Continuing Studies Overview

Frequently Asked Questions

Certificate in Documentary Studies

Courses Offered for the Upcoming Term

Current and Past Term Courses

Workshops and Institutes




Past Term Courses






Required Courses


Seminar in Documentary Studies
Dawn Dreyer
Class ID: 8722

This required class is designed for students in the Certificate in Documentary Studies program or for those who plan to enroll this term.

Photography, video, oral history, writing, ethnography and community partnerships — Documentary Studies is interdisciplinary and multifaceted in nature, encompassing many genres and numerous means of interacting with the world and its peoples. Through short readings, close examination of several documentary projects, and guest speakers who will present their own projects and perspectives on the documentary experience, you will gain a broad introduction to the diverse fields that comprise documentary studies. We emphasize not only methodologies, but also philosophies and ethics of fieldwork in different settings. Throughout the term, students will explore fieldwork examples and, at the final meeting, will present preliminary projects of their own. These projects may be the beginning of long-term documentary initiatives, or simply a means of helping decide directions for future projects. (Limit 18)

Dawn Dreyer is the Learning Outreach Director at the Center for Documentary Studies. She directs the Center’s annual Documentary Film and Video Happening, and facilitates the Fresh Docs: Works in Progress screenings, a monthly venue for documentary artists to share their work and receive support and constructive feedback. In addition to her work at CDS, Dreyer is the board president of the Southern Documentary Fund. She is a published writer and writing teacher and has recently been exploring documentary sound and photography.

8 Tuesdays, 7:30 - 9:30 PM (16 hours)
September 14 - November 2
Center for Documentary Studies
Materials fee: $10 (exact amount due at first class)
Course fee: $195



Final Project Seminar in Documentary Studies
Charles Thompson
Class ID: 8734

Required for the Certificate in Documentary Studies

Certificate students who have completed at least five full courses (including the required Seminar in Documentary Studies) and who have done substantial work toward their final projects are encouraged to gain admission to this Final Project Seminar by sending your list of courses taken and work completed toward your projects via email to: dkdreyer@duke.edu (in the subject line of your email please write "Project Seminar"). Once approved for this seminar, you may register for it as you would any class. The seminar will consist of group discussions about each student’s project and progress toward completion, along with guided planning on taking projects to their intended audiences. Your successful completion of your project and of this course will result in the awarding of the Certificate in Documentary Studies. (Limit 8)

Charlie Thompson, Ph.D., is Education and Curriculum Director at the Center for Documentary Studies. His latest oral history project involves religion and agriculture in the Virginia Blue Ridge.

8 Wednesdays, 7 - 9 PM (16 hours)
October 20 - December 8
Center for Documentary Studies
Course fee: $195

Writing


A World of Words: Writing from a Documentary Perspective
Chris Massenburg
Class ID: 8747

Writing is more than you think — more than text on a page — and is as creative and expressive as your imagination. When you think of documentary work, do you think of creative writing? Do you write, work with photos, video, audio, or are you new to documentary work? In this course, we will discuss the different ways writing can be used as a documentary tool. From oral histories and narratives to poetry, this course examines the possibilities of including creative writing and other forms of written expression to convey your ideas. We’ll discuss the development of stories from images and explore a non-linear approach to storytelling. We will examine how to convey your work to others, from visual presentation to performance. Regardless of your background, you will find new uses for writing in your documentary work. You will also complete work that may be presented individually or included in an ongoing documentary project. (Limit 18)

Chris Massenburg, better known as Dasan Ahanu, is a public speaker, organizer, workshop facilitator, poet, spoken word performer, and writer. He has been a featured performer for many poetry, jazz, and cultural events; worked as an organizer on such issues as war, social injustice, workers rights, and sexism; taught with the Center for Documentary Studies after-school and summer programs; and developed and implemented a special documentary arts curriculum for at-risk/court-involved youth.

