Are you a highly-motivated student with the ambition to become a renowned documentary film maker? Then apply to our exclusive CampusDoc International Minor programme and join the club of CampusDoc alumni.
During one semester, you’ll learn to produce, film, edit, and maybe even sell your own 20 to 25-minute video documentary.
This is an intensive programme; you can expect to work long hours and adhere to tight deadlines. But the rewards are evident: past CampusDoc productions have been screened at festivals around the globe. A thorough selection process is therefore part of the application.
The documentaries are produced in teams of two. Participants must be dedicated, hard-working, and able to commit themselves full-time to a project they believe in.
The programme of this minor can also be attended in Dutch as CampusDoc.
Admission
CampusDoc is meant for talented students interested in video storytelling who want to delve deeper into issues they care about, as well as develop their visual storytelling skills beyond what is required in standard broadcast journalism.
To apply to the programme, your English language skills must be at CEFR level B2. In addition you:
- are an advanced student, preferably in Journalism, Media, or Film;
- possess existing journalism/video skills – either through education or through work;
- demonstrate a serious interest in documentary film making.
To apply you must submit the following:
- a pitch* in which you present your plan for the documentary. You can pitch solo or in duos;
- a motivation letter and CV;
- a video showreel (1 min.)
After your learning agreement has been signed by Hogeschool Utrecht, you will receive an invitation for the pitch from the minor contact persons (Pim Mak en Milada Stipetic).
The first round of pitches will take place on April 3. Round 2 is scheduled for late May/early June.
The Examination Board determines which minors do not have a higher professional education level and/or have an unacceptable overlap with the compulsory curriculum of your own study programme. Check at the page Not allowed minor courses under your institute which minors are not allowed. This page will be updated from 29 February 2024 for the 2024-2025 minor offer.
Content
The minor will take you through the entire process of documentary film production: from concept to premiere. You will also complete additional video assignments and work on perfecting your technical and storytelling skills, as well as develop a distribution plan based on your expectations and goals for the film.
HU operates this programme in collaboration with various international partners, including the City University of New York (CUNY). The course includes a voluntary study trip to one of these partner institutes.
The minor consists of:
- An introduction to storytelling and narrative strategies;
- Advanced filming, editing, and post-production;
- Drafting an extended production plan and shooting script based on real-world research;
- Launching a real crowdfunding campaign to finance your doc;
- Delivering a package of (promotional) artwork, a trailer and a 20 to 25-minute video documentary;
- Developing an international distribution plan;
- Insight into intellectual property and royalties;
- Insight into film festival culture and personal branding
Learning objectives
Our goals are ambitious and the course is an intense pressure-cooker period of long hours and demanding deadlines.
CampusDoc covers all aspects of the documentary filmmaking process; we are unique among other documentary programmes in that we combine hands-on coaching and theories on film analysis and script-writing with tutorials from editors, researchers, filmmakers, as well as producers, entertainment lawyers and distributors. The goal is for participants to get their work seen and go on to make new work long after having completed CampusDoc.
Courses
The programme contains the following:
| Title | Activities |
| Pre-production | Preparation, research, script development |
| Production | Filming & editing your documentary, providing feedback to your peers during two viewing sessions |
| Post-production | Colour grading, sound design, artwork, 1-minute trailer |
| Distribution Plan | Crowdfunding, e-commerce-global market film festivals |
Assessment
CampusDoc uses a holistic, integrated assessment process, conducted by two supervisors who consider your work during the entire process, specifically:
- Production plan;
- Final shooting script;
- Marketing and distribution plan;
- 20-25 minute journalistic video documentary;
- Festival package: documentary + artwork + trailer
Literature
The minor will be taught based on the following literature. Before the start of the course you will receive/be issued the final reading list.
- Directing the Documentary, 6e Edition, Michael Rabiger
- In the Blink of an Eye, Walter Murch
- The Hero With a Thousand Faces, Joseph Campbell
Schedule
Courses take place five days a week and can continue into the evening.
With the exception of the first teaching period of the academic year (starting September), the lesson and test schedules are always posted on Mijn Rooster four weeks before the start of each teaching period. The schedule for the first teaching period of the academic year can be found on the site three weeks before the start. The most up-to-date schedule is always visible on Mijn Rooster.
At HU, full-time education may be scheduled between 08:30 and 19:00.
Additional costs
For the voluntary study trip to one of our partner institutes (City University of New York, or Cork) you’ll need a travel budget of € 1,800.
This minor course is marked by the Green Office as a sustainable minor. This means that by participating in this minor course, you can contribute to one or more of the Sustainable Development Goals from the UN.