In this age of information technology and familiarity with global issues, the documentary is an increasingly popular form of storytelling. This workshop concentrates on defining and developing each student's potential as a documentary filmmaker. The course explores historical and contemporary work, production requirements, and today's technology for independent documentary filmmaking. A wide range of programming, formats, structures, styles and documentary films from throughout the world are discussed and screened.

Students are encouraged to develop a style and a voice, research and produce original documentary work that tells compelling stories.

The class consists of lectures, screenings, demonstrations of equipment and production methods, and an introduction to the post production process on Apple's Final Cut Pro non-linear editing software. Cinematography, lighting, sound recording, setting up interviews, and different interview techniques are covered. A shooting schedule, actualities and B-roll, story assembly, script development, and the critical importance of sound are all examined in this intensive, in-depth workshop.

Regular exercises are followed by screenings and critiques of students' dailies. Students work in teams proposing short, manageable documentary projects which they shoot and edit digitally for screening and review by the class. Subject matter can come from local issues and events, artists and a host of interesting local characters.

All work is reviewed and critiqued, and in the end, students take away at least one, possibly more, collaborative documentary pieces.