"So You Wanna Make a Doc" workshop helps new documentarians find their way

The SPNN Access Center kicked off its first ever series of documentary workshops on September 18^th, with So You Wanna Make a Doc. SPNN staff were inspired to offer the series to the community by the widespread interest in the Doc U program, a documentary filmmaking mentorship with a limited number of spots.

For many years SPNN has offered a huge variety of classes ranging from camcorder basics, field audio, basic editing, studio production and a few more entry level courses to get people up and running as fast as possible. More recently, SPNN has tried to offer workshops that go beyond “the basics” and offer courses that cover theory and technique, while offering tips on how to do things smarter and more efficiently. Noticing that many Doc U applicants had an idea for a project, but did not know how to turn that idea into a documentary, helped shape this new series of workshops.

“We are trying to fill a void that’s out there in terms of where people can learn about how to create video,” says SPNN Access Coordinator Maria Tototzintle. “There are other community resources out there, but SPNN has always been a great place for people who are beginning videomakers. We are even a great resource for intermediate level individuals who need access to gear and often rely on the expertise of many of the access staff who really know video.  And so this Documentary Series of classes was our way of offering the public great education at a very reasonable price.” 

The series opened up with documentarian Joanna Kohler’s So You Wanna Make a Doc workshop, which attracted several new members. Kohler is one of our many regular guest instructors who have been working in the film and television industry for years. The five participants really enjoyed Joanna’s instruction and her “don’t be scared- just do it” philosophy of documentary making. One attendee said they especially enjoyed hearing other people’s wide ranging ideas for documentary projects. The class was so successful, in fact, that it went a half hour over, until the Access Center closed for the night, with everyone staying for a long question and answer session with Joanna.

Workshops remaining in the Documentary Series include Gathering B-roll, Research, Interview Lighting, Field Audio and an Editing Your Story workshop.  For more information or a class schedule of all of our classes, please visit http://www.spnn.org/calendar for more details.