8 Mondays, 7 - 9 PM (16 hours)
September 20 - November 8
Center for Documentary Studies
Materials fee: $10 (exact amount due at first class)
Course fee: $195




Family & Community


Keeping Family
Rachel Hall
Class ID: 8745

Everyday representations of family belong more to fantasy than history. With them, we shed family of its messiness, letting the toughest moments slip into the past without documentation. Family is best kept when we remember certain things about it and forget the times when it disappointed, hurt, or excluded us. In this course, we will identify some of the strategies by which our representations of family wash it of history, and we will explore strategies for representing family without forgetting its contradictory images, “messy” history, and dissonant stories. You will have the opportunity to spend eight weeks reflecting on issues surrounding family, as well as creatively reworking its documentation. We will work with found materials from commercial culture, investigate an existing family story through interviews, generate a collective narrative from these interviews, and work on existing photographs, albums, and/or scrapbooks. (Limit 15)

Rachel Hall, Ph.D. in Communication Studies, UNC-Chapel Hill, studies cultural narratives and artifacts of everyday life, especially as they relate to memory and identity. Her work explores the relationships between family and outlawry, home life and life on the lam, family portraits and mug shots, family romance and true crime. Currently, Hall is writing a history of the wanted poster.

NOTE: There will be no class on September 15.

8 Wednesdays, 7 - 9 PM (16 hours)
September 8 - November 3
Center for Documentary Studies
Materials fee: $10 (exact amount due at first class)
Course fee: $195

The Art of the Interview
Georgann Eubanks and Donna Campbell
Class ID: 8736

Explore a range of interviewing techniques and polish your listening and observation skills. We'll consider the variables involved when you are interviewing a subject for print, radio, or video, and we'll practice with each medium. How much homework on your subject should you do in advance? How far can you veer from prepared questions? How can you put your subjects at ease and inspire trust? How can you get the most out of an interview when the time allowed is very short? We'll also discuss release forms, the ethics of editing, and the role of the interviewer in framing the final story or documentation. Participants will conduct interviews outside of class (which may be part of a larger project they are working on) and will be invited to share the results with the class for feedback and suggestions. We'll also conduct in-class interviews with guest subjects and with each other, using digital video, basic audio equipment, and plain old notetaking as a means to learn more about how the process is subtly different according to the recording medium. The goal of the class is to help each participant become a more experienced and confident interviewer. (Limit 16)

Donna Campbell and Georgann Eubanks are the Managing Partners of Minnow Media, LLC — a full-service multimedia production company based in Carrboro. Eubanks has written profiles and promotional materials for the last twety-five years and hosted a local radio program for three years. Early in her career, Campbell founded Lake Norman Magazine near Charlotte, became Knight Ridder's first female publisher, and then moved into documentary production for public television, for which she has won numerous awards. Between them, they have interviewed a range of "famous" subjects, including Michael Jordan, William Styron, Mother Theresa, Maya Angelou, Ruth and Billy Graham, and Walter Cronkite, but their favorite subjects are usually the result of serendipity — the folks they often meet in their travels throughout rural North Carolina. For more information, see: www.minnowmedia.net.

NOTE: There will be no class on October 6.

6 Wednesdays, 6:30 - 9 PM (15 hours)
September 22 - November 3
Center for Documentary Studies
Materials fee: $10 (exact amount due at first class)
Course fee: $195



Community-Friendly Documentary Work
Marjorie Hudson
Class ID: 8742

Some documentary projects investigate wrongdoing and scandal, then lay bare the subject like flayed meat. But some of our favorite documentary projects are ones that reflect a community back to itself in a new way, a way that builds respect for each other. How in the age of "we-love-to-hate" news media does a stranger walk into a community and build trust — camera or recorder in hand? Learn about one of the toughest and subtlest parts of community documentary work: building trust. We'll strategize ways to build trust and access, practice what we preach in a two-hour practicum with team coaching, and come back the next week to share experiences about breakdowns, blowups, and breakthroughs. This opportunity is for students who have completed projects, for those who have had problems with community projects (that means everybody), and especially for those who are starting something new. This is good groundwork for planning a new project and a good support system for working on existing projects. (Limit 12)

Marjorie Hudson has worked with scores of community groups to build community through the arts, through cross-cultural writing workshops, and through oral history and community celebrations. Her work with the George Moses Horton project in Chatham County won her the North Carolina Artist Educator of the Year award in 2000. She is also an award-winning fiction writer.

