Lights, Camera, Action… Public History takes Documentary Film

Storyboarding Rock Around the Clock

Maxine Trump’s The Documentary Filmmaker’s Roadmap offers a detailed, self-guided tour of documentary filmmaking, but the process still feels daunting. Even with the Documentary Film Academy’s step-by-step framework, countless questions emerge once a project begins and the cameras start rolling. Since I am still uncertain about the direction our Class of 2025 Public History group will take with the O-Pee-Chee documentary—the story of London, Ontario’s historic candy company—I am focusing here on applying Trump’s principles and the DFA’s process to my own passion project.

As you know, I have many passions: singing, the Titanic, and history in general. But my project, Rock Around the Clock: An Oral History of Windsor Teens in the 1950s, is perhaps the one dearest to me. My grandparents, born in 1939 and 1940 in Windsor, often share vivid memories of their childhoods and teenage years—stories filled with joy, even while shaped by both personal and historical challenges. Inspired by them, I want to locate individuals who were teenagers in Windsor during the 1950s and capture their lived experiences in what many Windsorites recall as the city’s “golden years.” Oral history methodology offers countless benefits to this type of work, though that is a topic I will save for another day.

The storyboard begins with finding Windsorites willing to share their stories. I imagine posting flyers about myself and the project in local retirement homes—after securing ethics clearance, of course. I believe this will not only connect me with people who hold remarkable memories, but also allow me to learn from them in meaningful ways. The process, I hope, will be mutually enriching: they will benefit from reminiscing, and I will gain a deeper understanding of my community.

Key Elements of Storyboarding (DFA Framework)

Interviews:Establishing trust and ensuring comfort are my priorities. I plan to conduct interviews in people’s homes, recording both audio and video with minimal intrusion. Because many participants may not feel as fulfilled in their current stage of life as they did in their teenage years, I intend to juxtapose their youthful stories with their present-day realities. Building genuine emotional connections will require time—spent both on and off camera—immersing myself in their everyday lives.

B-Roll & Historical Footage:I plan to capture archival photographs and footage from the Windsor Archives that showcase the city in the 1950s. These could include Queen Elizabeth’s 1959 visit, the inaugural Freedom Festival, and CKLW teen dances. I also hope to record interviewees showing me photos of themselves as teenagers, visually bridging past and present. Additional B-Roll will come from filming long-standing Windsor businesses that existed in the 1950s and remain today, such as Hiram Walker, the Dominion House, D & R Vacuum, and Lazaar’s on Ouellette Avenue.

Emotional Tone:The film’s emotion may stem from tearful recollections, from reflections on Windsor’s struggles with homelessness, industrial decline, and job loss. Yet I hope to close with a hopeful message: one that acknowledges renewal in the city through major projects, new plants, the construction of the Gordie Howe International Bridge, and a revitalized local business scene.

How to Storyboard a Documentary- DFA