MFA candidate Jon Bougher recently finished teaching Nicaraguan children the fundamentals of documentary film as part of his outreach efforts in the country.
Utilizing Flip video cameras, Bougher conducted a 10-day workshop for six teenagers of La Chureca, a community formed near the Managua City trash dump. The workshop taught aspects of documentary theory, production and post production, and the students each created three short videos highlighting the various programs at NicaHOPE, a local outreach of Fabretto Children's Foundation.
In addition, Bougher filmed material for a short documentary that could be utilized for Fabretto's promotional purposes.
The project successfully introduced the students to documentary film while expanding on their creative abilities. Most importantly, the students were able to edit the footage on Windows MovieMaker since that program is available in their local computer lab, and Bougher was able to secure a private donation of a Flip Camera. These resources will allow the students to continue to produce videos in the future.
The workshop provided a valuable service to Fabretto Children's Foundation, as it taught teenagers the power of media while laying the groundwork for an in-house “youth media team.”
Bougher hopes to conduct similar workshops with refugees in New Hampshire, as well as local North Carolina groups. The Nicaraguan workshop was made possible due to a partnership between the Documentary Film Program and the Institute for Public Engagement.
Below is a video Bougher produced to highlight a NicaHOPE program.
The Documentary Film Program @ Wake Forest University
Box 7347, Reynolda Station | Winston-Salem, North Carolina 27109 | 336.758.3367
documentary@wfu.edu