Phil Busse
Capstone: Documentary Film Production, Fall 2011
Documentary Production: Communicating Community Success
Instructor: Phil Busse
Fall Term 2011
Like protest signers in the Sixties, filmmakers have increasingly become agents for social change, telling stories and persuading positive public policy changes. This course teaches about film production in the specific context of communicating persuasively and positively. Students work with local nonprofits to tell a story about how those organizations are creating “local solutions to global issues.”
The Course:
A hands-on seminar: Students learn to produce professional-grade documentary films that communicate local nonprofits’ successes. The course starts with a crash-course on journalist techniques (i.e., interviewing and storytelling), and camera skills. Throughout the course, students also examine and consider case-studies (documentaries, movies, TV ads) which have successfully communicated political or social messages. Over 11 weeks, working in four-person teams, students produce a short film—researching a local nonprofit, conducting interviews and producing a short documentary focused on “local solutions to global issues.”
Coupling academic seminars about the media’s influence on public policy with field work, students produce a series of professional-quality film documentaries, each focused on a “local solutions to global issues.” In turn, students “market” these documentaries to civic leaders with the hopes of inspiriting similar forward-thinking projects elsewhere.
Community Issue(s) To Be Addressed:
This proposed Capstone Course is based on a successful summer program hosted by the Media Institute for Social Change. The community issues to be addressed are three-fold:
One, to teach use of journalist skills, creative process, communication skills and artistic sensibilities to articulate civic solutions and, in the process, to translate civic interests into practical job skills. The course is part academic boot camp, part production house—demanding that students meet deadlines and work in teams to produce real and useful media products. During the course, students learn interview skills, persuasive storytelling and communication skills, examine public policy decision-making and develop effective marketing plans.
Two, to produce a series of professional-quality and persuasive documentaries about “local solutions to global issues” that local non-profits can use to articulate and market their missions and successes. Each documentary identifies a social issue and then articulates a local, successful program or project as a solution.
Three, to share these solutions with civic leaders and decision-makers regionally: In a famous Supreme Court ruling, Justice Louis Brandeis once explained that states and cities should be "laboratories" for innovative government action. That notion—of sharing ideas and civic solutions—guides the teaching philosophy and our aims with what these projects can accomplish.Students develop and execute a distribution plan for each document, with the specific goal of inspiring and instructing similar forward-thinking projects elsewhere.
Primary Learning Objectives: This program will address a wide-reaching array of University Studies goals. Learning objectives for this class include:
- Identify elements within media (e.g., film documentaries) that effectively and persuasively communicate a positive social message (University Studies goal: communication);
- Compare and contrast different artistic and practical reasons for selecting various production choices within a documentary or media product (goal: critical thought skills);
- Understand the influence of different media mediums in American politics as well as their roles to positively affect the decision-making of individuals and decision-makers (goal: inquiry and critical thought);
- Compare and contrast the role of a media consumer and the responsibilities of a media-producer (goal: social responsibility);
- Prepare a strategic media plan with the goal of affecting positive “social change.” (goal: communication)
Code of Conduct:
It is encouraged that each student reads and is familiar with the university’s Student Conduct Code. It details your rights and responsibilities as a student and a member of the Portland State community.
Special accommodations:
Students with accommodations approved through the Disability Resource Center are responsible for contacting instructors prior to or during the first week of the term to discuss any necessary or desired accommodations; any and all reasonable accommodations will be made as efficiently as possible.
Final Products:
Each project teaches specific communication and professional skills. At the conclusion for this Capstone Course, each student has assembled a professional portfolio including:
- Written profile: To practice and prepare basic journalism skills (i.e., interview techniques, character development), each student produces a magazine-style, feature-length profile of a community leader;
- Short Film: Working in teams of three or four, students produce a professional-grade film that articulates a social problem and presents a local organization (e.g., non-profit, community group) as a solution;
- Each student develops a marketing and distribution plan for each of his or her documentaries, with the specific aim of encouraging a public decision-maker to adopt or implement a similar projects;
- Professional development “starter kit”: To help students take their first step from the classroom into their careers, Professional Development is incorporated into the curriculum, with the outcome of: a “five-year career map,” Extreme (Professional) Make-Over, a peer-reviewed resume, and practice presentation skills.
