The Center for East Asian and Pacific Studies (EAPS), the Asian Educational Media Service (AEMS), and Applied Technologies for Learning in the Arts & Sciences (ATLAS) at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, invite applications for a weekend workshop on documentary digital video for scholars in Asian Studies, May 15-16, 2008, in Urbana, Illinois.

This workshop is intended for faculty and graduate students who are interested in turning a current Asia-focused research project into a documentary digital video for an educational or public audience. Today’s user-friendly media inspires many scholars to envision an audio-visual expression of their research. We will offer eight such scholars introductory training towards the creation of a professional video, in the context of an academic career.

The workshop will provide an introductory overview of the filmmaking process, from framing your project, through funding and planning, to filming in the field, and finally, to post-production and distribution. Equipment choices, ethical issues, and resources for further assistance will be discussed. Both lecture and hands-on components will be included. Participants will produce a short interview project in the course of the weekend. No prior experience or training in media design or techniques is assumed. The workshop will be led by both academics with filmmaking experience and professional filmmakers with research experience.

Eligibility: Scholars at any level of seniority affiliated with an academic and/or research institution. Graduate students should have already defined their dissertation project. Applicants must have an original, current research project on an Asian topic (any discipline), a portion of which they envision expressing in documentary video format. Participation is competitive; successful applicants will have delineated a video project which addresses a gap in available Asian Studies media and will have the potential for bringing this project to fruition. Those accepted must complete a questionnaire and prepare assigned readings prior to attending the workshop. Accommodations for May 14-16 and meals for May 15-16 are included; graduate students will be offered assistance with transportation up to $400.

After completing the workshop, participants will be eligible to compete for two small seed grants to produce pilot videos to launch their projects.

Application deadline: February 28, 2008

Visit the AEMS website for more information: http://www.aems.uiuc.edu/events/educator_events/digitalasia.html