The SOJC’s new documentary film production minor will prepare you to work in documentary or related media industries and in other fields, including journalism, anthropology, and environmental studies.
Documentaries—from high-budget Hollywood movies to independent small productions—are more popular and more widely distributed than ever. Documentaries for theatrical distribution, television, and streaming services represent a multibillion-dollar industry.
What Is Documentary Film Production?
Documentary film production is the process of creating nonfiction stories that explore people’s lives, events, and ideas using thought-provoking, inspiring, and informative narratives. Documentary filmmakers focus on a variety of subjects, ranging from culture and politics to sports, science, and nature.
Is the Documentary Film Production Minor Right for You?
- Do you want to add hands-on production skills to your toolbox?
- Are you interested in documenting the real world and telling stories about the human experience?
- Do you want to shed light on the crucial issues of our time—social, environmental, political, or personal?
If so, the SOJC’s minor in documentary film production can help you achieve those goals.
The minor, which is open to all UO majors, provides hands-on training in project conceptualization, production, and distribution. It will also give you a deep understanding of the multibillion-dollar documentary industry and its history.
How It Works
The minor requires 24 credits. All required courses are offered through the media studies area in the SOJC and are designed for students who want to add hands-on, nonfiction storytelling skills to any UO major.
Documentary film minors often major in journalism; cinema studies; anthropology; environmental studies; romance languages; women’s, gender, and sexuality studies; or indigenous, race, and ethnic studies.
Required Courses 24 credits/6 courses
- JCOM 220 Introduction to Documentary: This course introduces students to the fundamental skills needed to conceptualize, develop, and produce a documentary film. It also introduces historical knowledge and basic documentary film theory.
- JCOM 320 Survey of the Documentary: This course covers the most salient documentary examples, giving students a broad knowledge of various documentary styles, approaches, and categories within the broad field of documentary film.
- JCOM 321 Documentary Film Aesthetics: This course covers the fundamentals of applied aesthetics to work with image/framing and composition, light, color, sound, and editing. It provides students with an educated approach to solving creative problems.
- JCOM 420 Pre-Production: This course is the first in a production sequence of three courses. It covers research, planning, budgeting, and developing a documentary film idea into a proposal. Students will gain experience developing a documentary proposal, producing a sizzle reel, and pitching a project to potential producers. They will carry their documentary film idea and proposal into JCOM 421.
- JCOM 421 Production: This course is the second of three courses in the production sequence. It gives students the hands-on production experience of turning their idea/proposal into a compelling documentary film. Students will sharpen their shooting, producing, and directing skills.
- JCOM 422 Post-Production: This course is the third and final course in the production sequence. It covers editing as a creative process and the business of distribution. It provides the opportunity to enhance their storytelling abilities, refine their professional editing skills, and learn how to distribute their work at festivals, through distribution outlets, and by self-publishing. The course objective is for students to complete a well-crafted documentary project shot in JCOM 421.
