Humanities Through Film Program Seeks Applicants

 

May 5, 2021



Juniors and seniors in high school and recent high school graduates who are fascinated by filmmaking are invited to apply for a Summer Bridge Program on the Helena College campus. In addition to filmmaking, the program entitled Humanities Through Film has threads of art, history, journalism, writing, sociology, and culture. Because space is limited, students are encouraged to complete an application by June 18, 2021.

Humanities Through Film will run for two full weeks (August 9-13 & 16-20), from 9:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Each day will typically begin on the Helena College Donaldson Campus, located at 1115 North Roberts Street in Helena. Although lodging and travel are not costs covered by the program, there are no registration fees charged to accepted applicants, and participants will receive daily lunches as well as a stipend.

Students accepted to participate will be guided by award-winning professional filmmakers, college professors, and local historians. With a team of fellow students, participants will conduct interviews, research historical archives, operate cameras, write a script, record audio, and produce a documentary film.

This summer’s film topic will focus on the underexplored impact of the 1918 Spanish Flu pandemic in Montana. Students will not only research what can be learned from this earlier virus and our successes and missteps in responding to it but explore the untold stories involving the Spanish Flu in Montana as well as the shocking similarities between this and the COVID-19 pandemic.

During this summer humanities seminar, all students will have access to state-of-the-art cameras, audio and video equipment, as well as Apple workstations throughout the program. No prior experience is required, and students from all Montana communities are encouraged to apply.

In Week One, participants will obtain an orientation to the program; engage in humanities workshops by English, Art, and Sociology faculty; and receive filmmaking instruction with such topics as camera operation, location audio, and lighting.

Week Two will focus on interviewing, data-gathering, filming, and script writing. Participants can also expect intensive film production work and film editing.

Interested students can apply by visiting the Helena College website: https://helenacollege.edu/. Scrolling down to the middle of the page will reveal a Humanities Through Film link.

Because space is limited, students are encouraged to complete the application by June 18, 2021. The application consists of questions meant to gain information about the students who are applying. Students can answer any two of the three short-answer questions. Selected students will be notified by July 1.

The program offers multiple benefits since participants will

• Learn about filmmaking and produce a documentary film;

• Write a script, interview local experts and historians, conduct archival research, design graphics, and develop a promotion and distribution plan for the film created;

• Explore the culture and history of a local community;

• Work with a variety of experts, including the Montana Historical Society’s research historians; English, Art, and Sociology faculty members; and the MAPS Media Institute;

• Use professional camera and sound recording equipment, with instruction in filmmaking and interviewing skills;

• Investigate academic offerings in humanities pathways and receive guidance about college programs and careers such as media arts, history, and journalism;

• Develop team-working and communication skills with other students while working through the challenges of producing a quality film.

This program has been made possible through the Humanities Initiatives Grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities. These highly competitive grants are designed to advance curricular innovations and enhance educational resources. Helena College was one of 21 colleges and universities nationwide to receive this three-year grant.

Other program partners are the MAPS Media Institute and the Montana Historical Society.

 
 

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