DOCUMENTARY OUTREACH
Frequently Asked Questions
If you’re considering joining a Documentary Outreach, you probably have some questions. This guide covers the most common ones—how the program works, what to expect, and how to prepare—so you can decide if it’s the right fit for you.
Who can join a Documentary Outreach?
Our past crew have included enrolled university students, young professionals, and adults interested in expanding their knowledge about documentary production. Anyone 18 years or older with an interest in learning is welcome.
Is documentary production experience required?
This travel course is designed for both beginners and experienced documentary filmmakers. No prior production experience is required—we’ll teach you everything you need to successfully create a short documentary film. If you’re already an established filmmaker, we aim to pair you with crew members of similar skill levels and provide more advanced training for those ready to take their craft further.
Actuality Abroad Outreaches are educational at their core. While each crew member has a primary role, storytelling is a collaborative process, and you’ll be supported by your team every step of the way. Whether you’re learning the fundamentals or refining your expertise, you’ll gain hands-on experience in documentary filmmaking while working together to tell a meaningful story.
Why kinds of stories will we be telling?
Each crew is guided and supported in producing a character-driven, film-festival-worthy short documentary. These documentaries typically focus on an individual with a compelling personal story, offering a deeper look into their experiences and the impact of their work. To shape your film, you’ll explore the world of your changemaker—a local social impact organization—learning about their mission and identifying a meaningful story within it.
Beyond the documentary, you’ll also have the opportunity to create additional storytelling pieces, such as documentary photography collections, micro-documentary videos, or journalistic essays. These may be more promotional in nature, designed to support your changemaker in furthering their work while expanding your own creative portfolio. As part of the research and training process, crews will also produce some short-form content centered on the changemaker’s initiatives.
How are the changemaker organizations selected?
We research and vet grassroots organizations in each city, prioritizing locally led initiatives that make an impact but lack media resources. Partnerships are voluntary—no money is exchanged—ensuring a collaboration built on mutual respect. Once organizations are confirmed, crew members rank their preferences, and we consider those rankings when forming teams, balancing interest, skills, and project needs.
What crew positions are available and who do we work with?
Our group of travelers is matched into several 4-6 person crews, with each individual taking on a specific role: Producer, Director Cinematographer, Audiographer, Editor or Photographer. Working with your crew, you collaborate with a local changemaker to explore the world of their work and find a compelling story to tell.
An Actuality Field Producer provides instruction, mentorship and oversees all projects. They also coordinate travel logistics, lead educational briefings, conduct training workshops, support research, manage operations and also production milestones.
What is the producer's role?
The producer is the leader of the crew, in charge of keeping everything organized and serving as the primary liaison with the changemaker. They manage logistics, schedules, and communication, ensuring the production stays on track while fostering a collaborative and respectful working relationship.
What is the director's role?
The director is in charge of the story, has final call on the main focus of the film, and ensures that the issues are explored in the most engaging and equitable way. They guide interviews and visual storytelling, making creative choices that shape the film’s message and impact.
What is the cinematographer's role?
The cinematographer determines the visual style of the film, operates the camera to document all necessary footage, and brings visual motivation to the story. They work closely with the director to frame meaningful scenes that reflect the changemaker’s work and perspective.
What is the audiographer's role?
The audiographer oversees all aspects of sound, from planning and preparing for the film’s audio needs to recording dialogue and ambient sound during production. They lead post-production sound design, ensuring the audio enhances the story and engages the audience.
What is the editor's role?
The editor helps research and plan for shooting with the end in mind. They supervise post-production, organizing all the media and assembling the final film, ensuring the story is structured effectively and resonates with the audience.
What is the photographer's role?
The photographer documents the process and context of the production through still images. They plan and create photos that highlight the story, the changemaker’s work, and the crew’s efforts, providing visuals that support the film and its promotion.
What equipment do we need to bring?
All crew members should bring a personal photo/video camera (smart phones are sufficient) for research and workshops, and a laptop that has the capacity to edit both photo and video.
