Film-making for Fieldwork: a practical short course
Due to strong demand, we are currently exploring the possibility of offering this short course again in 2010 but in two different formats:
- an Introductory course very similar to last year’s course as described below, based on a series of three short film-making exercises though it will last two weeks rather than ten days.
- an Intermediate course aimed at those who have already taken the Introductory course or who have equivalent experience. Although there will be screenings and master-classes in the evenings on shooting and other aspects of production, the principal emphasis will be on editing. Participants will be expected to bring with them a body of rushes, already logged and ready for capturing. After preliminary training in the use of Avid editing software, they will then work for two weeks under tutorial guidance to turn those rushes into a final cut.
Each course will last two weeks, provisionally set as follows:
- Sunday 23 May - Friday 4 June for the Introductory course
- Sunday 13 June - Friday 25 June for the Intermediate course
We were encouraged to develop the Intermediate course because many of those on last year’s course expressed a strong wish to come back for more training. However, it would be possible for participants to take both courses in a single year if they were to use the nine-day interlude to shoot the material required for the Intermediate course. Depending on numbers, we would hope to be able to provide the equipment for this purpose.
We are aiming to confirm details of these courses – including the all-important matter of fees - by the end of November 2009. If you are interested in being advised when these details become available, please contact the administrator for the 2010 courses, Noémie Rouault on Noemie.Rouault@manchester.ac.uk
PLEASE NOTE: Numbers on both courses are strictly limited and on the basis of last year’s experience, we expect them to be heavily oversubscribed. We have already received quite a number of enquiries for 2010. As we will assign places on a first-come first-served basis, if you are interested in participating, we would strongly advise you to contact us so that we can get the details to you as soon as they become available.
Film-making for Fieldwork - 2009 format (under revision)
Sunday, 21 June – Wednesday 1 July, 2009
This intensive short course is jointly offered by the Granada Centre for Visual Anthropology and the University of Manchester Media Centre. Over a ten-day period, participants will be offered basic technical instruction in documentary film-making methods that are particularly suited to ethnographic fieldwork projects.
- designed for anthropologists and other social researchers who wish to explore the practical implications of making documentary films as part of a programme of ethnographic field research.
- aimed particularly at postgraduate research students, but postdoctoral and other more senior researchers, as well as undergraduates, are equally welcome.
- will take place at the University Media Centre, Bridgeford Street Building, and the Granada Centre, Arthur Lewis Building, which are adjacent to one another on the central University of Manchester campus, off Oxford Road.
- timed to take place in the ten-day period prior to the opening of the 11th RAI International Festival of Ethnographic Film. Sponsored by the Royal Anthropological Institute, this will take place 1st-4th July at Leeds Metropolitan University, an hour away by train. A special session for course participants will be offered at the Festival.
- also follows shortly after the Beeld voor Beeld anthropological film festival in Amsterdam, 8-14 June. Direct flights between Amsterdam and Manchester take 1.5 hours.
Please note: all places on this course have now been taken. Those who would like to be offered a place in the event of a cancellation may add their names to a list of 'reserves' for 2009. They may do so by using the booking form. In view of the strong demand, we are exploring the possibility of offering the course again at the same time next year, 2010.
Course Content
Hands-on experience: from simple to complex narratives
The general objective will be to provide participants with an understanding of the foundations of ethnographic documentary film-making that they will be able to build upon in their subsequent field research.
- The emphasis of the course will be on film-making processes rather than on product.
- No prior expertise will be assumed and participants will be instructed in the basic techniques of filming, sound-recording and editing.
- Participants will work in teams of two to make 3 short training films on subjects that they are likely to encounter in ethnographic fieldwork: a technical process, an oral testimony and a social or cultural event.
Through the collective debriefing of their own work plus associated screenings of ethnographic documentaries and classes given by experienced ethnographic film-makers, participants will be encouraged to consider how these simple processes can be used as the 'building blocks' of more complex film narratives structured on thematic or chronological principles.
Equipment
Training will be offered on digital equipment that meets UK broadcasting standards but which is also lightweight and relatively easy to operate.
- Production training will be based on kits featuring the Sony PD170 mini-DV camcorder and Rode NTG-1 microphones
- Editing training will given in dedicated edit suites using Avid Media Composer software
Workshops and screenings
Hands-on training will be supplemented by the screening of documentary 'classics' as well as by a series of seminars and workshops, covering such varied topics as:
- the role of film in ethnographic research
- legal and ethical aspects of ethnographic film-making
- fictional genres as a mode of ethnographic film-making
- collaborative film-making in which research subjects make their own films
- equipment and software to take to the field
The course will also be supported by a substantial quantity of technical hand-outs covering various aspects of camera operation, lighting, editing and subtitling.
Core Teaching Team
The core teaching team brings to the short course the depth of experience that they have developed over many years delivering the Granada Centre's well-established visual anthropology masters and doctoral programmes.
