This is an important time for documentary filmmaking. The Internet, cable and direct-satellite delivery, PODS and ZUNEs, and other digital media are creating new opportunities for the distribution of engaging documentaries. Advances in production technology, such as inexpensive cameras and computer-based non-linear editing systems, are making it possible to create professional-quality documentaries on relatively modest budgets.
The Program in Documentary Film and History (DFH) is an opportunity for graduate study designed for students seeking professional excellence in researching and producing documentary films concerning historical subject matter, and in understanding the nature and uses of such films. The DFH program offers students the skills and savvy required to take full advantage of the expanding possibilities for non-fiction film through a rigorous course of instruction and interdisciplinary synthesis encompassing the following areas:
- historiography (professional methods of historical research);
- film production, including script writing; and
- funding and distribution, including proposal writing.