The Institute for Documentary Filmmaking
Named one of the Top Ten Documentary Film Schools in the Nation! – "The Independent"
About the Institute
The annual January through June Institute for Documentary Filmmaking is the central educational offering of The Documentary Center and is both a theoretical and hands-on exploration of the documentary form.
Participants in the Institute come from around the world, and admission is competitive and by application only.
Individuals in the Institute come from such diverse backgrounds as broadcasting, law, psychology, literature, science, anthropology, museum studies, and education. Many participants have no background at all that would necessarily lead to careers in filmmaking. Some participants have extensive experience in the filmmaking or media-related fields.
What all participants share, however, is a commitment to create non-fiction stories and their expression in a visual form. Moreover, each member of the Institute must have a demonstrated ability to work collaboratively as this course – as well as all filmmaking – is a highly interactive, interpersonal experience.
The Institute is divided into two parts.
The first portion of the Institute runs from January through the end of April and deals with the conceptual issues in filmmaking as well as technical workshops.
The second part of the program is the group production of a documentary film and occurs in May and June.
We offer a total of 9 graduate credits for this program and all individuals who successfully complete the full program with a grade of "B" or higher will earn a Certificate in Documentary Filmmaking.
Each year, the students the Institute work as a group to develop and produce a short documentary film.
This coming year, the participants in the program will again select a new subject for their documentary.
Class Hours and Requirements
The 2013 Institute begins January 22nd and runs through June 30th 2013.
From January 22nd through April 25th the class will meet from 6:30 PM to 8:00 PM on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
On these evenings there will be lectures and seminar discussions on issues related to all phases of documentary filmmaking. In addition, over the course of these initial four months, periodic workshops will be held outside of regular class hours in lighting, camera, sound, and editing. These workshops are held in small-hands on groups.
All of May and June will be devoted to the production of a single short documentary that the class will produce as a production team. During these final two months participants will work many hours outside of the regular class time to complete the group project. Production is an intense, all-consuming process. Therefore, if you intend to work during the term of the Institute you should make arrangements with your employer take substantial leave during these final two months in which production occurs.
We offer a total of 9 graduate credits for this program and all individuals who successfully complete the full program will earn a Certificate in Documentary Filmmaking.
Institute Student Films
Institute of Documentary Filmmaking - Clip Reel from Center for Innovative Media on Vimeo.
Student Testimonials
"The Program provided a safe space to run through a trail version of the documentary process-- and led us to start thinking like filmmakers and stop thinking like students. We learned that even though the problems you deal with in each film are completely different from the problems you will run into in your next film, the situations that you go through will make you mature as a filmmaker and will therefore make you a better filmmaker. The class doesn't ask you to learn, it forces you to."
— Patrick Kelly, Class of 2008
"About a month ago, I was working on a documentary for Al Jazeera English and experienceing some trouble with story and structure. I found myself in very familiar waters. It reminded me very much of our experience at the Doc Center and without too much hassle I could see the way out of the cinematic woods. I then remembered that Nina once said that only years later will we really grasp what we've learned."
— Ruth Efroni Class of 2005
"Thank you so much for all of your help in finding me a job and serving as my reference. I really appreciate it — this and everything I have learned from you have certainly paid off because I got the job as assistant editor at VideoTakes AND the Partner's for Development job that you sent out about editing together a fundraising film for them. I am so excited and I just wanted to THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!!"
— Allison Barnett Class of 2006
"Working on documentary films is a bit like falling madly in love with the ugliest person in world — it's wonderful, but not at all romantic.
And it's not just the mind-numbingly long hours, the endless search througharchives of photos, letters, government documents, and census forms seeking exactly that thing that you're not quite sure of what it is. Of course there's the piles of accumulated debt, and the finished project that hardly anyone will ever see. No, everyone knows about all that. Ah, but what about the unending administrative details, the compromises you insist you WILL NOT MAKE and then go ahead and make, the colleagues you just want to throttle, and the inevitable realization that your abolute favorite moment in the film — just has to be cut out. And oh yeah, every machine WILL break down when you can least afford it.
