UnionDocs

Benefits / Expectation Review

 

BENEFITS

• Over 35 seminars and masterclasses with visiting artists and experts.
• Participation in a collaborative documentary project geared for public exhibition.
• Over 40 production meetings and group critiques led by CoLAB Program Director.
• Free attendance to over 100 UnionDocs screenings, exhibitions, lectures, listening rooms, parties and other events.
• Access to UnionDocs in house digital production and exhibition equipment.
• Access to media facility for digital post-production needs.
• Ability to book gallery space for private meetings, screenings, and shoots.
• Ability to curate public events with guidance provided by UnionDocs staff
• Profile on UnionDocs website and opportunity to publish on UnionDocs blog.

 

EXPECTATIONS

• Program Fee.
• One-year commitment for all participants.
• Preparation for and attendance at scheduled masterclass/screenings and mentor meeting.
• Positive collaborative spirit and diligent work towards the annual project.

Frequently Asked Questions

This list is growing as questions come in...

How much experience or produced work makes a good candidate?

Members of CoLAB, are typically post-grads coming from various backgrounds and levels of experience in the field of non-fiction. While access to some basic equipment is provided, knowledge is freely shared, and cooperation is encouraged, this program does not provide specialized technical training. Rather, it is designed for resourceful individuals who learn by doing and do not view technical aspects as barriers to creativity and production. If necessary, we can recommend several local organizations that can provide technical training to complement your involvement in the CoLAB.

There is no specific amount of work or type of experience that makes a good candidate. Though we will definitely look for demonstrated passion for and commitment to the documentary arts, we are also attempting to assemble a good team and looking for individuals who will truly benefit from participation.

How much time will the CoLAB take?

The CoLAB operates on a fall/spring schedule similar to universities, though work on the annual project will extend into the summer. When the season is in full swing, the program will be between 12-22 hours of meetings, masterclasses, seminars, screenings, and discussions. There will be additional events that will be open for CoLAB participants to attend, which are a useful part of the experience, but not an expectation. Also consider the individual production time required for producing a portion of the group project, which will vary from person to person and on the scale of the project pursued.

Would it be possible to do both the CoLAB program and a full-time masters program?

You likely would be over-committing to consider participating fully in both programs. That said, a few people have been involved in grad programs and successfully participated at UD over the years. Others have found it overwhelming. This a question of personal scheduling and the particulars of your university.

How is the annual project funded?

In general, participants will be responsible for raising any extra funds necessary to produce their individual contribution to the group collaboration. Given the endeavor's openness to the particular format and scale of each component, UnionDocs cannot assume this expense. Very few of the previous coLAB projects have required additional funding. UnionDocs supplies the basic resources it possesses and provides access to a media facility for digital post-production. CoLAB project’s are fiscally sponsored by UnionDocs, allowing them to seek tax-deductible contributions and to apply for specific grants only open to non-profits. In addition, the CoLAB Program Director and UnionDocs staff will, with support from the participants, apply for grants for the exhibition and distribution of the project as a whole.

What living expenses should I anticipate in New York City?

UnionDocs recommends that participants in the program budget for living expenses in New York City. In addition to program fees, participants need to account for living expenses such as housing, food, transportation, telephone, and other expenditures.

Basic Monthly Living Costs in New York City:

Housing & Utilities	$ 1000.00
Food	$ 400.00
Transportation	$ 100.00
Telephone / Personal	$ 400.00

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$ 1900.00 / month

When will interviews happen? When will candidates be notified? When does the program start?

Note these important dates:

June 30, 2012.................. Resident Application Final Deadline.
Rolling basis through June 30, 2012............. Scheduled interviews.
Rolling basis through June 30, 2012...................... Resident notification.

July 15, 2012................... Non-resident Application Deadline.
July 15-31, 2012.................... Non-resident Interviews Scheduled.
August 1, 2012.................... Non-Resident notification.

September 7, 2012............. Resident move-in.
September 16, 2012........... First CoLAB meeting.

I am really looking for something like what your program describes, but I am not ready to relocate just yet. Do you know of a similar approach that is closer to where I live?

The truth is that we are not sure we've heard of anything exactly like this program in the field of documentary arts. If you have, please let us know. We certainly are inspired by many of the excellent programs that have been established in non-fiction media and art, and we have also monitored some recent experiments in educational environments, such as The Institute Without Boundaries in Toronto. The specifics of this program, however, have mainly grown out of ten years of experimentation and work in this particular space and from lots of interaction with many creative people in this field.

What are the precedents for the mentored collaborative documentary project?

A useful model for the annual project's structure and approach can be found in an architecture or design studio course, more than in a film or art school. Thus, the experience of our program directors experience as instructors in such courses is particularly relevant. Paul Chan's collaborative project "Charged in the Name of Terror" exhibited in New Frontiers at Sundance 2007 and screened later at UnionDocs amoung many other locations also provides a good precedent for the annual project. These are just a couple of many possible points of comparison that we'd like to highlight.