Documenting the truth is not so easy
Allison Ehrenreich
Issue date: 4/29/09 Section: Arts & Entertainment
Manchanda, who is working with the Railfans crew, noted the level of difficulty and detail that goes into the production of a documentary. "You have to build that trust" with your subjects, she said, in order to have an effective interview regarding something intensely personal.
"It's a great way to realize there's a bigger world out there," Lynn said.
The class has left a lasting impression on many alumni, too. Mark Taylor '89, who took the class during his time on the Hill, now works as the head of production for TNT & TBS. "I oversee budgeting, scheduling, crew hires and daily surprises for all of our original programming," he said in an e-mail. "The class (and most importantly, Phyllis) inspired me to follow my dreams and work in film and television instead of the art world."
Currently, Daniel Martin '01, another of Mannocchi's former students, is a producer on Dancing With the Stars on ABC. "I learned an incredible amount in [the class]," he wrote in an e-mail. "From composition and the rule of thirds to the importance of mic'ing people you're interviewing-a lesson I learned the hard way in class…-I learned a lot of about the technical aspects of production. But even more important, the class, and Professor Mannocchi, helped me realize that production (film and television) was what I wanted to spend my life doing."
Although the class attracts students with and without prior experience in film production, Mannocchi described her students as the "best of the best." Yet she expressed concern over the lack of support for the class from both a technological and an administrative standpoint. As a course that requires equipment outside of the norm, a support network is key. "I'm tired of fighting for this class," Mannocchi said. "My students deserve the best."
"It's been a challenge working with the [school's] equipment," Manchanda said. "The class doesn't get much attention from the administration." Mannocchi pointed to peer institutions who do have successful production-based film classes.
For Manchanda, producing documentaries-both on her own and through the class-has been an incredible learning experience. "I think it's a really effective way of communicating…more effective than writing a paper…for me, it's how I learn," she said. As a liberal arts institution, the College "should invest in a production-based film studies program" because film is "an effective way to communicate ideas," she said. "I think Colby's missing something if people don't know how to express themselves in ways other than a paper."
This year's five documentaries will be shown on May 9 in Given Auditorium. Both students and Professor Mannocchi are excited to show the fruits of their labor to the community.
"It's a great way to realize there's a bigger world out there," Lynn said.
The class has left a lasting impression on many alumni, too. Mark Taylor '89, who took the class during his time on the Hill, now works as the head of production for TNT & TBS. "I oversee budgeting, scheduling, crew hires and daily surprises for all of our original programming," he said in an e-mail. "The class (and most importantly, Phyllis) inspired me to follow my dreams and work in film and television instead of the art world."
Currently, Daniel Martin '01, another of Mannocchi's former students, is a producer on Dancing With the Stars on ABC. "I learned an incredible amount in [the class]," he wrote in an e-mail. "From composition and the rule of thirds to the importance of mic'ing people you're interviewing-a lesson I learned the hard way in class…-I learned a lot of about the technical aspects of production. But even more important, the class, and Professor Mannocchi, helped me realize that production (film and television) was what I wanted to spend my life doing."
Although the class attracts students with and without prior experience in film production, Mannocchi described her students as the "best of the best." Yet she expressed concern over the lack of support for the class from both a technological and an administrative standpoint. As a course that requires equipment outside of the norm, a support network is key. "I'm tired of fighting for this class," Mannocchi said. "My students deserve the best."
"It's been a challenge working with the [school's] equipment," Manchanda said. "The class doesn't get much attention from the administration." Mannocchi pointed to peer institutions who do have successful production-based film classes.
For Manchanda, producing documentaries-both on her own and through the class-has been an incredible learning experience. "I think it's a really effective way of communicating…more effective than writing a paper…for me, it's how I learn," she said. As a liberal arts institution, the College "should invest in a production-based film studies program" because film is "an effective way to communicate ideas," she said. "I think Colby's missing something if people don't know how to express themselves in ways other than a paper."
This year's five documentaries will be shown on May 9 in Given Auditorium. Both students and Professor Mannocchi are excited to show the fruits of their labor to the community.
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