UDC Program Details – Documentary Film, Radio, Photography | Presentation + Production

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Openings for September 2011

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Program Details

The UnionDocs Collaborative

A program for non-fiction media research and group production

Application Deadlines

There are two applications deadlines. The first, July 8, 2011, (rolling deadline extension from June 24th) is for applicants interested living at UnionDocs through the residency option, and the second, JULY 22,2011, is for non-resident applicants. Six applicants will be accepted in each category.

All application should be submitted online. To be considered complete, applications require an application fee of $25 to be paid through Paypal and two letters of recommendation. Strong applicants will be scheduled for interviews following the deadlines.

Important Dates:

June 24-July 8, 2011
Resident Application Rolling Deadline.
June 25-July 14, 2011
Scheduled interviews.
Rolling until July 15, 2011
Resident notification.

July 22, 2011
Non-resident Application Deadline.
July 23-31, 2011
Scheduled interviews.
August 1, 2011
Non-resident notification.

September 1, 2011
Resident move-in.
September 17, 2011
First UDC meeting.

Overview

The UnionDocs Collaborative (UDC) is a one-year program for twelve emerging media producers. It is both a rigorous platform for exploring contemporary approaches to the documentary arts and a process for developing an innovative group project. The program focuses on providing what we believe are the most effective resources for individuals at the beginning of their careers:

mentoring toward the production of original work.
dynamic interaction among a network of talented peers.
direct contact and structured exchange with visiting artists and industry experts.
exposure to a wide variety of practices and models.
regular group critique sessions.
exposure through a toured exhibition and/or publication of annual project.

The UDC is an affordable program scheduled for individuals who work full-time or freelance. To get the most out of the program, however, a significant time commitment is required and participants are encouraged to treat the UDC as their main creative focus for the year that they are involved. In this way, UnionDocs is able to offer an intensive year-round learning experience at a price that one might expect to pay for a single University course. While the UDC may have many parallels to parts of a masters program, it is designed to be an alternative-approach that focuses on inspiration from working artists and self-organization within a group. The UDC does not grant degrees or certificates; instead, the completion of an excellent collaborative project is the goal.

Or, in the words of Mandy Rose, Senior Fellow at the UK's Digital Cultures Research Center:

"Before the evening panel I did a presentation for the UnionDocs Collaborative – a unique Masters-equivalent programme for early career media producers, theorists, and curators – now in its second year. Last year’s group made work inspired by Roland Barthes ground-breaking collection of essays,”Mythologies”. This year they’re focussing on the Williamsburg neighbourhood where UnionDocs is located, and have just completed a fast turnaround remake of an archive documentary about the area. I sat in on a seminar and was interested to see the programme in action. They were knocking around issues of authenticity and performance in the director’s position in first-person documentary, having watched Sherman’s March. My memories of my media studies MA are hazy, but I don’t think there was the kind of open, inquiring, critical discussion that I saw here... If you’re interested in documentary and looking for a Masters programme in the US, I’d recommend you check it out."
- From Collab Docs.

The Brooklyn Rail recently summed it up with the title of their feature article: "UnionDocs Brings Autuers Together."

For some, participation in the program may lead to further study. For others, it may lead to independent projects or strengthened careers within the industry. For all, it is an unparalleled immersion in the expansive field of non-fiction media and art.

Masterclasses and Events

The twelve carefully-selected participants in the UDC have open access to all UnionDocs Documentary Bodega. Over the course of the year, running from September to June, we host over 100 such events representing the best in contemporary and past nonfiction work in film/video, sound, writing, photography, and interactive. In addition to regularly attending these public events, participants also attend private masterclasses and seminars with more than thirty visiting experts; artists, curators, producers, critics, and academics who represent the most exciting voices in the documentary field. For a masterclass, a visiting artist often shares the detailed history of a particular project from both a practical and a theoretical perspective and then enters into an extended discussion with the group. For a seminar, a visiting expert will generally present a short lecture and then engage the group in a close reading of the week's assigned media and text selection. When appropriate, visitors may also offer critiques of works-in-progress by participants of the UDC. Based on individual initiative and with support from the Programmer and the UnionDocs staff, participants may curate public events, bringing the artists of their choice for masterclasses and presentations. Check back soon for a growing list of confirmed masterclasses and screenings for Fall 2011.

Production

The central goal of the program is the production of an annual project, a unique collaborative documentary work, offering a way for the group to author individual pieces within the context of a larger framework. The annual project approaches a singular subject from multiple perspectives, following multiple stories, and containing work in multiple media. The subject of the project and the process for developing this work is led by the Artistic Director and implemented by the Program Directors, all of whom possess expertise in both non-fiction media and collaborative structures. The final manifestation of the whole project will vary from year to year as a suitable constellation of formats are chosen by the Program Directors and the Artistic Director; one year's project might be a DVD and book, another might end up as an installation and a website. All projects will be shown first at UnionDocs and then seek broader channels of distribution including festivals, seminars, museums, online streaming, and broadcast.

"Documenting Mythology," the 2010 project of the UDC, was premiered at Documentary Fortnight: The Museum of Modern Art's International Festival of Nonfiction Film in February of 2010. Planning is underway for a multi-city tour of this project starting in September 2011. The 2011 Collaborative Project was showcased at TEDxBrooklyn, workshopped at the docXchange initiative at HotDocs and will preview at UnionDocs this June. It will then take part in this year's Visible Evidence 18, the international conference on documentary film and media in August, and screen in early September as part of Rooftop Films Summer Series.

