In NYFA’s Hands-Online Social Media Micro Docs Workshops, students have the
opportunity to learn a highly marketable and potentially world-changing skill set, even
while social distancing.
The course is equally valuable for brand new filmmakers and for established pros looking to expand into this dynamic arena.
WHAT ARE MICRO DOCS?
Micro Docs (the very short documentaries seen daily in social media feeds) can reach a huge online audience. Some micro docs have done more to change the world than mass marches or even feature documentaries. In fact, they have become one of the most powerful and successful organizing and change-making tools available. Micro docs also function as digital journalism, digital marketing and explainer videos. Their purpose can range from sharing impactful stories and taking viewers to amazing places, while others are created purely to spread positivity through the digital world.
ABOUT THE PROGRAMS
The hands-on and online nature of the workshops create the perfect environment for learning to make micro docs. The best way to learn to make any kind of films is by making them - learning by doing. In this workshop, students can create world-changing micro docs and watch them spread their reach through social media without leaving home. Smartphones are perfect tools for making micro docs, and that’s how we will shoot in this workshop.
Instruction is live and interactive. Students have the chance to learn firsthand from award-winning filmmakers and under their guidance, will participate in hands-on production workshops without ever having to leave their homes. There will also be collaboration from their fellow classmates from across the glove during the development and pre production stages of their micro docs production. Students will complete the workshop with their own micro doc(s).
PROGRAM OPTIONS & DESCRIPTIONS
In the 4-Week Online Documentary Filmmaking - Social Media Micro Docs, students will learn the ins and outs of micro doc production and micro doc series production, as well as distribution optimization. Each will conceive, direct and edit three (3) micro docs, optimized for social media distribution.
In the 2-Week Social Media Micro Docs Workshop, each student will learn the ins and out of micro doc production and will conceive, direct and edit a 1 to 5 minute micro doc, optimized for social media distribution.
SCHEDULES
Classes meet online Monday - Friday, two classes per day. We offer these workshops during our regular programming and also offer the workshops at times more appropriate for Asia time zones.
Regular Programming Schedule:
12:00 p.m. - 1:30 p.m. and 2:00 p.m. - 3:30 p.m., Eastern Standard Time
9:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m., Pacific Time
5:00 p.m. - 6:30 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m., Central European Time
Asia Time Zones Programming Schedule:
8:00 - 9:30 a.m. and 10:00 - 11:30 a.m. Eastern Time
5:30 - 7:00 p.m. and 7:30 - 9:00 p.m. Indian Standard Time
3:00 - 4:30 p.m. and 5:00 - 6:30 p.m. Moscow Standard Time
MICRO DOCS PROGRAMS OFFERED
4-Week Online Documentary Filmmaking - Social Media Micro Docs
4-Week Online Documentary Filmmaking - Social Media Micro Docs (Asia Time Zones)
2-Week Online Documentary Filmmaking - Social Media Micro Docs
2-Week Online Documentary Filmmaking - Social Media Micro Docs (Asia Time Zones)
NOTABLE NYFA ALUMNI EXCELLING IN MICRO DOCS
When Gary Benchghib was 23 years old, his micro doc series "World's Dirtiest River" moved the President of Indonesian to devote 7,000 jobs for 7 years to the clean up of the Citarum River. In the two years since, Gary’s work also helped to drive a large scale clean up of Bali’s rivers. Earlier this year, he and Greta Thunberg were two of the youngest speakers at the World Economic Forum in Davos. Check out his digital platform, “Make A Change World.”
With a micro doc interview for .Mic, Kendall Ciesemier inspired Kim Kardashian to take Alice Marie Johnson’s case to Donald Trump and get her pardoned from prison. She now produces digital journalism (micro docs) for The New York Times.
Elisabetta Abrami now makes micro docs for BBC Reel for a living, including the currently viral, “This is What Quarantine in Rome Really Feels Like.”
MICRO DOCS RELATED CAREER OPPORTUNITIES Most Sought After Skills:
LinkedIn tracks the skills employers are looking for in employees, creating what is the most widely quoted list of Most Sought After Skills. Video Production ranks among their Top 10 Most Sought After Skills.Business Insider elaborates, writing that Video Production is in high demand because video will account for 82% of global internet traffic in 2022, according to Cisco.
Digital Journalism (a form of micro docs) also appears on job site, Indeed’s list. Forbes includes Explainer Videos (another form of micro docs) on their list. Upworks adds Video Post-Editing and Interviewing and Adobe Premiere Pro. NYFA’s Documentary Filmmaking - Social Media Micro Docs apply to all six.
CREATIVE INSPIRATION
If you don’t already a subject in mind, we have a few opportunities including:
The UN is calling on artists and designers to create CoVid-related public service announcements that both engage and inform at-risk citizens around the world. The right micro doc could do the same job.
Create a micro doc amazing using NASA’s stunning archive of footage and photos. They might even give you a prize
We also have a special invitation to submit interview micro docs to PBS’ POV series, “American Portrait.” (The micro doc can be made from anywhere in the world with an American interviewee.)
And SO many other possibilities!
The opportunities for micro docs topics are endless. What will you come up with?
4-Week Social Media Micro Docs Workshop students will learn the ins and outs of micro doc production and micro doc series production, as well as distribution optimization. Each will conceive, direct and edit three (3) micro docs, optimized for social media distribution.
In the 2-Week Social Media Micro Docs Workshop each student will learn the ins and out of micro doc production and will conceive, direct and edit a 1 to 5 minute micro doc, optimized for social media distribution.
Classes meet online Monday - Friday. Depending on your location class times are:
12:00 p.m. - 1:30 p.m. and 2:00 p.m. - 3:30 p.m., Eastern Standard Time
9:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m., Pacific Time
5:00 p.m. - 6:30 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m., Central European Time
▸ REQUEST INFO
▸ APPLY
1-800-611-FILM | 1-212-674-4300 
.png "Click here to see more NYFA alumni success stories")
The hands-on and online nature of the workshops create the perfect environment for learning to make micro docs. The best way to learn to make any kind of films is by making them - learning by doing. In this workshop, students can create world-changing micro docs and watch them spread their reach through social media without leaving home. Smartphones are perfect tools for making micro docs, and that’s how we will shoot in this workshop.
.png "Click here to see what other NYFA alumni are doing")
Instruction is live and interactive. Students have the chance to learn firsthand from award-winning filmmakers and under their guidance, will participate in hands-on production workshops without ever having to leave their homes. There will also be collaboration from their fellow classmates from across the glove during the development and pre production stages of their micro docs production. Students will complete the workshop with their own micro doc(s). 
