Communication senior Michael Bisberg was debating between graduating early and staying in school for another quarter when he heard documentary director Steve James would be teaching a class at Northwestern.
Bisberg had seen James’ work on Public Broadcasting Service and had seen bits and pieces of “Hoop Dreams,” James’ acclaimed 1994 film, which appeared as one of 25 20th-century National Film Registry titles.
Bisberg quickly applied to be in the course and decided to stay on campus for a single-class quarter instead of going home to New Jersey.
“I was looking for an excuse to stay on campus,” Bisberg said. “It was an opportunity to work with a director as well-known and well-liked as Steve James, and a chance to work with Medill students, which I’d never done before.”
Bisberg was one of 16 Medill and Communication students who are enrolled in the new class, titled Television News Documentary. It is a first-time collaboration between the journalism and radio-TV-film programs.
Students will film, produce and edit a documentary about gentrification in the Cabrini-Green public housing project in northern Chicago.
The three instructors – James, Medill Prof. Jon Petrovich and Communication Prof. Larry Lichty – devised a three-part approach that combines weekly seminars, class discussions and hands-on experience.
Students said each instructor adds a different dimension to the course.
“Three professors might be too many chefs in the kitchen in some situations, but it’s working really well,” Bisberg said. “We get a journalistic perspective, a historical perspective and Steve James’ production expertise.”
Petrovich said he and Lichty wanted to focus on a contested issue with a human element. They decided on gentrification, but all three instructors said the real challenge will be creating a documentary from start to finish in one quarter.
“It’s a very, very different set of demands,” said James, adding that he usually spends several years working on one film.
“It’s hard to follow an individual story this way, but we’ve talked about finding ways to give it more heart. We want this to be more than an informative piece.”
Students spent the first two weeks researching issues and learning about camera equipment, Petrovich said. They will begin filming Thursday.
“We have 10 weeks to get this in and out,” he said. “It’s going to be boom, boom, boom.”
Students said they were drawn to the course because it offered a chance to be completely immersed in one issue.
Medill senior Shayla Reaves said she wanted to work on a long-form broadcast piece that required more research and commitment than the one- or two-minute broadcast journalism segments she was used to producing.
“(Journalists and filmmakers) both use cameras and interview people, but I really wanted to know where journalism intersects with R-TV-F,” Reaves said. “It’s going to be challenging, but at the same time, it’s going to be rewarding. I just hope this documentary can make a difference.”
Reach Abha Bhattarai at [email protected].
