For three years, I taught documentary filmmaking to teens in national parks across Oregon and California through a partnership between NW Documentary and the Oregon Museum for Science and Industry (OMSI). With the mentorship of documentary filmmakers and experienced science instructors, students team up in small groups to shoot, write, narrate, and edit their very own documentaries. Students learn documentary filmmaking as a tool for experiencing, exploring, understanding, and appreciating the natural scientific world. Three films by past students have won the coveted Student Production Awards presented at the Northwest Regional Emmy Awards.
↑ Teen filmmakers learn about nature by going out in nature. From the high deserts to the beaches of Oregon, they explore tide-pools and abandoned homesteads, canoe estuaries, and hunt for thunder eggs. Along the way, we learn from the people who live and work in these remote regions, such as forest fire fighters, naturalists, and Native Americans.
To see the full selection of student films, visit NW Documentary on Vimeo.
↑ Connecting the Civilian Conservation Corps — A film by Jacob S. & Colin E., with help from Wyley F. & Manna P., during the 2011 Documentary Explorers Camp at Redwoods National and State Parks. Winner of the 2011-2012 NW Regional High School Emmy Award for Excellence, Long Form Non-Fiction.
↑ Creation Story — A film by Lindsay N., Caelan H., and Brooke R., during the 2011 Documentary Explorers Camp at Lewis & Clark National Historic Park.
↑ Study Skins: A Scientific Cemetery — A film by Wylie F., during the 2011 Documentary Explorers Camp at Redwoods National and State Parks.
↑ A Mill Creek Treasure: The Western Pearl Shell Mussel — A film by Elvis M., Margaret S., and Susannah H., during the 2012 Documentary Explorers Camp at Redwoods National and State Parks.
↑ Connecting the Civilian Conservation Corps — A film by Jacob S. & Colin E., with help from Wyley F. & Manna P., during the 2011 Documentary Explorers Camp at Redwoods National and State Parks. Winner of the 2011-2012 NW Regional High School Emmy Award for Excellence, Long Form Non-Fiction.