UMD-Winter: United Kingdom: Documentary Filmmaking in London (COMM)

Documentary Filmmaking in London explores digital film production in one of the world's most exciting locations, London's West End. The course considers the history and contemporary form of the documentary, blending theory (including CRT) and cultural studies with practice. We will make a series of short films to highlight important social conditions. Given our privileged location in the center of London, and our day researching in Oxford, this class will encourage you to tap the political, social, and cultural resources within the city.

London presents challenges and rewards to the filmmaker; public spaces and city parks, universities, classic and contemporary architecture, mass transportation, a local population blended with travelers from around the world. Shooting and producing in London gives students the opportunity to test their logistical and creative talents. The goal of this course is to produce professional grade films in one of the world's most media-rich environments.

The skill set needed to produce new media has become a desired asset for today's communication student. Many organizations produce their own in-house media instead of out-sourcing digital production to studios. The course will culminate with a final individually directed documentary short film of 10-minutes in length.

Important updates to the course include readings and discussion of theory around social justice, gender, identity, and race. For the first time the course will include a Gen Ed option (Scholarship in Practice and Understanding Plural Societies). The regularized course number in ELMS is COMM377, good news on multiple fronts for students working toward graduation requirements.

Just as you would expect to read important work in a writing workshop, we will screen and critique a range of great documentary films inside of a cultural context. This course blends documentary theory, tradition, criticism, and practice.

Visit the program's Facebook page to speak with alumni, see past projects and more! Be sure to check out the program's Instagram as well!

The film below was produced by a student on this program in a previous year. Take a look!

Come in Love from Lauren Frost on YouTube.

Here is another one about London's skating scene from Josh C. Loock!

Add This Upcoming Information Session to Your Calendar!
Time: Sept 27, 2023 2:00 PM
Zoom Meeting: https://umd.zoom.us/j/7935509515

You must be in good academic and judicial standing and you must not have any registration blocks to participate in this program. The minimum GPA for this program is listed above.

UMD and non-UMD freshmen, sophomores, juniors, seniors, and graduate students are eligible to apply.

If you are interested in this program but do not meet the eligibility requirements, reach out to the program leader (listed in the Contacts tab) to discuss your interest in the program.

INFO SESSION
TBA

After you commit to the program, Education Abroad will enroll you in one of the following three (3) credit UMD courses:

• COMM377: Digital Media in London

The credit you earn during this program will count as resident credit. COMM377 also satisfies the Scholarship in Practice and Understanding Plural Societies General Education Categories.

You will stay in shared accommodations in apartments located in central London.

Costs listed are for winterterm 2024.

Please refer to the following resources for funding study abroad:

Financial Aid
Scholarships
Financial Policies

*This program qualifies for eligible Pell Grant recipients to apply for the Gilman International Scholarship. Online applications will open in mid-August and are due Thursday, October 5, 2023, at 11:59pm PT.

*Non-UMD graduate students will need to pay a $75 application fee to the UMD Graduate School to participate in this program.

PLEASE NOTE: All University of Maryland study abroad programs are financially self-supporting and, therefore, subject to cancellation due to low enrollment.

Adam Nixon is a filmmaker and television producer with a Ph.D. from UMD, an M.A. in Cinema Studies from NYU and an M.F.A in directing. Adam has been a finalist in the Sundance Screenwriting contest and an Official Selection of the Beverly Hills Film Festival, the Los Angeles Film and Script Festival, the Cannes Underground Film Festival, The San Tropez and Nice Film Festival and the Mountain Film Festival. He is instructional faculty in the Communication Department as a Full Time Professional Track Lecturer teaching courses in documentary, screenwriting and digital media. Adam has produced over 700 television broadcasts; primarily political talk shows in the U.S. and internationally (Middle East, Europe, North Africa). He received a National Emmy Award Nomination as a Field Producer with NBC Nightly News on September 11, 2001.

For course, itinerary or in-country information, please contact the Program Leader. For general questions or assistance with applying, contact EA Short-term Programs.

As a part of this program, you will engage in the following activities:

• Field production of student directed documentary films in London's West End
• Group trips to Oxford University
• Live Theater in West End
• Research at The British Library with research projects based on the British Documentary tradition and application of that tradition in New Media
• Visit to New Media production house in London, and social justice organization
• Visits to Tate Modern, The National Museum, The New Globe, Covent Garden