Documentary Filmmaking Workshop

Video is one of today’s most powerful storytelling tools. It creates an immersive experience that connects the audience to the subject and builds empathy. 

This workshop will walk you through every step of the documentary filmmaking process. From pre planning and visualization to problem solving in the field to post production and storytelling techniques, you will walk away with the knowledge you need to add video to your skillset. 

On day one you will be put into filmmaking crews and given your documentary subject. As a team, you will work with your subject to plan the narrative and produce a film on site; with the support of you expert instructors. 

spots are filling quickly!

Workshop Itinerary

Day One

  • Introductions
  • Meeting your filmmaking crew 
  • Prep time
  • Networking social

Day Two

  • Principles of filmmaking
  • Crew prep time 
  • Faculty roundtable

Day Three

  • Shooting with your subjects
  • On location filmmaking and problem solving

Day Four

  • Shooting pickups
  • Entering the editing bay 
  • Happy hour and networking

Day Five

  • Post-production lecture
  • Group editing 
  • Final reception 

What you'll learn

Your Instructor

Katie Schuler

Workshop Faculty

An advocate for the planet’s most at-risk species, Katie operates at the nexus between science, empathy, and storytelling. More than a decade of filmmaking across six continents has afforded Katie expertise in the field and in the editing room. Using her signature storytelling flair, Katie’s films explore how we live alongside nature, garnering accolades, accruing millions of views, and inspiring meaningful conservation victories. Her production company, Coral & Oak Studios, has partnered with many of the most recognizable names in wildlife filmmaking, including National Geographic, Smithsonian, BBC, HBO, and PBS. Katie’s film, Pangolin, is the winner of six best short awards including Jackson Wild’s 2017 Best Short category. Since its premiere, Pangolin has been translated into four languages, reaching over 75 million people while serving as an important tool for conservation. Two of her latest films, Where Life Begins, and Nigerians Fight to Protect the World’s Most Trafficked Mammal, have won awards at festivals in 2019. Katie is a National Geographic Explorer, a graduate of the Corcoran College of Art and Design, a Henry Luce Fellow, and a member of the International League of a Conservation Photographer’s Emerging League.

How does this...

...become this!

create a documentary film from start to finish

get to know your subjects and outline a narrative
Film techniques, problem solving, and maximizing field time
editing, sequencing, music and sound usage, and more post-production magic

Lodging in Portland, Maine

Lodging details will be sent out upon registration. 

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