Overview of Course

What is a story? How are narratives conceived, crafted, and executed? This course will introduce foundational principles and skills of storytelling through the process of documentary video production. Students will study and practice the four phases of filmmaking: story ideation, pre-production planning, production filming, and post-production editing. Students film with a smartphone or a DSLR camera, and will learn film production principles of composition, framing, lighting, and beyond. We will study best practices for interviewing, from both a technical and interpersonal standpoint. Students will be introduced to industry standard editing platforms such as Adobe Premiere and iMovie, and will learn core techniques for structure, flow, and music editing. Students will develop story ideas and carry out their filming plans during port excursions, with a focus on cultural exploration. Students will learn how the technical tools of film production exist to support story, narrative, and theme.