Grading:
Worksheets (10%)
Class presentations (10%)
Class Participation (30%)
Marketing and Distribution Plan (10%)
Class Project: Documentary (40%)
Class attendance is mandatory. Each unexcused absences will result in an overall half-grade loss.
Unexcused late work will not be accepted.
Instructor(s):
Phil Busse is a writer, media producer, college instructor and program director. In 2000, he helped launch the Portland Mercury and served as the Managing Editor for the newspaper for six years. For the past five years, Phil has served as the Director for the Media Institute for Social Change, which he founded in 2006. The Media Institute’s centerpiece has been its Summer Documentary Program in Portland, a two-month long residential program that teaches college students how to produce documentaries about social issues. Phil also serves as an adjunct instructor for Portland State’s Department of Communication.
Phil earned his B.A. from Middlebury College ’92 and his law degree from the University of Oregon School of Law ’97.
Matt Martin serves as a co-instructor for the course. An accomplished film editor, Matt recently completed work on a PBS documentary about the first Vietnamese-American elected to the House of Representatives. His previous film, “No Impact Man” premiered at the Sundance Film Festival.
Students also will work instructors from Portland Community Media, a local organization that hosts year-round media classes and community access television shows.
Syllabus
M/W 8 – 9:50 am
Week # 1
Monday, September 26: Journalism Skills (Interviewing)
After an introduction to the course, students will be introduced to interview skills and basic journalism techniques necessary to produce their films.
Assignment: Documentary film review sheet
Wednesday, September 28: Journalism Skills (cont’d)
Students will review interview worksheets and continue to study examples of interview styles. Finish student presentations of documentary worksheets.
Assignment: “All I Did Was Ask,” Terry Gross; “History of Rock and Roll” worksheets
Week # 2
Monday, October 3: Storytelling Skills
To learn more about storytelling skills and narrative structure, students will review the history of documentary films, and consider a few current case-studies.
Assignment: short film narrative worksheet
Wednesday, October 5: Project Selection, Production Teams
After considering various phases for film production and production team member roles, students will select their projects for the remainder of the term.
Assignment: Assemble production team and review project “menu”
Week # 3
Monday, October 10: Camera Skills
Meet at Portland Community Media.2766 NE MLK
Assignment: Set up first interview
Wednesday, October 12: Camera Skills
Meet at Portland Community Media.2766 NE MLK
Week # 4
Monday, October 17
Finishing up pre-production, students “story board” their films; and, in a seminar about “impact,” students specify their audience for and desired results from their films. Students also complete profiles of their partner nonprofits.
Wednesday, October 19
After working on case-studies regarding “impact,” students share production plans with the rest of the group, and troubleshoot any current production issues. Also, preview editing seminars.
Week # 5
Monday, October 24: Editing Skills
Meet at Portland Community Media.2766 NE MLK
Wednesday, October 26: Editing Skills
Meet at Portland Community Media.2766 NE MLK
Week #6
Monday, October 31
Working with Matt Martin, students will learn basic editing process.
Wednesday, November 2
Continuing to work with Matt, students will explore different editing styles.
Week #7
Monday, November 7
Editing seminar.
Wednesday, November 9
Editing seminar on soundtracks and pacing – and how these techniques impact messaging.
Week #8
Monday, November 14
Students should complete field work and interviews. In-class work concentrates on creating effective “distribution plans.”
Assignment: Power mapping and, tracking systems.
Wednesday, November 16
Packaging, tracking and marketing.
Week # 9
Monday, November 21
Students will receive instructions on “productive criticism.”
Wednesday, November 23
ROUGH CUT DUE: In-class review
Week # 10
Monday, November 28
TBA
Wednesday, November 30
NEXT CUT DUE: Professional review panel.
Week # 11
Monday, December 5
TBA
Wednesday, December 7
Final Cuts screened, and distributed.