Documentary Film for Social Change: Production & Theory (CESO0911)
Documentary has long been associated as a vehicle for social change. How and why did this come to be an ideal? What techniques do filmmakers employ to tell their stories of social change? In an immersive learning environment drawing on experiential and theoretical learning, students produced a short video for web delivery with examination of various documentary distribution models to impact social change.
Students learned leadership skills in the context of media literacy and worked in teams to create a documentary addressing a topic of their choosing with the goal of addressing an aspect of social change. Whether it is women's rights, international diplomacy, economic rights, environment and ecology, democracy, worker's rights, health care, immigration, or any number of issues students sought to explore, the course provided students with real world filmmaking skills within a strong academic context. Students gained both an introduction to documentary studies and engage in creative storytelling and video production techniques. Active listening skills and a desire to explore leadership and creativity were the foundations for student success in this course.
Still Here
Daniel Marshall and Oscar Tiné
An indictment of school segregation in contemporary America.
When It Rains
Eva Ravenal and Sam Kissinger
A character portrait of a Providence local.
1993
Kate Hillenbrand
A film about film.
A Tail of Responsibility
India Braver and Manal Tahhan
With great pets come great responsibility.
Slow and Steady
Jamie Youngentob and Meghan McDonough
A call to stop and smell the roses.
Fre$h: The Cost of Eating Well
Luke Dorfman, Isabel Moore and Jesus Villalba
The role of socioeconomic status in the local and organic food movement.
Friend Me
Sarah Peters and Daniel Yellin
A look into the modern meaning of friendship.
State of Being
Taylor Bright and Matilda Curtis
What do you want to change?
Hope Street
Spencer Baker and Chris Davis
A local high school strives to live up to its name.