My last week in the UK is on the horizon — and I’ve been busy. Throughout the trip, my classmates and I have been working on four different documentaries, seeing them through the research, production, writing, and editing processes. As I work on our finishing touches, I wanted to reflect on the filmmaking process throughout my dialogue.
Pre-Departure and Planning
I first met my filmmaking group in March. We found that all six of us had a common interest in music, so we decided to focus our documentary on British music history. Through the research process, the documentary’s topic fluctuated a lot — we weren’t sure if we wanted to focus on one influential artist, multiple artists throughout the decades, or current musical artists. We eventually decided to study The Beatles and their influence on the music industry — we found interesting sources, three passionate interview subjects, and hours of archival videos. Did I mention that all of this was before we boarded the plane?
Beginning Video Production
When we arrived in England, the technical part of the process began. I took on the role of director thanks to my video production experience and began to piece together what our filming days may look like. Right after we began classes, the whole group learned to use professional equipment, from cameras, to tripods, to lighting. We had our first interview during our first week, and while it was definitely a learning experience, we were able to pull it off in a professional manner. Through the interview process, we hit some bumps in the road, from a light dying mid-shot, to getting kicked out of several locations, to shooting in a room where only four of us could fit. But I wouldn’t change any of it — it brought us closer together and showed us how to think on our feet.
Filming Around London
We also shot B-roll in fun locations around London: a Beatles store, the Royal Albert Hall, record stores, and even outside of Paul McCartney’s office. And of course, we had to stop by the famous Abbey Road. To beat the tourists, we left our housing at 6 a.m. for a 6:45 arrival. The road was completely empty, and the sunrise gave beautiful lighting for our shoot. We wrapped up around 8 — and just like clockwork, swaths of Beatles fans began to arrive.
After we shot and logged all of our footage, we began the writing process. My group and I pieced sound bites from our interviews together like a puzzle, creating a 13-minute story out of three hours of interviews. The process was difficult, but satisfying in the end. When we showed our initial cut to our professor, she immediately understood the story we were trying to convey without explanation — it even brought a tear to her eye!
Finishing Touches
This week, we’ve been knee-deep in editing. We have worked hard on placing graphics, b-roll, and music over our existing audio to add optical and emotional flair. A documentary takes a lot more than interviews — it takes interesting visuals, appropriate titles, and aptly chosen music. This process has helped me develop a more discerning eye for storytelling and concise content. Our documentary covers decades of history in a short period of time, and in my opinion, it packs a punch.
We are premiering our documentary, “The Beatles and Beyond,” the day before we leave. I can’t wait to share it with my classmates, my family, and the world!