3 Saturdays, 11:30 AM - 2 PM (7.5 hours)
October 2 - October 16
Center for Documentary Studies
Materials fee: $10 (exact amount due at first class)
Course fee: $95



The Inner Journey of Documentary Work
Joy Salyers and Michelle Segbefia
Class ID: 8743

Examine the inner journey of the documentarian through the intricacies, challenges, and rewards of community documentary projects. Whether working with film, audio, Web presentations, or photography, all documentarians encounter the same phenomena in their work. In the midst of desiring objectivity or anonymity, we find ourselves affected by and affecting our projects. We will examine video, text, audio, and photographs that aid us in realizing a higher level of consciousness in our work. As community-centered documentarians, we believe the following: It is imperative to look within — actively and intentionally — to succeed in the highly intimate art of documenting others' lives. A thought-provoking grouping of readings, a number of interactive worksheets and activities to keep you on the path of your project, and a final self-designed personal road map (including ethical instructions) for your current and future projects will leave you with a better understanding of your personal code of ethics, biases, and beliefs and a greater awareness of your own "hidden journey." (Limit 18)

Joy M. Salyers and Michelle M. Segbefia are folklorists and oral historians. As co-directors of the local organization In Our Hands, they work with clients from eight to eighty, using oral history, creativity, and other experiential tools to connect individuals and communities. Both have experience working with families -- their own and others -- conducting interviews with family members, seeking out "lost" family stories, and recording intimate family and community events such as funerals and reunions.

NOTE: There will be no class on October 30.

6 Saturdays, 11 AM - 1:30 PM (15 hours)
October 2 - November 13
Center for Documentary Studies
Materials fee: $10 (exact amount due at first class)
Course fee: $195



Documenting Durham Neighborhoods: Learning about Community Collaboration
Barbara Lau
Class ID: 8735

How can collaborative documentary projects assist communities as they work to address issues that are important to them, such as housing, economic development, leadership, or cultural heritage? As a class, we will explore this question while working with residents of several Southwest Central Durham neighborhoods—Burch Avenue, Tuscaloosa Lakewood, Lakewood Park, Lyon Park, Morehead Hills, and West End—who have committed themselves to improving their quality of life by working together on important shared concerns. Working closely with residents, you’ll focus on learning about and beginning to practice collaborative community documentary work as you develop project themes and outline the scope of the photography and interviewing that will contribute to this project. You will also shape a community presentation from the initial stages of project work, with the eventual goal of developing, in collaboration with Southwest Central Durham representatives, a small exhibit/presentation about an aspect of their neighborhoods. This community work will be combined with classroom discussion and readings. You will have the opportunity to remain part of the project when the course officially ends. (Limit 10)

Prerequisite: Successful completion of one class in photography or oral history interviewing, or demonstrated proficiency in one of these methods.

Barbara Lau is the Community Programs Director at the Center for Documentary Studies at Duke University. Mayme Webb is the Neighborhood Partnerships Coordinator in the Office of Community Affairs at Duke University.

8 Wednesdays, 6:30 - 8:30 PM (16 hours)
September 22 - November 10
Center for Documentary Studies
Materials fee: $10 (exact amount due at first class)
Course fee: $195





Audio

Make that Audio Doc: Introduction to Sound Recording and Digital Mixing
Jennifer Deer
Class ID: 8731

You've got the recorder and the inspiration and now you're ready for some hands-on help. In this course you’ll produce your own short audio documentary using your own recorded sound. We'll learn the basics of recording, interviewing, and editing using digital editing software, covering the process from beginning to end — from microphone placement to choosing the right interview setting, from loading your audio and organizing your tracks to creating the perfect cross-fade and incorporating sound and music into your piece. You’ll need to come to class with your own recorder (mini-disc, DAT, cassette), microphone, headphones, and tapes/discs. For great advice on equipment, go to transom.org and look under “tools.” You will have access to a digital editing studio in which to practice and complete class assignments. (Limit 12)

Note: A basic knowledge of computer use is needed for this class.

Jennifer Deer is an independent radio producer. In 2001 she helped to create "ArtVoice," a weekly arts and culture program on Atlanta’s NPR affiliate, WABE, which she also hosted. She served as a producer on "The State of Things" for WUNC public radio, was Assistant Technical Director for the Full Frame Documentary Film Festival, and presented her sound art in a "Fresh Docs: Works in Progress" at the Center for Documentary Studies. She holds a degree in theater from UNC-Chapel Hill.