Weekly Schedule

From mid September through June, the UDC schedule is fairly consistent. While scheduled for people who work days, it is a significant commitment of time. Weekdays, participants independently find time in their schedule for production, readings, and other UDC exercises and projects. Weekends, they get together for screenings and events with Sunday claiming the greatest concentration of activity. Expect 4-8 hours of work towards production, 4 hours of assigned watching and reading, and 4-10 hours of meetings, seminars, masterclasses, screenings. That's about 14-22 hours each week. National holidays are respected and some variation to the schedule does occur.

Saturdays

Sundays

Wednesdays

Define Non-Fiction

While we confidently pronounce a focus on non-fiction media and a passion for documentary arts, UnionDocs also admits a certain amount of uncertainty as to what these terms actually mean. Where can one draw the line between disciplines? How does a new generation of hybrid projects fit in the traditional picture? Different definitions seem appropriate in different contexts, and we question the value of being limited to a singular position. It is obvious, for instance, that authors of fictional worlds and imaginary subjects may also claim Truth as a goal of their storytelling. So, that particular word is not helpful in clarifying the kinds of narratives and representations that the presentations and productions at UnionDocs explore.

Perhaps, it's actually the opposite that attracts us. It may be that non-fiction's failure is what motivates. Unlike fiction, where an artist may attempt to assume absolute authority over the narrative presented, non-fiction can never aspire to perfection or be complete. To simply present an account as fact, opens it to conflict and contention. Yet, inter-subjective agreement on such representations is a necessity in society. An open forum is thus required to pursue additional perspectives on the story, to learn about recent developments with the subject, and to understand the choices involved in the storytelling. You might say that, on it's way into the historical record, non-fiction works must be taken to court, be debated and discussed in depth, and each individual must validate or reject for themselves the truths that have been claimed.

UnionDocs may provide such a court. Beyond the commitment to open dialogue, however, it does not have a manifesto, dogmatic curriculum, or specific moral philosophy. It is fair to suggest, though, that many people involved in the organization are concerned that the dominant approaches to non-fiction seem to have an overabundance of faith in the ability of a recording device and its operator to approach objectivity. Without dishonoring the goal or falling into cynicism, we do wonder if there might be more appropriate, more effective, or simply different approaches to representing the real. At the very least, we think it is up for discussion.

- Christopher Allen, Artistic Director

Participant Testimonials

"I joined the UnionDocs Collaborative to expand my stylistic boundaries, expose myself to new ways of approaching non-fiction media, and to stretch my definition of the forms documentary can take. I've found all of this in my experience at UD. As a radio producer long immersed in the world of sound, I've loved the chance to learn from and work closely with filmmakers, and I believe the two disciplines have much offer one another. Professionally, my time with the collaborative helped guide me out of the stylistic rut I'd found myself in, and has given me the forum to test ideas I might not have otherwise experimented with. It's also been a supportive community of peers, people I've already involved in my extra-UD professional life, and will continue to in the future."

- Tina Antolini, UDC participant 2009/10, radio producer for NPR's State of the Re:Union

"I see UnionDocs as fundamentally responsible for my growth and education as an aspiring media-maker over the past year. The Collaborative Project provided me with a forum in which to exchange ideas and documentary practices with a range of accomplished filmmakers, radio producers and artists--people I likely would not have otherwise met. The value of interacting with these people on a regular basis was immense, and I continue to reap the benefits of their individual experiences and knowledge. The Collaborative Project process radically challenged and expanded my notions of the definition of documentary art, and the role of that art in society. It influences my production practices and thoughts every day."

- Rahul Chadha, UDC participant 2009/10, writer, journalist, and aspiring filmmaker

Documentary Bodega

We call our weekend series The Documentary Bodega because, though now renovated and equipped out with hi-def technology, the space was once a typical NYC bodega. With a 52 seat capacity, the audiences at UnionDocs are small but very dedicated. For the UDC, open access to this program offers regular interaction with a wider public and exposure to the perspectives of many different interest groups.

Sophie Fiennes, whose film "The Pervert's Guide to Cinema" was one of our first events and screened to a packed house, wrote us that "It is these kinds of screenings that I really like, as I believe in the collective event of cinema, it's how I prefer to see films myself at any rate." And though the event capacity is small, thousands of people visit our website monthly to read our blog and subscribe to our podcast.

We see these events as an important opportunity for a lasting dialogue, itself worthy of documentation. Post-show audience discussions are recorded, produced and presented online. In our past screenings events, the intimate and somewhat non-conventional environment has made for truly great conversations. The participants of the UDC are at the core of this evolving debate.

The 2010-11 series is overseen by Programmer, Steve Holmgren, working with with the Artistic Director, our Advisory Council, and select guest curators. In partnership with the Programmer and the UnionDocs staff, participants in the UDC will also have the opportunity to initiate public events, bringing the artists of their choice for masterclasses and public presentations.

Below find a selection of artists who have been presented previously at The Documentary Bodega, and/or given masterclasses and seminars with the UDC. Or take a look at our full listing of past events.