Deep Sea Mining in Polynesia
SIPA Capstone Project Video
Digital Activism
SIPA Student Class Case Study
This semester long SIPA class is a project-based course designed to help introduce students to documentary film technique, and help student teams produce documentaries on local issues. The course offers rich custom produced guides to smart phone filming, interviewing technique, field production and editing, as well as small group mentoring sessions and workshops. Teams will receive gear, training, and funds for local filming costs. All films will participate in end-of-semester film festival, together with other partner institutions. This class is open to all SIPA Students.
Students in this class will be joining a wider movement to create rich digital cases on local issues of Civic Engagement and Development practice. Cases will be created in groups, on issues of local interest. Cases created will be shared on platforms such as SIPA's Public Policy Case Collection. Students will have opportunities to interact with guest speakers from Discovery Channel, PBS and National Geographic, and interact with other cohorts of this class being offered across the world as part of the Open Society University Network. This class and training allows students to use gear, and to apply for available funding for MPA-DP summer placement projects, Capstone, and other SIPA research and documentary projects to be completed in the spring and summer of 2024.
Students from Previous Versions of this course have made amazing films and digital case studies, many of which are now used in SIPA classes or used in social media campaigns by NGO's and other organizations, including PBS and PBS Learning Media.
Digital cases created by students taking versions of the course at partner institutions of the Open Society University Network
Other digital cases created by SIPA faculty working in partnership with both SIPA students and professional filmmakers can be seen at:
Also Participating in Digital Case Project
September / October 2024
Weeks #1-4 – An introduction to Camera Basics, Interviewing and Editing
October / November 2024
Weeks #5-8 – Field production on project with consultations and master classes on editing
November / December 2024
Weeks #9-13 – Video editing and final film festival
It is expected that all students will have their own smartphones, and ideally their own laptops. Smartphone stabilizers, lights and microphones will be provided, as will access to editing software and support, and DSLR video camera packages. All provided through funding provided by the Columbia Provost's office.
Class meets Tuesday from 6pm-8pm in IAB402b. Thursdays from 3pm-7pm, Fridays from 10am-5pm, and Saturdays 10am-Noon, our edit lab/studio at the Picker Center Digital Education Group studio at IAB400 is available and staffed for hands-on training and support with editing, lighting and filming professional quality interviews.
Students will work in groups of 3-4 students each on semester-long documentary projects in their local area, and will receive limited financial support for local production costs. All films will be featured in the end-of-semester film festival, which will feature both SIPA films and films created internationally at partner institutions! Successful students are also encouraged to apply in December 2024 for available grant funding for spring and summer 2025 research/video projects.
