Here at Wesleyan, we are known for bringing passions together. Everyone knows someone who knows someone who is majoring in Film and Biology or Dance and Neuroscience. And even after Wesleyan, we love hearing about people who have found interesting ways to bring their passions together. One of our service-learning classes helped students to learn how they could tailor their interests to their passions through combining film and advocacy. This course, FILM 150: Documentary Advocacy allowed for students who had little to no experience in film previously, to allow their own interests guide their own documentary advocacy. From the course’s website:

This film production course is aimed at serving non-film studies majors who wish to make a documentary in support of a cause or an organization. Students will learn the fundamentals of documentary film production while studying examples in which documentary films have been used to advocate on behalf of groups and individuals seeking to make social change. Production lessons include shooting verité footage, lighting interviews, the use of wireless lavalier microphones, and documentary editing techniques. This course is especially designed for seniors with specific interests in social issues that can be addressed by shooting in the immediate Middletown area and is also open to seniors with a more general interest in advocacy filmmaking.

This course produced several incredible documentaries, but one that stands out is entitled “Wild Wesleyan” and documents the beginnings of WildWes on campus. As someone who was a student during the transition of the WestCo Courtyard into an actual (and beautiful) permaculture space, it was interesting to revisit the challenges WildWes first encountered on campus. And as WildWes know expands, allow this documentary to show you more about the importance of this movement.

To discover more advocacy documentaries, please click here.

To learn more about WILDWes, please click here.