8 Tuesdays, 7 - 9 PM (16 hours)
September 7 - October 26
Center for Documentary Studies
Materials fee: $10 (exact amount due at first class)
Course fee: $230



Sound and Sense: Honing Your Storytelling Skills
Leda Hartman
Class ID: 8746

This course will focus on how to make great story ideas a reality, by presenting the content of your audio documentary in the most effective way. You will produce a final audio piece of three to four minutes in length, with narrative, actualities, and natural sound. We will concentrate especially on developing your story idea, structuring your story, writing for the ear, and choosing and using sound bites and ambience. We’ll explore different audio writing styles and introduce a variety of sound editing techniques that serve the concept of your story.

Because this course focuses primarily on content, you should already have some experience in recording interviews and editing sound on the computer. Students should have their own equipment, including a recorder (DAT, minidisk, or cassette), microphone, headphones, and tapes or discs.

Leda Hartman is an award-winning independent producer with twenty years of experience in public radio and print journalism. She has produced everything from breaking news to long-form audio documentaries. She is a long-time regular contributor to National Public Radio and Public Radio International programs and has worked on documentary projects sponsored by the National Endowment for the Humanities, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Southern Oral History Program at UNC-Chapel Hill.

NOTE: There will be no class on November 25. (Limit 15)

8 Thursdays, 7:30 - 9:30 PM (16 hours)
October 21 - December 16
Center for Documentary Studies
Materials fee: $10 (exact amount due at first class)
Course fee: $195






Photography


Pinhole!
Diana Bloomfield
Class ID: 8740

Enter the magical world of pinhole photography. Learn how to make your own pinhole cameras and create intriguing images with a light-tight box and photographic paper or film. You may also bring in your own cookie, coffee, or cigar tins, or other boxes, and create a camera. Camera kits and handbooks will be provided. We will also look at how contemporary photographers have used the basic pinhole camera as a serious documentary tool. We will be processing our film and paper, so students should have a basic working knowledge of a darkroom. (Limit 12)

Diana Hooper Bloomfield, an exhibiting photographer for twety-five years, has won numerous awards for her images and most recently was recognized with her third Regional Artist Project Grant (2003-04) from the United Arts of Raleigh. Her pinhole images have appeared in the Pinhole Journal, The Photo Review, and The Post-Factory Journal. Bloomfield also helped organize the 2003 "Pure Light: Southern Pinhole Photography" exhibit at the Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art in Winston-Salem and curated the 2004 "Old Is New Again: Alternative Processes" exhibit at the Green Hill Center for North Carolina Art in Greensboro. She teaches photography at the North Carolina State University Crafts Center.

1 Saturday, 10 AM - 5 PM (7 hours)
October 16
Center for Documentary Studies
Materials fee: $15 (exact amount due at first class)
Course fee: $95



The Wild Blue Yonder!
Diana Bloomfield
Class ID: 8739

Learn about the history of the cyanotype and create your own archival images in rich Prussian blue. This is a contact printing process, so your image is only as large as your negative. Negatives should be at least medium-format size. We will also explore photograms. And for those who just can’t learn to love that true blue, toning options will be included. Examples of how the cyanotype can be combined with other processes, such as gum, platinum, and Van Dyke, will be shown. We will also show work by contemporary documentary photographers who rely on the cyanotype and other alternative processes for their printing methods. (Limit 12)

Diana Hooper Bloomfield has been an exhibiting photographer for twenty-five years. She has won numerous awards for her images and, most recently, was recognized with her third Regional Artist Project Grant (2003-04) from the United Arts of Raleigh. Her pinhole images have appeared in the Pinhole Journal, The Photo Review, and The Post-Factory Journal. Bloomfield also helped organize the 2003 "Pure Light: Southern Pinhole Photography" exhibit at the Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art in Winston-Salem and curated the 2004 "Old Is New Again: Alternative Processes" exhibit at the Green Hill Center for North Carolina Art in Greensboro. She lives in Raleigh, where she also teaches photography at the North Carolina State University Crafts Center.

