Documentary Explorers Camp

Kids, cameras, science, and fun! We learn about nature by going out in nature. From the high deserts of Oregon to the Redwood Forests, we explore tidepools and abandoned homesteads, canoe estuaries, and hunt for thunder eggs. Along the way, we learn from the people who live and work in these remote regions, such as forest fire fighters, naturalists, and Native Americans.

With the mentorship of award-winning documentary filmmakers and experienced science instructors, students team up in small groups to shoot, write, narrate, and edit their very own documentaries. Students learn documentary filmmaking as a tool for experiencing, exploring, understanding, and appreciating the natural scientific world.

Now entering its sixth year, the Documentary Explorers Camp has grown from a pilot program to a successful environmental arts program. Each year, NW Documentary develops a curriculum that exposes high school students to timely and topically relevant issues and themes pertaining to the natural world.  In past years, NW Documentary has led teams to the high desert of Eastern Oregon, to the majestic Redwoods of Northern California and to Astoria, Oregon, where the Columbia River and the Pacific Ocean meet.  In small teams, students research the topic of their documentary, interview one or more experts in the topic area, capture footage, write a script based on their research, and learn the technical skills necessary to produce a compelling professional-quality documentary.  In past years, students have hiked through old growth forests with National Park foresters, canoed estuaries with marine biologists, and battled invasive species with botanists. They’ve caught and banded birds, explored abandoned homesteads and Native American heritage sites, and set out pre-dawn to uncover the hidden world of tidepools. Teams have won awards such as the NW Regional High School Emmy Award for their documentaries, a great honor in the field.

Check out clips of past participants' documentaries in our Video Gallery, or purchase the Documentary Explorers Camps' DVD with the complete films, behind-the-scenes, and more! Proceeds benefit our youth education programs.

July 9-20, 2012 we'll be teaming up with OMSI and heading to the Redwoods! Sign up @ OMSI.edu.