News

AU and “Backpack en Español”

WASHINGTON, DC, 15 November 2016 — American University is featuring an article about my “Backpack Documentary en Español” class, the first-ever Spanish-language class to be taught in the School of Communication. To read the article (in English), click HERE. And below is a bit of information from my syllabus: El primer curso impartido en español […]

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AU Backpack Filmmaker on Borneo’s Disappearing Forest

WASHINGTON, DC, 15 November 2016 — Kent Wagner is one of my “Backpack Documentary” students at American University’s (AU) School of Communication (SOC). He also is the winner of an AU/Pulitzer Center International Reporting Fellowship. Kent was able to execute this project as a result, in part, of having won $2,500.00 that goes along with […]

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$200 Off Backpack Workshop!

WASHINGTON, DC, 14 November 2016 — This is what you save at the the Backpack Video Workshop on December 8-11. That’s right. You get a $200 discount. At a time when global storytelling is accessible to anyone with a cell phone and access to the Internet, the ability to speak the visual storytelling language is […]

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Steve Jeter at Backpack Class

WASHINGTON, DC, 7 November 2016 — I’m delighted to announce that filmmaker Steve Jeter will visit my Backpack Documentary class at American University’s School of Communication (SOC) this Wednesday 9 November. Based in Washington, DC, Jeter is a highly accomplished freelance filmmaker who co-produced, “Un Architecte,” a stunning short film that I routinely share with […]

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It’s Your Skills. Not Your Gear.

WASHINGTON, DC, 7 November 2016 — This is where we are today. As I did just last year in the Ecuadoran Amazon, we can now use cell phones to make high-definition documentaries with an absolute minimum of gear. (To see the film I made with an iPhone in the Amazon, click HERE.) The key is […]

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FREE at Backpack Workshop!

WASHINGTON, DC, 5 November 2016 — Get a FREE copy of my Essential Video Journalism Field Manual, Second Edition! Join us on December 8-11, 2016, for a Backpack Video Journalism Field Manual in Washington, DC. For details, click HERE. My Field Manual covers the full range of skills required for effective visual storytelling—from idea development […]

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