1 Saturday, 10 AM - 5 PM (7 hours)
October 30
Center for Documentary Studies
Materials fee: $20 (exact amount due at first class)
Course fee: $95



Exposure 101, Part 1: How I Learned to Love Using a Light Meter
MJ Sharp
Class ID: 8727

The problem with modern cameras is not in getting a proper exposure, but in getting nothing but proper exposures. Oftentimes, the truly dramatic or expressive shot is not the one your camera would automatically take. This introduction to metering will cover what your camera is thinking as it makes automatic exposures. More importantly, we will explore the benefits of overriding that control and using light meters — either the camera’s built-in one or separate handheld ones — to construct our own exposures to creative effect. All skill levels welcome. This course is followed by Part 2: Metering for Meaning, offered later this term. There will be a lunch break. (Limit 18)

MJ Sharp was the staff photographer at the Independent for nine years and now freelances both nationally and locally. National clients include The New York Times Magazine, The Ford Foundation, the Columbia Journalism Review, and PBS's Frontline. Local clients include The Ciompi Quartet at Duke University, Weaver Street Market in Carrboro, and the Duke Short Courses Program at Duke University. Samples of her work are on-line at www.mjsharp.com.

1 Saturday, 9 AM - 4 PM (6 hours)
September 18
Center for Documentary Studies
Course fee: $95



Exposure 101, Part 2: Metering for Meaning
MJ Sharp
Class ID: 8728

Successful and meaningful compositions are all about choices — of subject, camera, lens, and lighting. Often we are fairly cavalier with our lighting, letting our calculations begin and end with "is there enough of it?" But it's never that simple. Whether we mean for it to or not, light defines what's meaningful in a photograph and telegraphs to the viewer what they are supposed to pay attention to in the picture. How we choose to use light, whether available or added, conveys meaning. But as in so many things in life, before there is meaning, there are gritty details — in this case technical know-how about reading the light in a scene and making decisions on how to use it to meaningful advantage. Through weekly assignments you will become familiar with how your particular metering equipment functions and how best to utilize it for your artistic goals. You should have access to a meter, either in-camera or handheld. For students with little or no familiarity with metering, Exposure 101, Part 1 is strongly recommended before taking this course. (Limit 18)

MJ Sharp was the staff photographer at the Independent for nine years and now freelances both nationally and locally. National clients include The New York Times Magazine, The Ford Foundation, the Columbia Journalism Review, and PBS's Frontline. Local clients include The Ciompi Quartet at Duke University, Weaver Street Market in Carrboro, and the Duke Short Courses Program at Duke University. Samples of her work are on-line at www.mjsharp.com.

4 Tuesdays, 7 - 9 PM (8 hours)
November 2 - November 23
Center for Documentary Studies
Course fee: $115

Fundamentals of Documentary Photography
Luis-Rey Velasco
Class ID: 8737

Beginners to more experienced photographers will benefit from this exploration of darkroom techniques. We will address camera basics for those who need an introduction, but we will spend the majority of class time in the darkroom printing our photographs. Learn about film developing, darkroom etiquette, how to mix chemicals, different paper types (fiber and resin-coated), and how to select a series of prints. Our goal is to begin a documentary project and complete five to ten finished prints by the end of the course. The spirit of the class is to take risks, explore, and have fun. (Limit 15)

Luis Velasco has completed substantial documentary projects on farmworkers in the Central San Joaquin Valley in California and in Stovall, North Carolina, and is embarking on a new project documenting quinceañera celebrations in Mexican American and farmworker families. He is the former documentary coordinator for Student Action with Farmworkers (SAF). His mother was a farmworker and she inspired him to tell her story through his camera. He’s shown his work at the North Carolina Museum of Art and the Levine Museum of the New South, and curated SAF’s traveling exhibition, Recollections from Home. He is also the Darkroom Coordinator for the Center for Documentary Studies.

NOTE: There will be no class on November 25.

6 Thursdays, 6 - 9 PM (18 hours)
October 21 - December 2
Center for Documentary Studies
Materials fee: $40 (exact amount due at first class)
Course fee: $215



Self-Portraiture and Photography
Leah Sobsey
Class ID: 8732

Does the act of playing both photographer and subject alter the way we make images? What compels us to document our own image? Is it truth or fiction we seek? Self-portraits are a way for photographers to access themselves within a visual dialogue. This course will explore the history and contemporary usage of the self-portrait in photography and include weekly assignments and informal written assignments. The eight-week course will be devoted to class exercises, photographic assignments, slide presentations, and critiques. (Limit 12)

Leah Sobsey is an artist and educator. She received her MFA from the San Francisco Art Institute in 2001 and completed the Resident Certificate Program at the Maine Photographic Workshops in 1997. Her work has been exhibited widely and is in private collections across the country. She has taught at the San Francisco Art Institute, Duke University, and The Maine Photographic Workshops. She currently teaches at UNC-Greensboro.

