In Their Own Words: A Media Workshop

Concurrent with our field production we will host a storytelling and filmmaking workshop for media interested individuals in the 17 to 24 age range from Emmonak and other Lower Yukon villages.  We will host accomplished filmmakers who will lead the workshop for a month, after which the instructor and workshop participants will rotate.  The participants will be paid for their time so that their financial needs are met while they take time away from whatever summer jobs they might otherwise hold.

The focus of the workshop will be to capture stories of their elders – grandkids interviewing grandparents, daughters interviewing mothers, the younger generation exploring the stories that have shaped their lives and their families, and which define their way of life.  Working with their filmmaker mentor, the group will undertake all aspects of planning, production and and aspects of post production.  Some of this material will be used for the Kings of The Yukon film, giving the workshop participants a sense of authorship with a theatrical documentary, while framing the narrative of the story in an authentic Yupik voice.

This will serve as an apprenticeship for the participants, giving them hands-on training in filmmaking and an opportunity to contribute to the production and direction of our project.  While we had originally thought about hiring local assistants and fixers, this plan has a stronger and more lasting impact on the community.  We already have a camera operator who has worked on House of Cards, HBO’s The Wire, Veep, and several feature films committed for one of the four fellowship slots.