Camera Treatment For Cannabis Documentary

Treatment for documentary

We want to create a short, five to six minute documentary about people from Sheffield's personal experience with cannabis in a time where the debate on legalisation has reached its peak. This documentary will consist of various interviews with interviewees arranged by our producer. We will use small segments of the visual footage of these interviews as our imagery, however, the basis of our sound and audio will be the audio from these interviews. We will use a lot of B-roll footage, inter cutting to it throughout each interview to visualise what they are discussing. We will also cut to various quotes or facts regarding the topic of cannabis, focusing mainly on its medical properties and what it has done to help people medically.

All of the footage, interviews and B-roll, will be shot on DSLRs with 18-55mm lenses. This is because these are reliable cameras, and we have access to a multitude of them. We will set up two cameras per interview, one in front of the subject getting a mid shot of the interviewee. The second camera will be set up to get both a mid shot from the side, but also to film detail such as hands. If the interviewee wishes to remain anonymous we will use close up shots of the sides of their head, leaving out any recognisable features. We wish to respect the anonymity of our subjects, especially considering the taboo nature of the subject.

For the B-roll footage we want to break away from the stigma and taboo around cannabis and have people openly smoke it on camera. For this we will have to use people who would be both comfortable smoking cannabis, but also openly on camera. This will be arranged before we shoot. We also want footage of someone rolling a joint, and of the effects of people being high. For the latter a close up would be effective, get all the detailed features of their face. This also applies to people smoking it. However for the rolling of a joint, a shot from above the subject rolling it would be effective showing maximum detail.