Arts & Entertainment, Writing
Introduction
Lesson time 04:45 min
Meet your new instructor: award-winning filmmaker Ken Burns. Ken shares why he’s teaching his MasterClass, what you’ll learn, and encourages you to break free from the rules of conventional filmmaking.
Students give MasterClass an average rating of 4.7 out of 5 stars
Topics include: Introduction
Preview
We tell stories to keep the wolf from the door, the wolf being the sheer panic of our inevitable mortality. But stories bestow immortality. And then, what happens? What happens? - I'm scared of the dark still. I've still got a night light. MAN: There is something in this world that is larger than you are. Race is like the thing in the story and the mythology that you have to do for the kingdom to be well. Can you confront it with honesty? Do you have the energy to sustain an attack on it? WOMAN: The greatest threat is the inner tension of people of this country. You have to attend to liberty. KEN BURNS: Filmmakers take the seemingly random chaos of life and superimpose a narrative frame on it. And those truths have to resonate with other people. Maybe you, too, could add something that would last and be beautiful. [MUSIC PLAYING] - I knew I was going to be a filmmaker from age 12. From age 12, I've been buying books about film and about cinema and about the movies, all three of those things. And they're different. And the day I started producing and working on a film, in January of 1972, I have never bought another film book. There is nothing-- no guide, no anythinG-- that has, in any way, told me what happens in this moment right now-- how to conduct an interview, how to be a good cinematographer, how to be a good writer. All of those things happen in the field. So to me, I think it's about jumping into the deep end. I think a lot of us are cautious enough-- let's get the whole budget, let's do this, let's have it all preplanned- and all of a sudden, you miss the key ingredient, that there is no guide to writing a screenplay that any great screenwriter has ever read-- I mean, that something has to happen on page seven. If it doesn't happen by page seven, you're in trouble. I can't even open those books. And I used to do books about the history of film, and I used to know everything about every director ever. And I still know a lot. My brain is-- but actually doing it is the greatest joy I've ever had. And I've been doing it now since-- I mean, I shot stuff in high school, but if you say from that moment in January of '72, I've been doing it for 46 years in some way, shape, or form. What I'm hoping is that you can get a glimpse into my experiences, and I might be just a little bit farther down the road so that as you find your own road, they'll be helpful. We are going to be delving deep into super important aspects about how one writes, about first-person voices, about archives, about footage, about music, about sound effects, about sound design, about all the things that will go into it. And then, I hope that without telling you how it should be, that you will understand that all of these things have to be working in interrelationship with each other in order to have a successful film. The best thing I can say as we go into this journey together is forget everything. We have to liberate ourselves from...
About the Instructor
Since its 2017 debut, Ken Burns’s The Vietnam War has enthralled over 39 million viewers by painting an intimate and revealing portrait of history. In this online film class, learn how Ken captivates audiences with his ability to distill vast research and complex truths into compelling narratives. From first treatment to final edit, Ken teaches his documentary filmmaking techniques that “wake the dead” to bring their stories to life.
Featured MasterClass Instructor
Ken Burns
The 5-time Emmy Award winner teaches how he navigates research and uses audio and visual storytelling methods to bring history to life.
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