Doc on Campus: Portrait & Biography series
When documentarians decide to tell someone or something's story, they take on the responsibility of connecting one person's experience, whether monumental or intimate, personal or professional, discouraging or uplifting, and sharing the interior or exterior journey taken by the subject. Whether in sound, image, film or exhibition, they find the universal in a single case. This fall, MDOCS explores how documentary creators decide to take on specific subjects and how they make them compelling, resonant and relevant, and how they draw us into a moment or a longer trajectory.
The Portrait and Biography monthly series takes place one Monday each month this semester (September 19; Ocober 17; November 14) and showcase a different documentary practitioner's project as they developed a portrait/biography through their work. The events range in diversity of medium from audio to photo to film and diversity of subjects from ecology to social issues to brain injury ramifications.
Join in the conversation by attending these free events all open to the Skidmore community and the public. Visit the MDOCS site for more on MDOCS fall Doc Dates.
Erika Schielke: Podcast portraits of Environmental Fieldwork in the Adirondacks
Monday, September 19 at 7 p.m., Wilson Chapel
Senior Instructor Erika Schielke (biology) will present excerpts from her podcast that creates an audio portrait of field research told in a way that is accessible to the greater public. Her podcast explores environmental issues in the Adirondack region covering topics such as moose population tracking to the impact of road salting near Lake George to rattle snake tagging in the Northeast. Join her for a night of listening and discussion moderated by Lucas Willard (WAMC).
Daesha Devón Harris—Through a Native Lens: Portraiture, social documentary and narrative in
Saratoga
Monday, October 17 at 7 p.m., Emerson Auditorium
Daesha Devón Harris is a Saratoga Springs native and accomplished photographer and artist that creates powerful multimedia pieces that speak to social issues in a creative and compelling way. Join her in discussing the responsibilities you take on in portraying someone else's story.
Adam Hall—Offset (film): A life blurred and re-envisioned
Monday, November 14, 7–9 p.m., Emerson Auditorum
Adam Hall is a New York City–based producer, director and editor who has created award-winning shows and documentary projects for ABC, Food Network, BET, ESPN, Travel Channel, Bravo and online outlets.
For television, Adam has edited hit series including Extreme Makeover and Throwdown as well as Emmy award-winners Rachael Ray, Barbecue Addiction and Grill It! He was the executive producer of the documentary mini series Season of the Tiger and produced web series for comedian Horatio Sanz and chef Bobby Flay. As director, he covered the Arnold Schwarzenegger Classic for ESPN and works with nonprofit organizations to help promote their causes.
Film Synopsis: After a catastrophic brain injury and multiple brain surgeries, globetrotting photographer Brian Nice is wheelchair-bound and confined to his childhood home as he struggles to regain basic motor functions. When his health insurance no longer covers physical therapy sessions, Nice decides to take his therapy into his own hands, embarking on a cross-country road trip to photograph the American landscape, replicating the unique way he now sees the world.
