Global Media Adventures: Courses

PLEASE NOTE: GMA IS NOT OFFERING SUMMER 2008 COURSES IN COSTA RICA.

2007 Curriculum

In the summer of 2007, Global Media Adventures will offer two programs: The Documentary Film Workshop will run from June 9th – July 7th; The Advanced Documentary Film Internship begins July 10th and runs through August 11th. Graduates of both programs will receive GMA certification and credit for work completed. Many graduates of past programs have recieved college credit for their work with GMA. Note: It is possible (and recommended) to combine the two courses.

Documentary Film Workshop

Week One:
Fly into Liberia, Costa Rica and meet the GMA staff. We drive to Samara and have a welcome dinner and orientation session. The rest of the week, we will explore Sámara, go through orientation and learn the basics of Mini-DV cameras. Students will watch nightly documentary films.

For the first weekend, students will hit the beach and learn to surf on Samara’s great waves with Chris, Choco and the team from C&C Surf Shop. Always the most popular activity of the program, a session with the C&C guys will have you riding the waves in no time.

Week Two:
Over the next ten days, you will have four days of advanced camera and four days of Final Cut editing. Days will be divided between class time and field work. These are our most rigorous weeks. By the end of these sessions you will be shooting and editing at a level that you could not imagine just 10 days earlier

Third weekend – Trip to the Rio Tempisque. Ride the riverboats up through the jungle and look for lizards, birds and crocodiles. We will have lunch in a riverside village for a typical Costa Rican meal in the homes of our local guides.

Week Three:
Production, Writing and On-Camera Work.
GMA instructors will work with groups of students to hone their skills and explain the principles of a digital journalism career both in front of and behind the camera.

Over the weekend we will take an overnight filming trip to Montezuma. This picturesque village towards the Southern tip of the Nicoya is a laid-back and stunning collection of quaint shops and restaurants on the water next to a nature reserve. Montezuma is known for its fantastic waterfalls and we will ride the ziplines. On Sunday, we will have lunch by the beach in rugged and wild Mal Pais before heading back to Samara.

Week Four:
Break into small groups and work on short documentary projects. Those who demonstrate mastery of the skills will receive GMA Documentary Film certification. Student films will be screened on the last night at the GMA Samara International Film Festival celebration.

Cost: $4800 (includes lodging, classes, breakfast, lunch & dinner (Mon-Sat), transportation, equipment, adventure activities, surfing, overnight trip to Montezuma, trip to the Tempisque, and many special events. For more information about costs, please visit our FAQ page).

Advanced Documentary Film Internship:

In the GMA Advanced Documentary Film Internship, students will work on a professional documentary project with the GMA staff. Students will have the opportunity to learn all aspects of professional documentary filmmaking by operating in the field. This program is a hybrid between in the field, professional level shoots and advanced seminars on film marketing, distribution, festival strategy and public relations. This program is not designed to teach you to shoot, edit or produce films -- if you seek to raise your skill levels in those areas, you should first take the GMA workshop.

This workshop has a very limited number of spaces. The prerequisites for this program are the GMA Documentary Film Workshop, an equivalent course or demonstrable personal experience in digital journalism or filmmaking.

Participants will work to develop, produce, shoot and edit a full-length documentary on Costa Rica for broadcast use. While there will be time to enjoy Costa Rica during this workshop, the primary focus of this program is the production of the documentary.

Only experienced students who are committed to the hard work and strenuous conditions associated with filming a documentary in the field should apply. This is a very challenging program and only those students who are committed to the workload and responsibilites associated with this type of project should apply. This a a very rewarding program but you will work hard. If you have further questions about the qualifications necessary for participation, please contact GMA director Justin Oppmann (Justin@globalmediaadventures.com).

Note: We highly recommend that you combine the GMA Documentary Film Workshop and the Advanced Internship. In past years, the students who complete the Workshop are usually far more advanced in their skills (even if they have never touched a camera before GMA) than students joining the program halfway through the summer. Please contact the GMA staff for more details and special pricing on the combined program.

Cost: $4800 (includes lodging, breakfast and lunch (Mon-Fri), transportation, equipment, surfing and some special events. For more information about costs, please visit our FAQ page).