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Every summer at UC Santa Barbara, small teams of young filmmakers dedicate nine rigorous weeks to conceptualize, shoot, edit and screen an original documentary. Each film draws from the theory-heavy lessons taught in the university’s Department of Film and Media Studies. But in this class, the Coastal Media Project, students are also steeped in the hands-on techniques of documenting people and their challenges in our relationships to nature and culture.
The 12-credit workload is designed to expand storytelling chops through thoughtful and informed nature-based narratives along the coast. At the same time, students learn to wield — and care for — cutting-edge video and audio equipment. The class also spends several days on Santa Cruz Island, team building and learning professional filmmaking to prepare for creating films on important local coastal stories.