the electrical load for the lights, so unfortunately, we ended up tripping a circuit.  It took three hours to get the building maintenance supervisor to open the breaker box and click the circuit back on.  This time we ran two of the lights to another office across the hallway.  We hoped this would solve the problem but weren’t sure because no one on our crew remembered that little formula for figuring out how many amps each of the lights pulls.  On our first take, the boom mic…………

Total Sum = 19 hrs

   5.  Budget - report all of your financial expenditures.  Make sure you provide a Total Sum for all expenses at the end:
A) Blank Media (Tapes, CD’s, DVD’s -
B) Craft Services (food/beverages) -
C) Props/Costumes/Make Up -
D) Transportation/Fuel -
E) Misc. Expenses such as Equipment Rental or Insurance Liability Bond –

   6.  Project Quality - discuss the strengths and weaknesses of your project’s “Production Value” (technical quality – how professional does it look/sound) in regard to:  1) Camera Work ( smooth, fluid, and professional looking…. or jerky, unplanned, and amateurish; 2) Lighting (flattering, aesthetic, natural… or harsh, unflattering, amateurish),  and 3) Art Direction (colorful, tastefully dressed and decorated… or stark, empty, and ugly).  
	
*Camera Operator (Discuss the shots you personally performed as camera operator) – I personally shot the dutch angle, the rack focus, the tilt down, and the zoom in.  My camera moves were our major weakness because they were generally too jerky with rough take offs and landings.  Rather than executing a planned path, my camera moves seemed to wander and then over correct when off track.  My rack focus was very dramatic, but too shaky when shifting the focus.  Our shot composition often lacked “nose room” and our tracking shots did not lead with half the screen as needed.  Many times we allowed the furniture and props to dictate our framing, rather than cheat the shot by rearranging the furniture to accommodate our shot.  Compared to other DP projects, ours really had……… because of the…….and specifically………  The highlights or best parts of my camera work that I’d put on my demo reel would be ……..because……..However, we did have some weaknesses, namely our……………..

	Lighting – our 4pt lighting on the talent looked very natural and flattering even though the back light was a little dim.  With a stronger back light we could have achieved more separation of the talent from the background and the talent’s hair would have looked more 3-dimensional and shiny on screen.  We also had a slight lens flare which is almost invisible until the talent moves.  We could have avoided this by elevating our back light and closing the top barn door a little more. The strengths of our lighting overall are ……….  Compared to other DP projects, ours really looked ………because of the…….and specifically………  The shots from our DP project that I’d put on my demo reel would be……..because……..However, we did have some weaknesses, namely our …….  Many of our shots such as the…… lacked ……. and our………… was difficult to ………… because………..
	
	Art Direction – our interview set was very colorful with appropriately placed props that were relevant to the subject of the interview. This created a very professional look for the set; however, our choice of clothing was a disaster because the talent’s blouse was too light for her skin.  As such, correctly setting the exposure on her blouse made her face too dark, but setting the correct exposure on her face made the blouse radioactive.  Having the talent wear a blouse that was darker than her face would have easily solved this problem.  We should have insisted on this rather than allow the talent to select her own wardrobe.  Always avoid high contrast no matter the cost!  Although our interview set was dressed very well, our B-roll shots seemed stark and empty by comparison.  We should have dressed our shots more by hanging tapestries or posters on the walls, adding a pot of flowers or other appropriate props here and there.  White walls are the mark of an amateur!  Compared to other DP projects, ours really had……… because of the…….and specifically………  The parts of our DP project’s art direction that I’d put on my demo reel would be ……………………. ........because………….However, we did have some weaknesses, namely our……………...
	
*Hindsight – if I were able to start this project all over again, I would do the following things differently……………...because………. and I would definitely change……………because………….  The biggest lesson I learned from doing this project was……………
DP Shot Checklist mistakes we made consisted of…………  Drama Shoot Checklist mistakes we made consisted of…………….

  7.  Post Production - list the dates, times, and hours you spent on any post production activities:  (List Total Sum).

*A) Video Editing – discuss which parts and how much of the final sequence you personally edited.
*B) Audio – discuss the quality of your audio, consistency of levels, and the quality of the composite mix.
  C) Window Dubbing, Tape Logging, EDL Selection, or Quicktime Conversions -
  D) CG Titling, Motion Graphics, or Special Effects -

   8.  Your Grade - discuss what grade you believe you deserve for what you achieved on this DP project and why this particular grade would be appropriate.  Base your assessment on what is actually reflected in the final product, rather than on the amount of time or effort you put forth.  Also, assess your professional image.
	
	My Grade – I know it doesn’t matter how many hours you put into a project, or how hard you worked to make things turn out right.  All that matters is what’s actually on the screen, so taking that into consideration, I think my main strengths on the project were…………..because……………My weaknesses or areas for improvement include……….because…………………………….
………….so taking all of this into consideration……… I believe that I deserve the grade of B- for this project.

   9.  Co-Producer’s Grade - evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of your co-producer along the same criteria.  Discuss what final grade your co-producer deserves for his or her contribution, achievement, and professional image on the project.  It is confidential, so be honest.

	Joe Blow’s Grade – if you want someone who really knows how to work a camera, Joe is the guy.  His camera moves, framing, and shot composition are very professional; unfortunately his behavior is not.  He showed up late for most of our shoots and was unresponsive when it came to the numerous e-mails, texts, and phone calls we made to him throughout the project.  He was also AWOL throughout most of the editing phase.  He did perform some window dubbing, but didn’t seem very involved in the project as a whole.  Although I admire his skill on a camera, I would not want to work with him on future projects……… I believe that he deserves the grade of C- for this project.