The course is convened by Paul Henley, director of the Granada Centre and Professor of Visual Anthropology. Trained as a social anthropologist at Cambridge, Paul is also a graduate of the National Film and Television School. He has made documentaries both for academic and television audiences and has produced numerous academic publications in visual anthropology, including The Adventure of the Real, a major study of the work of Jean Rouch that will be published by University of Chicago Press in November.
The principal course tutor will be Andy Lawrence, who is Film-maker in Residence at the Granada Centre. He is also a Teaching Fellow and plays a leading role in the delivery of the MA in Visual Anthropology programme. Andy studied social anthropology at UCL and visual anthropology at the Granada Centre. He now works as a free-lance film-maker, shooting films both for television and more arts-oriented audiences. His most recent film, Born is a meditation on birth, made in collaboration with the radical midwife Judith Kurutac. He is currently in India, shooting a follow-up film on Tantric ideas about birth, death and well-being.
The more technical aspects of editing training will be delivered by David Henderson and John Lancaster of the University Media Centre, both of whom play an important role in the Granada Centre's Masters and doctoral programmes, working through the Avid Partnership scheme.
More general technical support will be provided by Bill Brown, the Granada Centre technician. Before joining the Granada Centre, Bill worked for many years in the AV industry.
Additional Contributors
Evening sessions will feature screenings and associated question-and-answer sessions with film-makers with various forms of relevant experience including:
Leslie Woodhead, highly distinguished documentary and feature film director, winner of many international awards, as well as being one of the founders of the Granada Centre in 1987. Leslie will give a Master Class on the opening evening of the course. At the time of the course, he will be editing his current film How the Beatles rocked the Kremlin. Leslie directed 12 of the classic Granada Television documentary series, Disappearing World, many about Africa, whilst also being renowned for his drama-documentary work, particularly on political themes about Eastern Europe before and after the Cold War.
Johannes Sjöberg, film-maker and lecturer in the University Drama department who recently completed Transfiction, a Rouch-style ethnofiction with a group of 'transgendered people in São Paulo.
Doctoral students who will talk about how they used film during their field research and show some examples of their work. These will include Joceny Pinheiro, Visual Resources Officer of the Granada Centre, who has made a film, Gathering Strength, as part of her field research. Joceny has also produced an extensive photographic portfolio of her work.
Fees and Costs
Two fee rates are offered:
- Standard: £975
- Concessions: £850
Concessions are offered to students, unemployed and pensioners who can supply the relevant documentation.
These fees cover all instructional costs, including the cost of mini-DV tapes and blank DVDs on which to copy projects. However they do not cover any travel, accommodation or food. The only exceptions here are the 'Welcome' Light Buffet Lunch on Sunday 21 June and the 'Farewell' Chinese Banquet on Tuesday 30 June, which will be offered to all participants.
All necessary equipment will be provided free of charge. Participants are welcome to bring their own cameras, but tutors cannot guarantee to be sufficiently familiar with these to be able provide instruction in their use. Nor can a reduction in the course fees be offered to those who bring their own cameras.
Enrolment and Payment
In order to enroll on the course, please make use of the booking form
- Places on the course are open to all those who anticipate using film for ethnographic or other social research purposes. A fluent command of English will also be presumed.
- Places on the course are limited, and will be offered on a first-come, first-served basis, so participants are advised to enroll as soon as they can.
- In order to guarantee their place, participants will be asked to make a non-refundable deposit of £200 at the time of enrolment. The balance of their fees should be paid by Monday 1 June.
Payment may be made by cheques drawn on a UK bank, or by means of a credit card form. Once participants submit the booking form, they will be directed to a page that has the credit card form link and details of to whom and where to send cheques.
Accommodation and Living Costs
Budget bed-and-breakfast accommodation, starting at £300 for the full duration of the course, may also be reserved through the booking form. This is offered at preferential rates at Luther King House, a small and quiet hotel within easy reach by bus of the University campus that frequently hosts conferences of a religious nature. It also has on-site parking and is very close to Manchester's celebrated 'Curry Mile' of Asian restaurants and the pleasant Platt Fields park.
Please note that this accommodation is offered as a single package for the entire 11-night period Saturday 20 June to Tuesday 30 June inclusive. We regret that we cannot become involved in booking accommodation for subdivisions of this period, nor for bookings outside this period. Participants arriving earlier or staying later would do well to start their enquiries directly with Luther King House itself.
The number of rooms offered at this advantageous price is very limited, so early booking is advised. In order to guarantee one of these bookings, a deposit of £50 is required. This will be subtracted from the eventual accommodation bill, but in the event of cancellation, this is non-refundable.
In common with all cities in the north of England, eating out in Manchester is very much cheaper than in London. A large range of cuisines from all over the world are on offer and it is possible to eat very well for £10-15. Those on very restricted budgets can eat reasonably well for as little as £5-10.
Contact details
Noémie Rouault
Conference Administrator
School of Social Sciences
2nd floor, Arthur Lewis Building
University of Manchester
M13 9PL
Email: noemie.rouault@manchester.ac.uk
Tel: 0161-275-7058