8 Mondays, 7:30 - 9:30 PM (16 hours)
September 13 - November 1
Center for Documentary Studies
Course fee: $195



Visions and Themes: Exploring the Genres of Photography
Leah Sobsey
Class ID: 8733

Unlock new ways of seeing by exploring genres in documentary photography. Each week we will explore different photographers and their vastly diverse approaches in their use of the photographic medium. We will cover landscapes, portraiture, spaces, objects, and forms. Class time will be devoted to critiques of student projects, slide lectures, and discussions. (Limit 12)

Leah Sobsey is an artist and educator. She received her MFA from the San Francisco Art Institute in 2001 and completed the Resident Certificate Program at the Maine Photographic Workshops in 1997. Her work has been exhibited widely and is in private collections across the country. She has taught at the San Francisco Art Institute, Duke University, and The Maine Photographic Workshops. She currently teaches at UNC-Greensboro.

8 Mondays, 5:30 - 7:30 PM (16 hours)
September 13 - November 1
Center for Documentary Studies
Course fee: $195



Fun with Formats
MJ Sharp
Class ID: 8726

Modern automatic cameras can take a “perfect” picture every single time without any aid or intervention on the part of the photographer, but what fun is that? And where is the photographer’s vision in that sort of automation? For this class, borrow, rent, or buy an old format camera that uses a different kind of film than you’re used to and shoot with it. There’s nothing like a little technological regression to get one in touch with what photography is all about. Unusual formats make you slow down and really think about what you’re doing and why you're doing it. When it’s not a quick click, you think much harder about what goes into a photograph. Happily, after all that labor, alternative formats tend to surprise you with the beauty of their particular aesthetic, whether it’s the stately square composition produced by any number of vintage cameras or the beautiful dreamy quality possible with the lens tilts of a four by five. In the first class meeting, various formats will be presented and explored so you can decide what you’d like to acquire for the assignment. The second session will take place two weeks later to review students’ results and experiences. (Limit 12)

Note on renting cameras: Camera rental involves a security deposit plus the rental fee. This cost will vary depending on the camera rented, but could easily be $50 to $100 or more for a week’s rental. There are at least three camera stores to choose from for camera rental in the Triangle area.

MJ Sharp was the staff photographer at the Independent for nine years and now freelances both nationally and locally. National clients include The New York Times Magazine, The Ford Foundation, the Columbia Journalism Review, and PBS's Frontline. Local clients include The Ciompi Quartet at Duke University, Weaver Street Market in Carrboro, and the Duke Short Courses Program at Duke University. Samples of her work are on-line at www.mjsharp.com.

NOTE: There will be no class on September 14 (class meets twice only).

2 Tuesdays, 6 - 9 PM (6 hours)
September 7 & 21
Center for Documentary Studies
Course fee: $95



Photography Technique Intensive
MJ Sharp
Class ID: 8725

Primarily for students who have a specific documentary project in mind or who want to refine or deepen aspects of topics they’ve already explored, and those who want to fully understand and incorporate one technique into their photographic repertoire, this class is intended to deepen the student’s engagement with a specific project or a specific technique rather than to act as an introduction to a variety of techniques. We will look initially at film and format choices and then move on to explore a variety of shooting techniques as suggested by the specific documentary projects at hand. If indicated, we will have specific targeted weekly assignments for individual students. While students shooting digital formats are welcome, they should be well acquainted with their equipment since techniques and troubleshooting specific to digital photography will not be covered. (Limit 6)

MJ Sharp was the staff photographer at the Independent for nine years and now freelances both nationally and locally. National clients include The New York Times Magazine, The Ford Foundation, the Columbia Journalism Review, and PBS's Frontline. Local clients include The Ciompi Quartet at Duke University, Weaver Street Market in Carrboro, and the Duke Short Courses Program at Duke University. Samples of her work are on-line at www.mjsharp.com.

