HOW TO SHOOT PREMIUM DOCUMENTARIES
Fall 2023 Documentary Cinematography Intensive
with Vanessa Carr
Learn the exact techniques and tools premium documentary cinematographers use to shoot beautiful and high-end documentaries with confidence. Get individualized support, take control of your career, and make more money doing what you love!
Four Week Intensive (Online):
- Tuesdays & Thursdays 8-9:30 p.m. EST
- Weekly exclusive small group option
- Elite 1:1 mentorship add-on available
October 10 to November 2, 2023
ENROLL NOW - CLOSES SOON
"This course is one of the best investments I’ve made in my creative development."
-- Lucie M, Spring 2023 student
Meet your teacher
Hi, I'm Vanessa Carr
I am a documentary cinematographer specializing in cinematic vérité shooting and sensitive, character-driven stories.
Over the last 12 years, I have shot six documentary features, three documentary series, and contributed to countless others. My work has been on every major network including Netflix, HBO, Hulu, Showtime, PBS, Disney+, CNN, Discovery+, FX and more. It has also screened in major festivals including IDFA, Sundance, SXSW, Tribeca, and TIFF.
In this course, I've distilled everything I've learned from thousands of hours shooting in every type of situation imaginable: in schools, jails, operating rooms, ballet companies, on boats, inside drug cartels, off-the-grid, in big warehouses and small, poorly-lit rooms, by myself and on large crews.
I've packed everything I've learned over 12 years into this course—everything I wish I could have learned at the beginning that would have saved me so much time getting to where I am today.
Don’t waste any more time and energy trying to figure things out on your own! This course is the massive shortcut you need to help you level up quickly and start booking your dream projects.
I'm here with you every step of the way!
"The course completely transformed my relationship to lighting -- both in natural settings but also with interview set-ups -- and my work now is much more cinematic than before."
-- Rachel M, Spring 2023 student
Ready to level up? Join us!
Fall Documentary Cinematography
Intensive
Tuesdays & Thursdays October 10 through November 2, 2023
8:00-9:30 p.m. EST
Taught Live Online
PLUS EXCLUSIVE SMALL GROUP COACHING PROGRAM
ENROLL NOW
Learn specific techniques to create beautiful images in fast-paced, real-world documentary settings.
I completely pull back the curtain and share my step-by-step approach including:
- How to confidently set-up Netflix-level interview lighting
- Mastering natural light, scene coverage, and camera stability to shoot beautiful vérité scenes that will keep directors coming back
- How to create an aesthetic vision for a film and develop your unique visual style
- Strategies for getting hired by high-end directors
- Plus personalized feedback on your own cinematography, and much more!
These are the hard-won secrets of how I built a career shooting feature documentaries and series for premium outlets like HBO, Hulu, and Netflix.
Live Classes
Eight 90-minute sessions that are hyper-focused, action-oriented, and fluff-free with tons of visual examples and exclusive BTS.
Small Group Coaching
Structured group coaching every week to dive deeper, get all your questions answered, and build community.
Work Review
Gain confidence by sharing unpolished work and receive individual feedback on your current cinematography (in group coaching program.)
CONCRETE STRATEGIES. HONEST REAL TALK. GOOD VIBES!!!
By the end of the course, you'll see a clear path to getting paid work shooting premium feature-length documentaries and series. You'll feel inspired, empowered, and more connected to community.
ENROLL NOW
Paul K:
"I’ve been mostly self-taught and learned the hard way. If I had this kind of insight at the start of my career it would’ve helped so much. This outstanding class has been a revelation. It’s completely been the highlight of my year!"
Lucie M:
"Taking Vanessa’s class is one of the best investments I’ve made in my creative development. She understands the balance between being a professional and being a human, and is able to share her wisdom about filmmaking in ways that are liberating rather than constricting. Taking her course has helped me to feel more confident in my decisions in the field, and to recognize the essentials in tricky verité situations."
"Taking this course at this junction in my career was one of the smartest things I could have done!"
--Rachel M, Spring 2023 student
Class Details
Week 1: October 10 & 12, 8:00-9:30 pm EST
Shoot Beautiful Documentary Scenes with Confidence
- How to get cinematic scene coverage editors will love
- The mental shotlist I'm using for every vérité scene
- How to stay ahead of the action so you're not always chasing
- How to build trust, help your subjects relax, and capture intimacy (Hint: it's not about the camera size!)
- My top stability tools and tricks for shooting handheld
- See my current set-up and learn how weight can be your friend
- Plus tons of concrete tips and tricks to help you feel less sore and more confident shooting verite
Week 2: October 17 & 19, 8:00-9:30pm EST
Cinematic Techniques for Premium Documentaries
- How to use natural light for highly cinematic shots in every situation
- Tools and tricks for shaping available light and using practicals
- How to use gimbals, tracking shots, and drones effectively
- Choosing focal length and lenses
- Depth of field, eyelines, and camera height as storytelling choices
- How to pre-visualize, get ideas, create look books and mood boards
Week 3: October 24 & 26, 8:00-9:30 pm EST
Elevate Your Interview Lighting
- Lighting interviews from pre-production to day-of decisions
- Maximalist and minimalist approaches to building a lighting package, working with modifiers, and shaping light
- Dealing with the dreaded white room
- Considering unconventional angles and locations
- How to shoot (and light) an interview as a 360-scene
- Inspiring frames from other documentaries, as well as BTS and lighting diagrams from my work
Week 4: October 31 & November 2, 8:00-9:30 pm EST
How to Get Hired for Premium Documentary Work
- My secrets for attracting the work I love
- How to create your own luck
- The power of committing to a niche
- What makes a winning website and reel
- Honest talk about rates, money, and financial planning
- Authentic networking and social media
- How to maintain your passion and creativity
"It’s completely been the highlight of my year!"
