Course Description
Have you noticed that the world around us is full of wild and fascinating stories? The documentary industry has grown exponentially in recent years, with documentary-style storytelling becoming increasingly integral to cultural norms in marketing and communication strategies. Documentary storytelling offers a unique opportunity to be deeply curious—about the lives of others, about why and how events unfold, about the cultural movements, political developments, scientific discoveries, and personal narratives that shape our world.
This course will support a curiosity-driven mindset and the technical skill development needed to produce compelling documentary media. You will learn to craft character-driven nonfiction narratives while mastering the complete production process: research, story craft, video/audio styles and equipment use, field recording and interview techniques, and film editing. This course looks at both technical proficiency and ethical responsibility in documentary as well as exploring production roles, documentary industry standards, and the power dynamics inherent in capturing others’ stories through award-winning case studies with professional documentarians.
You will leave this course possessing foundational knowledge of documentary storytelling and production techniques alongside a deep appreciation for the stories waiting to be discovered around you—stories that make meaningful impact and catch the attention of viewers.
This course is a good match for students who:
• Want to develop transferable core storytelling and editing skills
• Aspire to integrate relational storytelling methods into their communication leadership practice
• Are interested in understanding how documentary can successfully shift culture, policy and public opinion through storytelling
University of Washington
Department of Communication