Pocket Stories: Smartphone Community Documentaries (Mondays 6-8pm)
WINTER SESSION: JANUARY 6 - FEBRUARY 23
Class Description:
Do you dream of telling an impactful story? Do you hunger to become a storyteller—a sharer of community knowledge? Have you ever imagined making a documentary film? What if you could do all this with the support and feedback of a community, making the process streamlined and deeply meaningful?
This crash course on community documentary filmmaking invites you to realize those dreams. In today’s fast-paced and often fragmented world, sharing the stories of those closest and most inspiring to us is more important than ever. In this course, we’ll explore how to tell powerful stories that honor the people and relationships that shape our lives.
Using accessible smartphone filmmaking techniques, you’ll learn everything you need to create a short three minute documentary: crafting compelling scripts, conducting thoughtful interviews, getting good footage, and video editing. If you have your own camera you want to bring in or want support using, this is also an option! Through hands-on practice, you’ll write, produce, document and screen the story of someone significant to you in your community.
Weeks one and two will consist of story development and skill building, week three will consist of storyboarding and production the film, week four will support the scheduled filmmaking production, and week five and six will be for editing.
By the end, you’ll have a polished film ready to debut at a celebratory screening, where we’ll come together to honor your work and the collective stories of the group. No prior experience? No problem. Whether you’re new to filmmaking, experienced in it, or simply eager to connect through storytelling, this course will guide you in using the tools you already have to make an impact.
Teacher Info:
Xhep Xhepa - “I am a filmmaker whose work centers on love and strength in intergenerational and queer communities. I am also a graduate student at American University receiving an MFA in Film and Media with a concentration in documentary production. I spent the last year filming a documentary on elders in the leather dyke community. I have taught film at UCAL previously to older elementary school students. Since then I have worked with highschoolers to make community-based documentaries regarding climate change as well as the lives of local elders in a retirement community. Community documentary is a focus of mine, and I find storytelling to be a critical tool for relationship building and strengthening in and across communities. Having studied and taught this mode of documentary filmmaking, I would like to teach a basic filmmaking course that would guide adult students through the process of writing a script and developing and producing a short documentary about someone significant to them in their community. This course could culminate in a screening and celebration.”
WINTER SESSION: JANUARY 6 - FEBRUARY 23
Class Description:
Do you dream of telling an impactful story? Do you hunger to become a storyteller—a sharer of community knowledge? Have you ever imagined making a documentary film? What if you could do all this with the support and feedback of a community, making the process streamlined and deeply meaningful?
This crash course on community documentary filmmaking invites you to realize those dreams. In today’s fast-paced and often fragmented world, sharing the stories of those closest and most inspiring to us is more important than ever. In this course, we’ll explore how to tell powerful stories that honor the people and relationships that shape our lives.
Using accessible smartphone filmmaking techniques, you’ll learn everything you need to create a short three minute documentary: crafting compelling scripts, conducting thoughtful interviews, getting good footage, and video editing. If you have your own camera you want to bring in or want support using, this is also an option! Through hands-on practice, you’ll write, produce, document and screen the story of someone significant to you in your community.
Weeks one and two will consist of story development and skill building, week three will consist of storyboarding and production the film, week four will support the scheduled filmmaking production, and week five and six will be for editing.
By the end, you’ll have a polished film ready to debut at a celebratory screening, where we’ll come together to honor your work and the collective stories of the group. No prior experience? No problem. Whether you’re new to filmmaking, experienced in it, or simply eager to connect through storytelling, this course will guide you in using the tools you already have to make an impact.
Teacher Info:
Xhep Xhepa - “I am a filmmaker whose work centers on love and strength in intergenerational and queer communities. I am also a graduate student at American University receiving an MFA in Film and Media with a concentration in documentary production. I spent the last year filming a documentary on elders in the leather dyke community. I have taught film at UCAL previously to older elementary school students. Since then I have worked with highschoolers to make community-based documentaries regarding climate change as well as the lives of local elders in a retirement community. Community documentary is a focus of mine, and I find storytelling to be a critical tool for relationship building and strengthening in and across communities. Having studied and taught this mode of documentary filmmaking, I would like to teach a basic filmmaking course that would guide adult students through the process of writing a script and developing and producing a short documentary about someone significant to them in their community. This course could culminate in a screening and celebration.”
WINTER SESSION: JANUARY 6 - FEBRUARY 23
Class Description:
Do you dream of telling an impactful story? Do you hunger to become a storyteller—a sharer of community knowledge? Have you ever imagined making a documentary film? What if you could do all this with the support and feedback of a community, making the process streamlined and deeply meaningful?
This crash course on community documentary filmmaking invites you to realize those dreams. In today’s fast-paced and often fragmented world, sharing the stories of those closest and most inspiring to us is more important than ever. In this course, we’ll explore how to tell powerful stories that honor the people and relationships that shape our lives.
Using accessible smartphone filmmaking techniques, you’ll learn everything you need to create a short three minute documentary: crafting compelling scripts, conducting thoughtful interviews, getting good footage, and video editing. If you have your own camera you want to bring in or want support using, this is also an option! Through hands-on practice, you’ll write, produce, document and screen the story of someone significant to you in your community.
Weeks one and two will consist of story development and skill building, week three will consist of storyboarding and production the film, week four will support the scheduled filmmaking production, and week five and six will be for editing.
By the end, you’ll have a polished film ready to debut at a celebratory screening, where we’ll come together to honor your work and the collective stories of the group. No prior experience? No problem. Whether you’re new to filmmaking, experienced in it, or simply eager to connect through storytelling, this course will guide you in using the tools you already have to make an impact.
Teacher Info:
Xhep Xhepa - “I am a filmmaker whose work centers on love and strength in intergenerational and queer communities. I am also a graduate student at American University receiving an MFA in Film and Media with a concentration in documentary production. I spent the last year filming a documentary on elders in the leather dyke community. I have taught film at UCAL previously to older elementary school students. Since then I have worked with highschoolers to make community-based documentaries regarding climate change as well as the lives of local elders in a retirement community. Community documentary is a focus of mine, and I find storytelling to be a critical tool for relationship building and strengthening in and across communities. Having studied and taught this mode of documentary filmmaking, I would like to teach a basic filmmaking course that would guide adult students through the process of writing a script and developing and producing a short documentary about someone significant to them in their community. This course could culminate in a screening and celebration.”
