In-person. 6 sessions: Thursdays, April 20-May 25, 6:30-9:00 pm

In this hands-on production course each student will produce and direct a short documentary film (6 minutes or less) using whatever equipment they have access to. Students may work in any genre of documentary they choose, from traditional expository documentaries, to personal and experimental work.

The course covers pre-production, production, and post-production, and we’ll apply the rules to our alternative practice while learning ways in which we can work with little or no crew. We’ll view and analyze documentaries and clips—from old educational films to cinéma vérité, to personal docs, expository, social justice, and historical films—to get a taste of the wide variety of forms that documentary can take, and to clarify what style or methods would best serve your film. We’ll also discuss strategies for filmmaking during a pandemic, such as conducting interviews on Zoom, using found or appropriated footage as an alternative to shooting, as well as filming safety protocols.

This course is open to all levels, including beginners. For those choosing to shoot, any type of camera will work, including smartphones. Students who have basic digital camera and lighting experience are entitled to one free camera package rental from FilmNorth (Canon C100, tripod, light kit, mic) during the course. Students should have access to editing software or an app, or they may schedule time weekdays to edit with Adobe Premiere at FilmNorth.  

Anyone with a work-in-progress is welcome. Or, if you want to embark on a long-form piece but want to use this class to get started and learn some strategies for production or preproduction, please join us. We’ll schedule a viewing party to occur soon after the final class session.

Thalia has a great eye and she really guides students well..she also loves the subject and her enthusiasm is infectious. —Spring 2022 student

The instructor was very helpful giving feed back. Very supportive of each student. Made time for everyone. Her enthusiasm was really awesome for getting everyone excited about their individual projects. —Spring 2022 student

Note: this in-person course is held at FilmNorth, 550 Vandalia Street, Suite 120, Saint Paul, MN 55114. The instructor will require Covid masks at certain times when students are working together in close proximity. Please bring a mask to all class sessions. FilmNorth is following CDC’s current COVID-19 variant guidance for Ramsey County:

• People may choose to mask at any time. Masks are recommended for those who are unvaccinated, immunocompromised, or at high-risk for complications associated with COVID-19 variants.
• People with any COVID-19 symptoms, a positive test, or exposure to someone with COVID-19 should stay home.

Tuition: $285 regular | $215 member | $160 low-income

Thalia Drori Ramirez is a writer, producer, and director with 30 years of experience making motion pictures: documentary, narrative, and personal/experimental. She received her MFA from New York University, and then worked in television news production and as an indie producer in New York and the San Francisco Bay Area. Her award-winning work has screened around the world. Adam Abdul Hakeem: One Who Survived, her documentary about corrupt, drug-dealing cops in New York’s South Bronx and a young man who dared to challenge them, was broadcast on PBS and BET, and continues to be used a teaching tool in law schools. Her experimental, narrative, and personal work includes the stop-motion animation comedy Corporate Sponsorship Parade, as well as dark comedies, Waiting For Darryl, Little Miss Potentiality, and her first feature: Toxic Energy ~ Little Miss Potentiality Returns.

Thalia has been teaching and mentoring students for 20 years. She was full-time faculty in Media Arts at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design. At the invitation of a women’s organization in Granada, Nicaragua, she founded Cineastas de Granada, a free-of-charge video production program for teen girls in Granada, where she taught for 12 years. In 2013, she began working in screenplay editing and reading for both Happy Writers and Women in Cinema International.

Thalia recently returned to the Twin Cities, where she continues to teach and make independent films.

Class Registration Guidelines & Cancellation Policy

• Space is assigned on a first-come basis. Registrations must include payment in full. Registrations are accepted after registration deadlines if space is available.
• If minimum enrollment has not been reached by 7 days prior to the start date of a class, FilmNorth may cancel it, in which case registrants will immediately be notified and receive a full refund within 2 business days. A check will be issued for registrations that were paid in cash. In lieu of a refund, students have the option of applying their tuition to another class scheduled in the same calendar year.
• For those needing to cancel a registration at least 7 days prior to the first class session, 100% of the tuition will be refunded minus a $25 administrative fee. For registration cancellations received less than 7 days prior to the first class session, 50% of the tuition will be refunded minus a $25 administrative fee. As of 5:00 pm the day prior to the first class session, no refunds or credits/exchanges will be given (Friday at 5:00 pm for Sunday classes). 
• Tuition is not prorated for missed class sessions.