The greatness of this program is that it captures all of that – documentary filmmaking in all its miserable glory. Bring your pragmatism, bring your problem solving, bring your survival skills — leave your romanticism at home. I loved it."
– Roger Munter Class of 1994
"The skills and contacts I gained in Nina Seavey's program propelled me into the field of historical documentary filmmaking, and I am now an experienced Associate Producer, with field producing and script-writing under my belt, and with numerous broadcast credits from PBS, National Geographic, and The Discovery Channel. Thank you, George Washington U!"
– Ann Ramsey Class of 1997
"The Documentary Center's program challenged me on multiple levels. Mentally, I learned an array of skills in a short period of time that were put directly into practice. Physically, I endured fifteen hour days in the editing room as our group pushed to finish our film. Personally, I came to fully understand the meaning of cooperation, compromise, and even conflict as our class worked to create one film based on sixteen different visions of what the film should be. Filmmaking is an intense process: this course lets you experience it full on."
– Amy Howard Class of 1999
"The program at the GW Institute for Documentary Filmmaking is a solid choice for career-changers who want to develop filmmaking skills based in theory and practice, but do not want to commit to two full years of film school. For me, the program was a great fit. After finishing the GW course, I left my job and threw myself into the filmmaking field full time — a move I would never have made without the knowledge and skills gained in the GW course.
Completing the course is a rigorous, demanding experience, particularly as the students make their own film in the last two months of the program. This experience in particular mirrors exactly the experience of the profession that I now call my own."
– Courtenay Singer Class of 2001
"The Institute for Documentary Filmmaking offers students a unique chance to engage in the real world processes of production at every level. The honing of story development skills is at the heart of the program, in an effort to turn students not just into filmmakers, but storytellers of the highest order. Thoughtful instruction on camera, lighting, audio, and state-of-the-art editing equipment allows student to realize both the possibilities and the problems inherent in telling stories on screen. Students can count on getting constant support in addressing the many creative and technical complications that can plague the professional filmmaker; learning indispensible problem solving skills. Best of all, the program is truly "on the job" training. Students get to play all the many and varied creative roles that make filmmaking such an enriching, collaborative effort. The institute's director has a motto: "enjoy the process." After my training there, I continue to just that."
– Tom Wentworth Class of 1996
Internships
We offer a substantial internship program that is available to all Institute participants. Internship placement begins in January and interns can expect to serve 15-20 hours per week until the beginning of May. Institute students are highly sought after as interns and have in the past been successfully placed at National Geographic Television, Discovery Communications, WETA as well as with many highly experienced Independent Filmmakers. Our internship program guarantees our students a very intense, highly immersive documentary experience.
Cost
The 2013 cost of the certificate program for non-degree students will be announced in August. For MA students or those using their tuition benefits, the tuition for the certificate is the cost of 9 graduate credits. Successful graduates receive 9 graduate credits and a Certificate verifying successful completion of the program.
Note: Though not encouraged, MA and GW staff participants have the option to take just the Spring portion of the program and not receive the certificate in which case the cost will be of 6 graduate credits.
Note: financial aid is typically not available for certificate programs as they are considered part-time. For more information, please visit the following links below.
Certificate Program Financial Aid
Scholarships
The Elberger Scholarship in the amount of $2500 will be awarded to one student per institute to assist with financial hardship. To apply, please write and submit an essay describing why you feel you deserve the award sending to the attention of Dove Davis by November 22nd, 2012. (If you wish to be considered for the scholarship, please be sure to have your application submitted by the scholarship essay deadline.)
News and events
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Events
News
"The Real Stuff"
"The Real Stuff" is a series of interviews that focuses on people who make unscripted television - reality shows, documentaries, and everything in between. Check out Darren Coyle’s interview with Director, Nina Seavey.
Washington's Best Film Award
Presentation (by Ted Leonsis & Mayor Vincent Grey) to "Released to Life" - A film by the 2011 Institute for Documentary Filmmaking
4TH & GOAL wins award!
"The Italian National Olympic Committee Cup" at the 29th Annual FICTS Festival for Sports Movies and Film in Milan.
4TH & GOAL is now available on DVD and VOD
