A WORKSHOP ON DRAMATURGY IN DOCUMENTARY FILMS, WITH GESA MARTEN

In contrast to feature film editing, which works with material that is filmed according to scheduled sequencing, the creation of documentary films really only starts in the editing room due to the often unpredictable footage that is created. So, the editing stage is when considerations about dramatic composition are paramount: What actually is the plot of the film and how is it guided via the editing? What is the wellknown conflict and how do we create tension? And how are we to relate what was originally intended using the footage we have? Or: How do we modify the original idea in order to ensure that we create an exciting film out of it? In the workshop, we see the documentary film FEMMEfille by American female director Kiki Allgeier. In a workshop on this subject, we go right »in medias res«: How do you edit a feature-length film out of a potpourri of material found in television and private archives or filmed over a period of five years, not to mention the fact that the protagonist also died in the meantime? Editor Gesa Marten will talk about the editing process, the narrative waywardness of the material, dramaturgical strategies, and she will give an insight into the methods of her dramaturgical work.

In cooperation with University of Applied Sciences and Arts Dortmund