We provide mobile filmmaking kits with iPhones, professional-grade rigs, and sound recording equipment, ensuring high-quality visuals and audio. Mobile filmmaking is perfect for our approach to documentary storytelling—it’s lightweight, adaptable, and unobtrusive, allowing crews to focus on learning and practicing the art of impactful storytelling in a variety of real-world settings.
Crew members are welcome to bring any additional gear they wish to use.
What is the rhythm of a typical day?
Outreach work happens Monday to Friday. Each morning will start off with an all-crew Briefing at basecamp. At Briefings we provide instruction and facilitate discussions around our current stage of documentary production. The bulk of the day will be spent out in the community making specific progress on your documentary, or working to create production documents that help you focus and organize your story. Some evenings we will gather to review work or attend events, some evenings are free.
Will there be any free time for other activities or excursions?
Weekends are unscheduled. Saturday and Sunday are free time to explore on your own, or rest and relax.
What happens to the films after the trip?
The trip ends with a community screening event where each crew introduces their story and debuts their films for the people who were involved in creating them. Before everyone departs the project location, each crew will create a distribution plan and ensure that our changemaker partners and anyone else who appears in the film signs off on the initial strategy with free and informed consent. These strategies include: hosting on Vimeo and/or YouTube, submitting to film festivals that are relevant to the topic or the filmmakers, creating ‘cut downs’ appropriate for social media promotion, and planning additional community or event screenings related to the work of our changemakers.
Who owns the rights to the media?
All crew members should bring a personal photo/video camera (smart phones are sufficient) for research and workshops, and a laptop that has the capacity to edit both photo and video.
We provide mobile filmmaking kits with iPhones, professional-grade rigs, and sound recording equipment, ensuring high-quality visuals and audio. Mobile filmmaking is perfect for our approach to documentary storytelling—it’s lightweight, adaptable, and unobtrusive, allowing crews to focus on learning and practicing the art of impactful storytelling in a variety of real-world settings.
Crew members are welcome to bring any additional gear they wish to use.
Where/how do we meet up in country?
On the first day of the trip you will be met at the international airport and driven by private transport to our guesthouse to meet up with your Actuality Field Producer and the rest of the crew members. If you are arriving early, or traveling overland, you can make your way to our guesthouse on the day of arrivals, or we can help you book with them directly for additional nights before the start of the program.
What meals are included?
Breakfast is provided each day at the guesthouse. We will also share a celebratory group meal at the beginning and end of the trip. Lunch and most dinners are on your own.
Do I need to speak the local language?
No. We arrange English translators and translating technology as part of the course.
Where do we stay and can I get a private room?
Outreach crews stay in a locally owned guesthouse, providing a comfortable and secure space to live, work, and relax. Accommodations are in semi-private bedrooms, shared with 1–2 other crew members of the same gender. If you prefer a private room, you can upgrade for an additional cost. The guesthouse offers a dedicated guests-only area, and staff are on duty day and night to assist with any needs. They are also available to provide guidance on living, working, and exploring the local area.
Do I need travel insurance?
All crew members should bring a personal photo/video camera (smart phones are sufficient) for research and workshops, and a laptop that has the capacity to edit both photo and video.
We provide mobile filmmaking kits with iPhones, professional-grade rigs, and sound recording equipment, ensuring high-quality visuals and audio. Mobile filmmaking is perfect for our approach to documentary storytelling—it’s lightweight, adaptable, and unobtrusive, allowing crews to focus on learning and practicing the art of impactful storytelling in a variety of real-world settings.
Crew members are welcome to bring any additional gear they wish to use.
Can I earn University credit?
Yes. We are happy to work with currently enrolled students individually to arrange for you to earn academic credit.
Can I create a crowd fundraising campaign for this trip?
Yes. We highly encourage all our crew members to undertake fundraising efforts. Here is a post that explains how to do it.
https://www.actualityabroad.org/how-to-crowdfund-your-documentary-outreach-experience/