The University
of Otago’s Postgraduate Diploma in Natural History Filmmaking
and Communication is a one-year full-time programme taught in collaboration
with nhnz. The course is restricted to 12 students each year. The
programme consists of six papers that cover:
- the techniques required for natural history filmmaking
(NHFC 401)
- the craft of storytelling (NHFC
402)
- the ability to write creatively and critique non-fiction
(NHFC 403)
- an internship at an approved facility involved
in the production of natural history films or the communication
of science (NHFC 404)
- the production of a commercial half-hour natural
history film (NHFC 405),
and
- designing digital media for impact (DESI
411) From July 2005 this will be replaced by a new course
targetting ways of creating impact (ZOOL
419/NHFC 406)
The course runs from the beginning of the 2nd Semester (early July)
in one academic year until the end of the 1st Semester in the following
year (start of June). During the summer break (November –
February) it is expected that students will work on their films
and undergo their internships.
The aim of the course is to give graduates the requisite skills
that will enable them to become producers and directors of natural
history films, as well as an understanding of how to communicate
factual material effectively. While students will learn to use a
camera and nonlinear editing, it is not the specific intention of
this course to produce camera persons or editors (there are literally
hundreds of film schools where those skills can be acquired). But,
that being said, several of our graduates have gone on to be camera
operators or editors. What sets this course apart from all others
is its emphasis on natural history storytelling and its concentration
on how to tell such stories creatively with impact.
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