How will participants learn in this course?

Together, we will watch compelling examples of great documentaries (and they can be good in different ways for different reasons) and analyze what makes for a powerful story, told in words and images. Students will look at the most pressing issues surrounding climate change in their area, and decide upon the story they want their film to tell, or the argument they wish it to make. Then, students will research, plan and set up possible interviews and design the visual “look” of their documentary. On their phones, they will film the documentary, and then edit them to add sound and words. You will receive feedback from your peers and your instructor, and there will be a showing of the films at the end of the program.

What will they learn?

Increasingly in the professional world, we are called to convey information to educate and persuade others. More and more organizations are asking for visual presentations, rather than written reports. You will learn to tell a true story and/or make a compelling argument in words and images, research, interview useful subjects effectively, design a visually compelling film, add sound and edit – all on a cell phone and your laptop. Once you have learned these skills, they can be applied in many different contexts, and disseminated on the internet.

What will the projects look like? 

The projects will be short documentary films, made with your phones and laptops. They will be informative, exciting, persuasive, compelling and visually interesting.