Lights, Camera, Action… Public History takes Documentary Film

Maxine Trump’s The Documentary Filmmaker’s Roadmap is a detailed, self-guided tour into documentary making, but the process is still daunting. Even with the Documentary Film Academy’s step-by-step process, there are so many questions that come into play once the project begins and the cameras start rolling. Since I am unsure which direction the Class of 2025 Public History group is taking our O-Pee-Chee documentary, the story of London, Ontario’s historic candy company, I will focus on applying Trump’s principles and the DFA’s process to my latest passion project.

As you know, I have many passions. Singing, Titanic, and a general love of history, but my project, Rock Around the Clock: An Oral History of Windsor Teens in the 1950s, is perhaps my most beloved. My grandparents were born in 1939 and 1940 in Windsor, and they talk about their childhoods and teen years so fondly despite experiencing some traumatic personal and historical moments. My idea was to find those individuals who would have been teenagers in Windsor during the 1950s and explore their lived experiences while capturing what many Windsorites declare as Windsor’s “golden years.” The methodology of oral histories has so many benefits to this project, but I’ll save that for another day.

The storyboard for this project starts with finding Windsorites who want to talk about themselves. I thought about a place where I am likely to find people who were teenagers in the 50s and who also might benefit from reminiscing. I got the idea that I would make flyers introducing myself and the project and posting them at local retirement homes—after ethics clearance, of course. Not only do I believe that I will find people with amazing stories, but I also feel like I will genuinely learn something and benefit from whatever may come by connecting with people from my community.

Key Elements of Storyboarding as stated by the DFA

Interviews: It is important to me to establish trust and ensure comfort, so I aim to record audio and video from the interviewee’s homes with little or no interference. I imagine that many people will not be as happy in this stage in their lives as they were during their teen years, therefore, I aim to juxtapose their past stories with their current living situation. Creating an emotional connection will come later on, after spending time with those I meet and immersing myself in their everyday life. I aim to spend a significant amount of time with them both on and off of the camera.

B-Roll & Historical Footage: Capturing photos and potentially video from Windsor Archives of Windsor during the 1950s. We may have shots from Queen Elizabeth’s 1959 visit, the first Freedom Festival, and even CKLW teen dances. I also hope to capture interviewees showing me pictures of themselves when they were younger, again positioning their youth with them in retirement. Other B-Roll will come from shooting footage of old businesses that were around in the 1950s and still exist today, including Hiram Walker, the Dominion House, D & R Vacuum, and Lazaar’s on Ouellette Ave.

Emotional Tone: This may come from tearful accounts of interviewees, the change in Windsor (massive homelessness problem, the shutdown of many key industrial plants, the loss of jobs and stats that show a dramatic decline in Windsor). However, I hope to bolster the emotions of interviewees and viewers by heading into the conclusion message with hope for our city. Highlighting important projects, great moments, and the bright future that is upon us with the opening of a new bridge, the construction of new plants and a boom in population and local businesses.

Stay tuned as I develop and define the full storyboard of Rock Around the Clock and share updates about our progress on the O-Pee-Chee documentary. I will share tips from readings (sadly behind university paywalls), and discuss challenges that I will inevitably face. I have never tried to create a documentary before, but now I have two on the horizon. With so much to learn, and so little time, I look forward to plunging myself headfirst into another unknown territory.

We shall prevail!

How to Storyboard a Documentary- DFA