Documentary Outreach - Service Learning for Storytellers

I had a fantastic time working on a documentary that the entire team all really cared about. It was a hectic cycle of preparation, shooting, then readjusting plans for the next day but I loved it. So is showbiz. I feel that I have made good friends that I want to work with in the future. Thank you Actuality Abroad for providing all of us this opportunity.

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It's an excellent opportunity to make a short film in Less than a month. We learn to work with a team successfully that we had never met. We ended up making a good movie despite the problems that we encountered, and it became fun and straightforward. Overall it was great. I sincerely recommended it.

My experience with Actuality Media was not what I expected - but what I hoped for. As a relative novice to documentary filmmaking, it was hard, stressful and frustrating work, but making a film with three other incredibly talented and intelligent women was so rewarding and an incredible learning experience. Also shout out to our incredible production supervisors who I would not have gotten through editing week without!

Amazing experience working in Da Nang, Vietnam. I started with little experience or knowledge of film production and came away feeling confident to pursue this as a career, thanks to Actuality Media's comprehensive and rigorous training programme. And what better place to learn than in a totally unfamiliar environment with a bunch of new people. Had a great time getting to know the various characters and personalities of the community surrounding our change maker placement, and even opted to stay after the programme ended and volunteer with this organization. Thanks AM!

My 4 weeks in Belize making a film really helped give me an indicator of where my career and future projects are going. It was incredible to create an entire film, start to finish, and be proud of the end product. Besides that, I made some lifetime friendships. 9/10 too much Belikin.

This trip was invaluable to me. Someone coming from a non-film school background, I didn’t have a lot in the way of technical film production education. However, after this trip I feel much more well educated, and gained experience that I will carry with me for the rest of my career.

It was an amazing experience and will definitely be something I remember for my whole life. The friendships and connections I made on the trip are ones I hope to keep for the rest of my life. Everyone seemed genuine and real.

This was my first time leaving the country, and I had an amazing time! My instructors (Karsu and Steph) were the best and I couldn’t be happier that this was my first time directing a documentary. I loved having the opportunity to also work with a producer/editor and cinematographer, as this taught me a lot about the importance of collaboration.

I enjoyed my time in Thailand. Robin did not spend as much time as I hoped with my group. I feel like we where just thrown into filming without really knowing anything or how to work the camera. Im glad we had someone on our team who was a film major.

It was definitely ok. Chiang Mai is really loud, especially at night, and as someone who has never visited Asia before, it was a bit unexpected, but it had a good amount of history to behold when you go looking for it. I'd definitely recommend getting out of the city and into the countryside while you're in country.

The outreach programme offers you the opportunity to learn first hand the challenges and joys of developing documentary. It is a deep immersion to the culture and the film making process, working closely with your team to uncover a local story which affects the people f the town. You have the opportunity to understand and see how the people really live and the challenges that affect them, which as a tourist you wouldn't have access to.

As an overall summary: I'm glad that I went. The Lake is absolutely stunning, and the people in the communities around it are just wonderful. I did learn a lot, and I'm grateful for the friendships & connections made ... but I definitely think improvements can & should occur for future Outreach programs.

To anyone considering study abroad programs, I cannot recommend it enough. It truly opened my eyes to the possibilities that surround me, how I can help others, and how much I can learn. It is definitely challenging to encounter another culture and language, but asking questions and truly emerging yourself is all you need to do. I am a better students, and most importantly a better filmmaker after this experience. I cannot wait to learn more and travel to new places. I'm inspired to seek knowledge elsewhere.

From visiting the ancient temples, to making friends with local Khmer people, and interviewing and telling powerful stories, the whole experience was unforgettable. The program is organized and structured; they set the foundation for your documentary film by finding the change-maker and location, but lets you and the crew take creative control from there. In Cambodia, the colors were beautiful, and the people were kind. May/June was a perfect time to visit because it was the rainy season and it isn't as packed with tourists. Each day we explored and learned something new. My perspectives on the world and on storytelling are forever changed thanks to this experience. Actuality Media gave me a chance to do what I love while exploring a new part of the world. Not only did I grow as a producer, but I grew as a person. The instructors are supportive, knowledgeable, and easygoing. It was a blast getting to spend a whole month in a new city, because you really got to know the ins and outs of the area, the way of life, the language, and the people. I highly recommend that every student travels abroad, you learn more by being out of your comfort zone and from people with different lifestyles than you could ever learn in a classroom. All the while, you'll get daily lessons on production and learn new storytelling skills. I've been graduated and working in my field, and I still feel like I took away new knowledge. Thank you Actuality Media for the experience of a lifetime!

Overall, the program was a valuable learning and life experience. Concerningly, however, Actuality Media did not arrange for Moroccan filming permits, resulting in the police shutting down our shoot and our changemaker having to pay a bribe.

It's impossible not to learn a ton from the process of making a documentary start to finish in a few weeks in a foreign country. You learn a lot about the storytelling process, you learn a lot about the organization that you're working with, you learn about the culture, and you learn about your place as a foreigner and filmmaker. The program was mostly hands-off, basically you partnering with other students and going at the filmmaking process on your own. It was challenging in so many ways but really rewarding and a lot of fun. As far as criticism goes, perhaps you would get higher quality instruction or a more motivated peers in a more academic program. Only do this program if you are looking for a mix of fun, touristy experiences, and film experiences. As far as balancing those two things, this program is pretty good. You will have fun, hang out, and make a film at the same time.

This program provides an incredible opportunity to go abroad, learn a lot about documentary filmmaking, and meet incredible people. You get to be a part of a film crew and create a film about a non profit organization. From research to planning to shooting to editing, the amount of experience I gained will be crucial to my future.

I loved my experience with Actuality Media on the documentary outreach to Nicaragua. I learned a lot and had a fun time, not just with the students in my program and the supervisors, but the local we met as well.