FMST 032. The Personal is Political: Filming the Documentary Encounter

This production course explores the documentary encounter as a space of exchange where personal experience and political consciousness intersect. Beginning with the filmed interview and expanding outward, we will examine how positioning, listening, and presence shape what unfolds in front of the camera. What does it mean to position oneself ethically and politically in relation to another person’s story? How does the camera transform conversation into an event? Over the semester, students will acquire foundational skills in camera, sound recording, and editing while learning how cinematic language - framing, duration, movement, and montage - can evoke character and personality. Each student will develop a short documentary film centered on an in-depth interview with a participant reflecting on how they became political. Through screenings, readings, workshops, and critiques, we will consider authorship, power, consent, and collaboration in nonfiction practice. The course culminates in a completed short film and reflective writing on process and ethical positioning.
Prerequisite: Open to students with prior coursework in Film & Media Studies or by permission of the instructor.
Humanities.
1 credit.
Fall 2026. Visiting Cornell Professor, Mila Turajlić.
Catalog chapter: Film and Media Studies
Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/film-media-studies

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