- Paul K, Spring 2023 student
Course Tier Options
Four Week Intensive - Lessons Only
$597
Two live classes per week, Tuesdays & Thursdays 8:00 - 9:30 PM EST. That's eight classes total over four weeks starting October 10, 2023 and ending November 2, 2023.
- Each 90-minutes live class is packed with detailed, structured instruction with TONS of visual examples.
- Last 15 minutes dedicated to Q&A.
- A step-by-step framework for creating highly cinematic frames in real-world doc situations
- Deep dive into interview lighting and shaping available light for verite scenes
- Concrete business strategies for getting higher rates and better jobs
- Lifetime access to the recordings.
WEEKLY LESSONS + EXCLUSIVE SMALL GROUP COACHING
Four Week Intensive
+ Group Coaching
$997
This is for people who really want to maximize their learning experience by adding a small group experience to the lessons. In addition to the four week intensive course (details above), you'll also have a structured weekly group coaching Zoom where you can get all your questions answered, participate in group critiques workshopping raw scenes, and build lasting relationships with other kindred spirit professionals!
Weekly Exclusive Small Group Coaching
- Includes the four week course (above)
- PLUS one weekly group coaching power hour to build on the lessons (four total)
- Limited to 10 students per cohort
- Access to private Facebook group for students to continue the conversation and get ongoing support from me and others (includes alumni)
- Access to bonus course content (additional recorded lessons)
Choose one of three cohorts
Mondays 5:00 - 6:00 PM EST (Oct 16 start)
Wednesdays 12:00 -11:00 PM EST (Oct 11 start)
Fridays - 10:00 to 11:00 AM EST (Oct 13 start)
Rachel M:
"Vanessa is clearly a skilled cinematographer, but she is also an exceptional teacher. Her instruction is detailed in all the right ways and gets straight to the meat of smart and cinematic documentary practices. The course completely transformed my relationship to lighting -- both in natural settings but also with interview set-ups -- and my work now is much more cinematic than before. I have gained a new confidence entering into shoots, whether it be a national soccer stadium or a tiny canoe. Taking this course at this junction in my career was one of the smartest things I could have done!"
Amanda B:
"Vanessa's very thorough and thoughtful notes on how to improve my shooting were clear and practical and I was able to implement them immediately. She took the time to understand the story and some of the challenges and limitations, and really helped me think about how to better communicate the story visually. I often find myself in the field now with Vanessa's voice in my mind as I'm filming. It was even more helpful than what I hoped for, and I'm so grateful!"
"Vanessa's advice on how to get work and networking is an absolute must."
-- JP D, Spring 2023 student
Amanda R:
"Vanessa has a great teaching style that makes the content very accessible and engaging––the class time flies by. I learned a lot from the questions and perspectives of the other professionals in the group. I feel so much more confident in my shooting skills, and I could not recommend this class enough! I haven’t found anything that compares."
JP D:
"I really loved Vanessa‘s approach to teaching verite scene coverage. It was the most concise way I’ve learned it, even despite having gone through several documentary classes! Also, her advice on how to get work and networking is an absolute must if you haven’t freelanced before."
This course is for you if:
- You are an early- or mid-career documentary DP
- You are a director or producer who shoots your own work
- You are passionate about shooting cinematic vérité documentaries
- You have shot at least one short documentary or visual journalism piece
- You have a DSLR-camera or better and have basic working knowledge of camera settings (ISO, aperture, shutter)
- You're hungry for community and accountability
Frequently Asked Questions
What if I can't make all the classes?
What are the prerequisites?
When are the weekly group coaching cohorts?
Is there homework?
How are the group coaching sessions structured?
I'm worried I'm not good enough to join.
I'm a mid-career DP. Is this right for me?
Will there be future courses?
I'm a director who shoots. Is this right for me?
I've still got questions. How do I reach you?
Still have questions?
Would love to connect! You can reach me at [email protected].
Money-back guarantee
Try this program for 7 days, risk-free
Join the first two classes and decide if it's for you.
Real talk, my friend
It's time to level up!
Get the skills and self-confidence you need so that you can have more money, more time, and more creative freedom.
Here's what's waiting for you on the other side:
- New confidence as a documentary cinematographer
- A rig set-up that helps you capture high-level footage
- Actionable feedback that takes you from where you are to where you want to be
- A clear path to getting paid work shooting premium feature-length documentaries and series
- A place to ask all your questions without fear of being judged
- Community of supportive peers who are hungry to grow their own careers
