Advanced Digital Production: Happy Birthday, Baltimore!

3 Credits.

"What would it be if cinema were left to its own devices, doing what it does best?" This course will attempt to answer that question, posed by the great American filmmaker Albert Maysles, as we explore the fundamentals of observational documentary filmmaking and their ability to capture the unvarnished truth of the human condition. During the semester you'll partner with a classmate, alternating between camera/mic operation, following a human subject born in March, earning and gaining access to real people's lives and conveying intimacy that transcends language and cultural barriers. The class follows the principals and practices detailed in Michael Rabiger's book Observing. Course features include a heavy and rigorous production schedule each week, hands-on documentary filmmaking experience using the Canon C100 camera and Premiere editing software, and professional training in the managing of subject-observer relations. Students should have already completed a 100-level and a 200-level digital production course.