Documentaries
& "Mini Docs"
Documentary Production Company
Serving DC, VA, and beyond
Documentaries have an important place in the world of cinema. From their earliest days, they have been used to preserve dying ways of life, take viewers to exotic lands, record history, spread important information, and argue the director’s point of view. Like a dramatic film, a good documentary tells a compelling story – and you need a documentary production company that specializes in high-quality storytelling to keep your audience engaged.
At Dynamis Pictures, we place storytelling above all else – especially when creating documentaries. We view this process like mining for diamonds – you have to remove a lot of rubble to uncover the pieces that are the most valuable, then carefully cut and polish those pieces until all their facets work together to make the story shine forth.
Featured Project: “The Beginning of The End for Parkinson’s Disease?”
This documentary was born out research revealed in 2015 that demonstrated a strong probability that two existing Malaria drugs could be the first treatment that could slow the progress of Parkinson’s Disease. Dynamis Pictures researched, wrote, directed, shot, and edited the film, and generated the motion graphics and 3D animation to bring it to life. Special thanks to McLean Hospital and Dr. Kwang-Soo Kim, Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard University and Director of McLean’s Molecular Neurobiology Lab for their help with this production!
Our Role:
- Research and development
- Script writing
- Video Production
- Editing (rough cut to picture lock)
- Motion graphics
- Audio sweetening and mixing
- Color grading
Our Services Include:
Research & Development
Documentaries are information-rich works that are often cover complex topics that are difficult for laymen to understand. Dynamis Pictures specializes in studying primary and secondary sources, assimilating and understanding the information, and structuring it in a concise and logical way that paves the way for the script writing process.
Script Writing
Although documentaries may seem free-form when compared to dramatic films, good documentaries are actually highly structured and require their own kind of script to ensure cohesion and a concise, logical flow between the different sections. Likewise, interviews require their own kind of “script,” with carefully worded questions that ensure you get the information you need delivered in a manner that’s useable and powerful on-screen. Dynamis is a documentary production company that specializes in both aspects of the script writing process and can help you create a solid foundation upon which to build your film.
Video Production
Video production for documentaries is a colorful and multi-faceted process, requiring creative cinematography, plentiful B-roll, beautiful interview lighting, the effective use of natural light, location management, on-site sound, and more. And yes – we travel! We’ve literally climbed mountains to get the perfect shot for our clients and our documentary production company is ready to go to any lengths to get the job done.
Rough Cut Editing
We go through dozens (sometimes hundreds) of hours worth of footage, pull the right sound bites from long interviews, identify the perfect supporting shots, and then arrange these disparate components into a logical and well-structured story. We then work with you to help identify “plot holes” where follow-up interviews may be necessary to effectively convey your message, and aid you in creating a punch list of B-roll shots for areas where additional or more specific footage would strengthen your video.
If needed, we may also recommend specific pieces of stock footage during this point in the process. If such footage is desired, we take care of sourcing and purchasing such footage – including archival and news footage – while communicating with you closely regarding your vision and budget.
Fine Cut Editing
During this stage, we take your film from its rough form to picture lock, finessing every cut and adding any additional footage shot or purchased after the rough cut stage. This is the time for picky details, and we work with you until the smallest feature is exactly to your liking.
Shot Correction
We know that documentary footage is often shot on the fly or in less than ideal conditions. That’s why we take special care to restore your footage as much as possible, including motion stabilization, correction for lens distortion, and exposure & white balance correction.
Color Grading
Color is a language that lends both power and polish to your film. Whether you want to maintain a natural look while ensuring color harmony between the shots in a scene or you want to stylize your footage, we can help with the assistance of the industry’s finest tools.
Motion Graphics and Visual Effects
More than any other long format, documentaries commonly require the use of motion graphics to illustrate key points, whether it be the name of an interviewee or an abstract concept. We create custom motion graphics for your film as part of a full editing package, or à la carte.
Trailers & Marketing Videos
Although documentaries can do extremely well in the theater or on DVD, because they don’t traditionally carry the same entertainment allure as dramatic films, it’s essential that you convince your audience that your doc is worth watching. Building anticipation is key, as is targeting the right audience early and often. We help you excite your future viewers about your documentary with exciting trailers and marketing videos for all mediums, including television, web, and e-mail marketing.
