Documentaries are gaining traction as popular entertainment and information at an astonishing rate. Given the ease with which they can be made now, thanks to technological advancements and growing public interest, documentaries are readily available in theatres, online, on demand and on devices. Making documentaries is no longer out of reach to anyone who wants to make one. Making quality documentaries is something else altogether.
Colombia-born, Toronto-based Juan Baquero, an accomplished documentary filmmaker whose work has appeared on Discovery Channel, at Hot Docs (Listen to This, 2010), and in international film festivals, is offering hands-on courses in documentary filmmaking through an intensive, 16 week workshop at his Story Studio in Toronto.
Baquero’s aim is to provide aspiring filmmakers with the tools and skills to conceptualise, create, edit and sell world class films. His is the only mentor-driven workshop in Toronto that takes students from the beginning of the process, through to the final product with assistance and guidance in distribution and sales.
The class is kept to ten students under Baquero’s guidance, to create an intimate setting in which students feel comfortable working through the process, pitching ideas, collaborating, shooting, editing and offering insights and direction. Subjects under study will include but are not limited to:
- Fundamentals of story design
- Camera basics and the grammar of the shot
- Taglines, synopses, one-sheets, treatments, pitching
- Paper edit, assembly edit, rough cut and fine cut
- Festival strategies
- Interviewing
- Fundraising
Registration for the next class, running from June to October is open now, with an early bird deadline of May 15. The Director’s Journey course includes workshops, lectures, film analysis and activities that recreate the filmmaking experience including interactive games, pitching and editing exercises and working with actors.
Each filmmaker will complete his own short film to use as a fundraiser, to send to festivals or to use as a base for a feature length documentary. For more information and pricing, visit docstorystudio.com.
About Juan Baquero:
Juan is a Toronto-based director, story consultant, producer, and the lead instructor for The Director’s Journey. He produced original programming for television and worked as a journalist in his native Colombia, interviewing the likes of Fidel Castro. Moving to Canada in 2006, his documentary Listen to This was nominated for a Gemini Award. Baquero is an associate international programmer for Hot Docs and sits on the board of directors of POV Magazine, Canada’s premier documentary and film journal. Juan holds an undergraduate degree in telecommunications from the University of Florida and a Master of Laws degree from Harvard Law School. He studied film production in Sydney, Australia.
