Documenting Justice is a specialized interdisciplinary course in documentary filmmaking that focuses on topics of social justice. Students devote two semesters to completing the class, which involves study in film theory, documentary history, nonfiction storytelling techniques, and the ethics of documentary and culminates in the creation of an original short documentary film. The class is designed for non-film majors, but those with production experience are encouraged to apply as well. Two films produced as a part of the international division of this course will screen at the Bama Theatre in Tuscaloosa, Alabama on Tuesday, November 29, 2011 at 7:00 p.m. Admission is free.
The fall semester of the course is dedicated to instruction, exercises, and readings that familiarize students with the fundamentals of video production and their application to documentary. Assignments in production, theory, and criticism help students understand the practical and ethical issues in documentary filmmaking. By the end of the first semester, students will be comfortable with the techniques of production and will select topics for their films.
During the spring semester, students work in pairs to shoot and edit a documentary film. Demonstrating a concern for justice in Alabama, such pieces may focus on an individual, a relationship, an occurrence, an institution, a sub-culture, or a worldview. Students will become well acquainted with their subjects through extensive fieldwork, interviews, and research. In producing the final film, students will have access to state-of-the-art digital video cameras and post-production facilities at the College of Communication & Information Studies. The completed films premiere at a public screening in either Birmingham or Tuscaloosa at the end of the semester.
An award-winning group of filmmakers collaborate as instructors in this team-taught course: Andy Grace, director of Documenting Justice and member of the University of Alabama Department of Telecommunication & Film, and Rachel Morgan, adjunct instructor at UA and instructor of radio and TV at Lawson State Community College. The course also includes guest lectures from other professionals with expertise in documentary filmmaking.
Documenting Justice: International
Students complete the first semester before travelling, in conjunction with students enrolled in the Alabama section of Documenting Justice. During the spring semester or summer term, students take a camera and travel abroad – developing a film topic, working with their subjects, and capturing footage. During the following fall semester, students edit their films. A public screening is held in Tuscaloosa each November. (NOTE: Documenting Justice does not provide funds for international travel. Travel funding and arrangements are the responsibility of the student.)
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