By Erin Roberts, roberte1@ohio.edu
AT RIGHT: Ohio University Scripps College of Communication students and faculty in Augustusplatz square in Leipzig, Germany. Sixteen students are producing documentaries as part of the 2010 Ohio-Leipzig European Center (OLEC) study abroad program.
ATHENS, Ohio (July 22, 2010)—Sixteen Ohio University Scripps College of Communication students are wrapping up final projects, saying goodbye to new experiences and friends and preparing to return to Ohio this weekend as part of this summer’s Ohio-Leipzig European Center study abroad trip to Germany.
Students from the schools of Media Arts and Studies and Visual Communication, as well as the E.W. Scripps School of Journalism, have been researching, writing and producing documentaries as part of the Documentary Storytelling program.
School of Media Arts and Studies Associate Professor Frederick Lewis, who came up with the idea for students to actually produce documentaries during the trip, said it was a natural progression from past summer programs he’s taught. In 2008, he taught a scriptwriting course in Leipzig, and, in 2009, taught a similar course in Malaysia.
“When I was asked to return to Leipzig, I decided to take the next step,” Lewis said. “Instead of conducting audio interviews only, I opted to bring video equipment and have the students actually produce, write and edit ten- to fifteen-minute documentaries.”
Lewis asked Professor Sam Girton of the School of Visual Communication to accompany him to supervise the technical aspects of production, such as laptop editing, shooting video using natural light only, and the creation of a blog. Brandon Flayler, who worked with Girton on an education abroad program in Asia last summer, and who recently earned his graduate degree from the School of Media Arts and Studies, took primary responsibility for the day-to-day maintenance of the OLEC blog, where students have been able to tell their own story and will post final projects.
“I think we’ve been a great team,” Lewis said. “With Sam and Brandon along to focus on the technical side of production, I was able to concentrate much more on aspects such as research, content development, interviewing techniques, scriptwriting and aesthetics.”
Girton said the mix of majors on the trip has proven that students will work together more often and more dynamically when they are in close proximity with one another.
“This summer program makes me see that once we are all in the same building, our students will work more closely together,” he said. “Here in Germany, we lived together, ate together and traveled together. This group is what the Scripps College of Communication will be under a new building.”
Girton said documentary topics range from the development of a student radio station to the study and understanding of how three generations within one family can have differing perspectives on what it means to be German. He said students have not only honed their storytelling skills but that they have come to understand the culture, literature and history of Germany.
“I know their understanding of World War II has grown as we have traveled to Berlin, Weimar, Dresden and the Buchenwald concentration camp,” Girton said. “I know they better understand what it was like to live behind the Iron Curtain, as we have spent time studying the Berlin Airlift and the Secret Police of the German Democratic Republic (The Stazi). The documentary projects have forced our group into the German language and culture.”
These thoughts are bolstered by what the students are writing on the blog. Second-year student Andrew McMillian wrote on July 18, “It feels strange to look back at how I used to perceive Germany compared to how I see it now. After living here for five weeks, I realize that I have completely adapted to life in Germany… I feel so blessed and privileged to have the opportunity to study here at such a young age. I want to thank everyone who had a hand in making this happen.”
In contrast to typical study abroad trips, many of the OLEC students are first- and second-year students, on the suggestion of E.W. Scripps School of Journalism Director Bob Stewart, who has long been affiliated with the OLEC program.
“These students are garnering international experience very early in their academic careers,” Lewis said. “The production skills they are acquiring will serve them extremely well over the next three to four years in the Scripps College of Communication.”
For more insight from the students on the trip and to view their final projects, visit www.bobcatsabroad.com/olec.