Documentary and nonfiction film education for beginners provides an entrée to work with dedicated professionals who believe passionately in their work. Although the people working in the field have diverse topics, they are usually working to make a difference in their communities, their nations and the planet. Brilliant documentary filmmakers who produce important programs have made a difference.

Engaging documentary and nonfiction films that appear in theaters and on television constantly inspire people who often wish they might present their important causes in a compelling format for large audiences, but ordinary people usually do not know where to start. Documentary film training often begins at an accredited school equipped with sophisticated facilities although some successful producers begin their documentary film education experimenting with the family camcorder.

1. Individuals interested in an nonfiction and documentary education might try a few workshops to test their dedication before making a commitment to a documentary film degree.

2. Documentary film schools offer a variety of programs and credentials.

3. Aspiring students will be able to complete a beginning documentary education in six months before making a commitment to a longer program.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Enroll in a two or four year program at a college offering documentary film programs

Individuals who are positive that their goal is a documentary film degree should immediately start applying for admission to a college that offers documentary film making courses. Most documentary film departments list the titles previously produced by their students and faculty. Review those films to find a match for your goals and general excellence from the department.

I recommend: The Documentary Center at George Washington University has an excellent reputation, distinguished faculty and impressive student work. The Newhouse School Syracuse University also has a distinguished program led by an outstanding faculty.

Apply for an internship working with documentary film programs

Documentary films are usually riveting and important, but the hard work behind any project is often invisible to the general public. An internship with documentary film programs is a great way to find out about the process for making an important film. An internship will be a great opportunity to network with successful professionals and build an attractive resume.

I recommend: Documentary Educational Resources welcome interns to assist with their great production teams. EntertainmentJobs.com provides details of many jobs from film makers who encourage applications for internships.

Attend documentary film workshops

Documentary and nonfiction film education for beginners can start with workshops which are a glimpse into the life of a documentary film producer without making a substantial commitment of time and money. Workshops are available that focus on specific topics such as working with lighting or cameras. Each student might start with a workshop that focuses on their greatest interest.

I recommend: NW Documentary Arts and Media is one of the distinguished documentary schools with an interesting workshop menu for the beginning documentary film maker. Maine Media Workshops also provides some fascinating topics with the opportunity for plenty of firsthand experience.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Enhance your resume by selecting a university that also offers graduate documentary film programs that you can pursue.

If you are an aspiring documentary film maker, finding the right documentary and nonfiction film education program is imperative to your success. Be it nonfiction film classes, documentary filmmaking workshops, documentary film making courses or enrolling in documentary schools, a new or continued education will put you ahead of your peers.

Documentary film education not only includes the use of hardware, but involves camera training as well. To pull off an aesthetic final product, you have to master all of the components to film making.

To find the right documentary film training programs for you:

1. Look at documentary film schools.

2. Consider documentary film training by means of workshop.

3. Continue your documentary film education by participating in contests that will challenge your new skills.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Look at statistics before starting your search for documentary film training programs

Before you choose to pursue documentary film training, look at some of the statistics on the field.

I recommend: Look at the documentary resource page on the Film Education site. There you can learn what a documentary is as well as learn about documentary style. Check out the U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics on the movie and film industry for more background information.

Use a documentary education search engine or directory

Instead of using Google or Yahoo, look to search engines specifically designed to give you information by programs such as documentary education.

I recommend: Look at the by state listing of U.S. film schools at Education.org. Check out the film school, acting school and broadcast journalism options available at the Film Schools & Acting Schools at the New York Film Academy. Request information from The CollegeBound Network.

Find the right documentary education tools

When pursuing documentary education, having the right tools on hand for classes and projects will help put you over the top in relation to other students. You can easily find new and used equipment online as well as discover editing programs to fit your every need.

I recommend: Check out how Apple Inc. looks to bring documentary film styles into the classroom. Look into new and used camera resources from B & H Foto & Electronics Corp. Look at the 2008 video editing software comparison at TopTenREVIEWS, Inc. All of the software packages are reasonably priced, and they give information covering a number of comparative fields.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  During the documentary education process, look for constructive criticism through professors, teachers, your peers and through contests.
• •  Before you begin your documentary film training, choose a mentor to look up to and bounce ideas off of. You should also look at whose style yours most closely emulates and pursue techniques that improve you that person's level of creativity and flow.

