Learn and practice the complete process of documentary filmmaking in one of Mexico’s few remaining resort-free stretches of coastline.  Submerge yourself in film study in this bucolic Mexican beach town as you capture its stories all located within a 5-minute walk of our ocean front classroom.

Zipolite, or “Zipo” as it is affectionately called by locals, is a quiet, laid-back town. Blink and you may drive through without realizing it. But as filmmakers, our eyes are wide open. The first week’s focus is on finding and capturing stories. There’s a myriad of choices. Follow surfers who live for waves. Interview transients who’ve stayed for decades. Or tackle more cerebral themes like the intermixing of modern life with indigenous culture.

Each student will shoot, produce and edit a documentary short. Every aspects of filmmaking comes into play whether you are producing large or small. You’ll learn pacing and structure, exposure and composition, key board short cuts and audio mixing.

Beach life in Zipo is surprisingly conducive to our day’s work. A morning dip in the ocean or yoga class is a nice start. Mornings and afternoons are time for practicing camera and capturing stories. As the sun reaches its zenith, it is time to seek the shade of our classroom or work on the edit in your air-conditioned room. At its core, Zipolite is a tourist town; it is very safe and English is the lingua franca.

This introductory course is ideal for the still photographer whose goal is to transition to video, the videographer who needs to edit their own material, or the editor who dreams of leaving their computer for a sunny beach. You will leave Mexico as a complete filmmaker with a documentary for your work reel. Or stay for the advanced Cinewright project.

The Sea Turtle Project
Advanced Storytelling
November 1st – 15th, 2020
Max: 4 students

Dive deep into creative non-fiction filmmaking. Be part of a 4-student crew as you work directly with Tom to produce a nature documentary. The workshop is open to students with a firm foundation in either camera, editing or producing yet wishing to broaden their skill set.

We will film the story of the environmental battle to save the Sea Turtle from extinction. Just down the road from Zipo is one of the world’s top five turtle nesting areas. This is a rare opportunity to see these elusive creatures in the wild. They come to shore by the thousands, landing on the fifteen miles of beach that make up the turtle sanctuary. We’ll learn and use underwater cameras, drones and camera stabilizers. We will work closely with the Sea Turtle Center in the neighboring town of Mazunte as well as with communities that have changed their dependance on hunting the sea turtle. More importantly, we will seek out the human side of a rare environmental success story.

Our film may air on the Mexican State television channel CorTV. It will also be given to the Sea Turtle Center to support their work. Documentaries do make a difference.