6 Mondays, 6 - 9 PM (18 hours)
November 1 - December 6
Center for Documentary Studies
Course fee: $295

Film & Video


Documentary Video: The Production Process
Vivian Bowman Edwards
Class ID: 8741

Designed as a broad overview of the video production process, this class will help you see your documentary video project as a whole before you actually pick up your camera — a process that will save you time, money, and frustration. Through in-class instruction, handouts, screenings, class discussions, weekly assignments, and presentations by guest experts, you will learn how to think creatively to develop and refine your documentary video idea; plan and organize your production; do historical and archival research; find funding sources; create a budget; understand copyrights, releases, and licensing; produce a preview tape/trailer; write a treatment; find your audience; and make a pitch. In addition to readings and other weekly assignments, students will be required to complete a final project: a written, visual, and oral presentation, in which the student will pitch their documentary video idea to the class. (Limit 18)

Vivian Bowman Edwards is an independent documentary filmmaker, producer, and director. Her first documentary, Searching, was made for Nancy Kalow’s Visual Storytelling class at CDS. Searching was screened at numerous film festivals, including the Full Frame Documentary Film Festival and the Lussas Film Festival near Paris, France; at the Carolina Filmmakers Showcase; and on cable television. More recently, Edwards was a field producer for MSNBC for a one-hour television documentary, The Battle for America’s Schools: How the Children Won and Lost, which aired in May 2004.

NOTE: There will be no class on September 25.

8 Saturdays, 11 AM - 1 PM (16 hours)
September 11 - November 6
Center for Documentary Studies
Materials fee: $20 (exact amount due at first class)
Course fee: $195

Visual Storytelling: Fieldwork and Editing in One Course
Nancy Kalow and Erika Simon
Class ID: 8738

Digital filmmaking for beginners, taught by experienced instructors whose top priority is to make the class fun. We’ll start with the whys and hows of documentary fieldwork and teach the basics of camera, sound, and editing. Your footage shot for biweekly video assignments will be your introduction to Final Cut Pro at the CDS Digital Editing Suite. Our user-friendly FCP curriculum demystifies a powerful editing tool to serve your documentary ideas. Besides hands-on learning of FCP, a portion of class time will be spent watching and discussing the edited shorts you produce during the course. We’ll also view relevant sequences by the Maysles Brothers, Wim Wenders, Jehane Noujaim, and Les Blank, among others. (Limit 12)

NOTE: Students must have the use of a camcorder and tripod; a lavalier microphone is also suggested. Comfort with basic computer skills is required. The course fee includes access to the Digital Editing Suite and the use of a hard drive during the course.

Nancy Kalow is a folklorist, filmmaker, and documentarian of folk and outsider communities and cultural expression. She is a 2003-2004 Rockefeller Fellow at UNC's University Center for International Studies: http://www.ucis.unc.edu/programs/rockefeller_fellows.htm. Erika Simon is a video editor and tutor in Final Cut Pro. She is a recipient of the Martha Nell Hardy Award for Outstanding Teaching at UNC-Chapel Hill, where she earned an M.A. in communication studies, and the Lucia Morgan Memorial Award for putting communication theories into practice in local communities.

NOTE: There will be no class on September 16 and October 7.

8 Thursdays, 7 - 9 PM (16 hours)
September 2 - November 4
Center for Documentary Studies
Materials fee: $20 (exact amount due at first class)
Course fee: $320



Advanced Documentary Video Editing: Final Cut Pro
Simone Keith
Class ID: 8724

This class will focus on FCP’s advanced features but give priority to editing techniques. Learn the ins and outs of smooth cuts, proper use of effects and transitions, and sound editing. Discussion of films and print materials will be used to fuel creativity. You will be encouraged to share your video projects in class and provide constructive feedback to your peers. (Limit 12)

Simone Keith’s short documentary, Heavier Than Air, has screened at numerous festivals and aired on UNC-TV. A native of Brazil, Keith has been making documentaries and video essays since she arrived in North Carolina nine years ago. She has earned two Telly Awards and was nominated for a regional Emmy for The Wonder of It All, a UNC-TV documentary about the life of George Beverly Shea. Keith is a videographer and editor at North Carolina State University.

8 Mondays, 7 - 9 PM (16 hours)
November 1 - December 20
Center for Documentary Studies
Materials fee: $10 (exact amount due at first class)
Course fee: $320
Text: Suggested Text: Final Cut Pro 4 for Dummies.