Whether starting a new career, expanding your current business to include new services, or sending an employee to training, it is important to consider the documentary and nonfiction film education pricing and costs and how programs differ. There are various paths to take to get quality education and training, and which is a better fit for your business might depend completely on price.

The education options to consider that vary greatly in price include the following:

1. Documentary film education in a traditional setting will provide the most in-depth training, but will be the most costly.

2. Alternative resources for documentary film training can provide a good education but cost much less.

3. Free resources for documentary film training, like internships and volunteer opportunities, are available.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Look into documentary film schools

Participating in one of the many accredited documentary film programs will provide the opportunity to learn all aspects of documentary film making and prepare students for directing and producing films. It will take a few years, but the investment in a documentary film degree will pay off. Associate programs start around $8,000, and Bachelor's programs range in price from about $30,000 to $90,000 depending on whether a school is public or private.

I recommend: The New York Film Academy has one-year documentary film making program that costs around $9,000 per semester. Burlington College offers a one to two year certificate program in documentary film making for between $14,000 and $17,700, depending on whether it is done full-time or part-time. Stanford University offers a Master of Fine Arts degree in Documentary Film, costing around $12,000 per semester.

Attend documentary film workshops

Workshops are intensive, nonfiction film classes usually spanning several days. Attending documentary filmmaking workshops is a great way to stay updated with new technology and learn new techniques or styles of documentary film making. Also, they are much more economical than taking a course in a university setting.

I recommend: Attend the four-day workshop at FilmTreks in Pennsylvania to get hands-on training for about $700. Lodging is provided for an extra fee. Search through listings of day-long documentary film making workshops at Documentary Cinema Institute. Subjects vary from lighting and audio to storytelling for between $75 and $100 per workshops after a membership fee of $20 to $300 is paid.

Get a hands-on documentary education

If the prices of nonfiction film classes are too expensive, then consider getting hands-on training as a volunteer or by working an internship. Internships are totally free except for the time spent working with and learning from professionals, networking with filmmakers, working with the tools of the trade and gaining experience.

I recommend: Find free listings for internships in documentary film at American Documentary. Search for documentary filmmaking internships at EntertainmentCareers.net.

The industry of documentary and nonfiction films is now booming, making this the time more than ever before to get an education in film making and make a go of this exciting career. Due to technological advances with digital equipment, documentary film making is now accessible to anyone, even those with minimal finances and experience. When deciding on training for becoming a filmmaker, consider the following documentary and nonfiction education key terms as a starting point for finding the right educational fit.

Action Steps
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Certificate program

A certification of documentary studies is given to award the completion of a documentary film studies program, lasting roughly one to two years, and can usually be achieved in the study of documentary film making from a trade school.

I recommend: Find out more information on earning certification in documentary film making from a school like Burlington College.

Bachelors degree

A bachelors degree is awarded for completion of a major course of study at a university or college. It is most commonly completed in four years in a documentary and nonfiction film making department of a university.

I recommend: Get a bachelors degree in filmmaking from Academy of Art University with a concentration in nonfiction film.

Graduate degree

A graduate degree is awarded to a candidate after one to four additional years of study in a field and may be a doctorate or masters degree depending on the area of study. However, only masters degrees can be achieved in documentary film making.

I recommend: Learn more about a graduate degree program in documentary film studies from Stanford University.

Internships

An internship provides the opportunity to learn on the job, getting real-time, hands-on, practical training under supervision. There are many opportunities for interns in the documentary film industry. Since most are made on a small budget filmmakers are often looking for free help.

I recommend: Read more about the benefits of getting a great internship making documentaries at a place like Kartemquin Educational Films.

Workshops

A workshop is like a seminar, or small gathering of people, that emphasizes the sharing of ideas and information amongst professionals.

I recommend: Visit the website of the Institute of Documentary Film to learn more about workshops available and the types of subjects they touch on.

New media

New media is a term used to reference an art form that utilizes mostly digital technology, such as digital art, computer graphics and computer animation. More specifically in documentary films, it means the use of the Internet for creating, distributing, showing and promoting a nonfiction film for a very low cost.

I recommend: Learn more about using new media for filmmaking with all of the resources at New Media Resources.