Introduction to Collaborative Documentary Filmmaking
FILM 104
Fall 2024
| Section:
01
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| Course Cluster and Certificates: Community-Engaged Learning, Service Learning |
In this immersive, time-intensive, hands-on introduction to the documentary film process, students will create compelling stories where real people are the protagonists and narratives are informed by real life. Through close study and analysis of feature-length and short documentaries, plus active research, writing, producing, directing, shooting, sound recording, editing, and re-editing, students work in three-person crews to rigorously explore the power and possibilities of nonfiction storytelling and record, engage with, and understand our present moment. Each fall, the course has a theme around which film screenings and student projects are organized; for 2024, our focus will be food, farming, and sustainability. Students should expect to spend up to 10 hours of work per week outside the class time shooting, editing, and working collaboratively with their classmates, including multiple weekends. Film production experience is not required. Lessons include how to craft a compelling nonfiction narrative based on interviews and research, how to build partnerships with the protagonists of the stories you want to tell, how to shoot on-camera interviews and observational footage, how to record and edit sound, and how to edit using Adobe Premiere. Students will present works in progress in all phases of the creative process and actively participate in constructive critical discussions of one another's work. For more information about the course please visit: https://collaborativedocumentary.wescreates.wesleyan.edu/
PLEASE NOTE: This course has no prerequisites, is open to non-majors/minors and is not a FILM major/minor elective. |
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| Credit: 1 |
Gen Ed Area Dept:
HA FILM |
| Course Format: Seminar | Grading Mode: Graded |
| Level: UGRD |
Prerequisites: None |
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Fulfills a Requirement for: (HRAD-MN) |
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Past Enrollment Probability: Not Available |
| SECTION 01 |
Major Readings: Wesleyan RJ Julia Bookstore
Course handouts and readings provided by instructor via course Moodle
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Examinations and Assignments:
Weekly shooting and editing assignments; in-class reviews and critiques of edited exercises and final video project. |
Additional Requirements and/or Comments:
This course is designed for first year students only and you must be interviewed in order to be considered for admission. Unfortunately space requirements make it difficult to accommodate everyone who would like to enroll. Interviews will be held Friday August 30, 2024 9AM-12PM and 3:30-6:30PM via Zoom. Appointments are first come, first served. This 15-minute Zoom meeting is a chance for us to meet and for me to hear a little bit about why you'd like to study documentary filmmaking this semester. To make an appointment please reserve a 15-minute appointment at https://calendly.com/sqshepard/film104interviews
Please note that this link will go live in late August 2024.
Important: This course is offered Permission of Instructor and you must submit a POI Request through WesPortal during the Drop/Add period in order to enroll. To apply for this class, please schedule an interview via the Calendly link above. Interviewed students will be notified of admissions results by Sunday Sep 1. To enroll in the course admitted students MUST attend the first class meeting on Mon Sep 2 AND submit a POI request during Drop/Add. |
| Instructor(s): Shepard,Sadia Times: ...W... 01:20PM-04:10PM; .M..... 01:20PM-04:10PM; Location: CFS190; CFS128; |
Permission of Instructor Required
Enrollment capacity: 9 | Permission of instructor will be granted during the drop/add period. Students must submit either a ranked or unranked drop/add request for this course. |
| Drop/Add Enrollment Requests | | | | | |
| Total Submitted Requests: 3 | 1st Ranked: 0 | 2nd Ranked: 1 | 3rd Ranked: 0 | 4th Ranked: 1 | Unranked: 1 |
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