Directing Your Documentary Film: Making Choices
Randolph Benson
Class ID: 8730

Making documentary films is more than pointing your camera at a subject, recording an event, or conveying interesting information. Your film will be a historical document that not only will tell the story of your subject, but will reflect you as an artist. Directing your film means making difficult choices: from initial story concept to your first screening. These choices, similar to those made by narrative fiction filmmakers, involve the range of available tools and techniques. Use this course to prepare for the choices you will make about how best to tell your story, design your production, develop your aesthetic, and capture your story on film. Through viewing selected film clips, reading, in-class production instruction, and weekly assignments, you will gain an understanding of the art of directing a documentary film while developing the skills you'll need to fulfill your vision. By the end of the term, you will be expected to complete a "mini-documentary" of approximately two to three minutes in length, combining all of the methods and techniques learned in the course. You will need access to a video camera and a tripod. (Limit 16)

Randolph Benson is a graduate of Wake Forest University and of the North Carolina School of the Arts School of Filmmaking. His film Man and Dog has appeared in eighteen film festivals in seven countries and has garnered numerous awards, most notably a Gold Medal in the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ Student Academy Awards. His work has been featured on the Bravo Network, the Independent Film Channel (Split Screen), WTTW-Chicago, UNC-TV (NC Visions) and Telewizja Polska S.A.- Poland, and received an Eastman Kodak Excellence in Filmmaking Award at the Cannes Film Festival.

NOTE: There will be no class on November 25.

8 Thursdays, 7 - 9 PM (16 hours)
October 21 - December 16
Center for Documentary Studies
Materials fee: $10 (exact amount due at first class)
Course fee: $195



The Five-Minute Documentary
Jim Haverkamp
Class ID: 8723

The short documentary form presents a host of challenges and a wealth of opportunities for film and videomakers of all experience levels. Shorts, whether ends in themselves or sketches for longer works, force their makers to sharpen their focus, distill essential details, and experiment with structure in order to tell their stories economically and vividly. This course will expose you to a wide range of documentary works of roughly five minutes and under. You will then work individually or in teams to produce a short film or video on a topic of your choosing. The course will encourage creative treatment of material and place particular emphasis on the use of sound. Brief instruction on Super 8 film will also be provided. (Limit 12)

NOTE: Working knowledge of Final Cut Pro is required. Students must provide their own video cameras and tape stock. Super 8 cameras will be available for use by students who complete appropriate training.

Jim Haverkamp is an award-winning filmmaker and editor based in Durham. His credits include the documentaries Monster Road (co-producer, co-editor) and Armor of God (co-director), both collaborations with Brett Ingram. His other documentary and fiction films have screened in festivals across the country, and he was awarded a Filmmaking Fellowship from the North Carolina Arts Council in 2000. He is a former organizer of the Flicker Film Festival in Chapel Hill.

8 Mondays, 7 - 9 PM (16 hours)
September 13 - November 1
Center for Documentary Studies
Materials fee: $10 (exact amount due at first class)
Course fee: $195



Making the Genre: Producing the Many Faces of a Documentary Story
Randolph Benson
Class ID: 8729

Whatever the subject of your documentary film, there are many different genres by which you can tell your story: cinema verite, personal, political, and experimental, to name a few. We will choose one subject or issue and form small groups of two to three students. Each group will write, produce, direct, and edit a three- to five-minute film on the subject in one of six documentary film genres. This class combines film theory with the application of the theory. It is a hands-on exploration of the different styles with which you can tell your nonfiction story. Intermediate production and editing skills are recommended. The course Telling Your Story: Finding Yourself in the Documentary Film Tradition is recommended prior to this course, but is not required. (Limit 18)

Equipment needed: DV camera, shotgun or lavalier microphone, and tripod (one per group).

Randolph Benson is a graduate of Wake Forest University and of the North Carolina School of the Arts School of Filmmaking. His film Man and Dog has appeared in eighteen film festivals in seven countries and has garnered numerous awards, most notably a Gold Medal in the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ Student Academy Awards. His work has been featured on the Bravo Network, the Independent Film Channel (Split Screen), WTTW-Chicago, UNC-TV (NC Visions) and Telewizja Polska S.A.- Poland, and received an Eastman Kodak Excellence in Filmmaking Award at the Cannes Film Festival.

8 Tuesdays, 7 - 9 PM (16 hours)
October 26 - December 14
Center for Documentary Studies
Materials fee: $15 (exact amount due at first class)
Course fee: $195
 

Spring/Summer 2004

Winter 2004

Fall 2003


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