Prerequisites

• Practical experience in photography or journalism in general.
• Completion of a basic photography course is preferred, and a written journalism course if possible.

Course Description

By capturing a series of photographs of a specific subject or news event and using them in a sequential, dramatic narrative, a photographic film can serve as a powerful visual documentary tool for delivering messages and telling stories.
This course aims to equip participants with the knowledge and skills needed in both photography and documentary filmmaking, with a focus on storytelling through photos and the editing of accompanying texts. Participants will learn how to capture and compose impactful photographs, transform them into inspiring documentary stories, and integrate them with text to enhance the power of visual messaging.

Course Objective

By the end of this course, participants will:
• Explain the fundamentals of photographic film and the integration of images and text in storytelling.
• Capture and compose photographs with a dramatic vision that conveys the story.
• Plan fieldwork for producing a photographic documentary film.
• Use appropriate writing styles, storytelling techniques, and edit texts that complement the photo.
• Edit images and texts, arranging them in a cohesive sequence to create a visually compelling narrative emphasizing the message.

Course Outline

• Introduction to photographic film and documentary photography:
- Concept of photographic film and how it differs from traditional documentaries.
- Understand visual composition and how to convey meaning through photographs.
- The relationship between text and image in telling a cohesive story.

• Visual composition, story selection, and production planning:
- Choose cameras, equipment, and lenses.
- Select a story and define the visual and editorial approach.
- Develop an idea into a visual narrative.
- The importance of research and gathering key information for the story.
- Deal with the story characters in front of the camera and respect their rights and privacy.

• The relationship between image and text, and field documentation:
- Write short texts that enhance the power of images and their message.
- Plan fieldwork, including location scouting.
- Strategies for overcoming challenges and obstacles in field documentation.

• Image selection, visual storytelling, and publishing:
- Skills for selecting and sequencing images to create a cohesive visual narrative.
- Write the main story and edit accompanying short texts.
- Plan the publishing and promotion and understand the appropriate design for each platform.
- Understand broadcasting, publishing rules, and intellectual property rights.

Course Benefits

• A graduation Certificate by Aljazeera Media Institute.