TRAVEL THE WORLD AND TELL STORIES THAT MATTER
A four-week travel course where you learn to produce short documentary films about changemakers in Guatemala
Travel to Santa Cruz La Laguna, Guatemala and learn documentary storytelling alongside other impact-driven filmmakers. Get real life experience collaborating with local experts, leaders and changemakers to help share their amazing stories. Return home an accomplished filmmaker, with an important story to share with your community, festivals, and the world-at-large.
CREW
TESTIMONIALS
TELL ME MORE
The best way to learn about our Documentary Outreach to Guatemala is by signing up for the email series. Find out more about why we travel, how it works, and what you can expect.
EVERY SToRYTELLER NEEDS OPPORTUNITIES TO LEARN AND GROW.
JOIN A COMMUNITY OF CREATIVES
Each trip is made up of a dynamic team of passionate, thoughtful people. All who are interested in telling stories that matter. During our month-long residency, we explore places and ideas together.
GET THE RIGHT TRAINING AND EXPERIENCE
We teach you our field-tested documentary production process. We practice it together on location so you become a more efficient and effective storyteller.
EMBRACE ETHICAL STORYTELLING
We teach documentary production with a focus on ethical, collaborative practices, ensuring you create impactful narratives without exploiting others.
PRODUCE A FILM YOU ARE PROUD OF
Return home an accomplished filmmaker, with an important story to share with your community, festivals, and the world at large.
CHANGE YOUR PERSPECTIVE ON TRAVEL
Become a more savvy, responsible traveler, with an intimate knowledge of what it means to live and learn in another part of the world.
SANTA CRUZ LA LAGUNA, MEXICO GUATEMALA
TRIP SCHEDULE
week 1 – research
Crews arrive in Guatemala and enjoy welcome celebrations. Each day, our group meets for briefings, screenings and exercises on documentary storytelling. Filmmakers + photographers visit locations, scout operations, and conduct pre-interviews to gather information. The goal is to find an interesting character whose story would make a compelling documentary project.
WEEK 2 – PLAN & PREP
Crews plan for production by developing a story summary and outline, as well as a schedule and a scene list. Workshops and practical exercises are led by our Actuality Leader to teach techniques in visual storytelling. Each crew produces a micro-documentary to learn how to work as a team.
week 3 – PRODUCTION
Crews document on location to record the people, events, sounds, and environments necessary to tell their chosen story. Dailies are reviewed and critiqued in group sessions every evening. Editors begin to organize the footage according to the story plan.
WEEK 4 – EDITORIAL
Crews edit the film from rough cut to picture lock entirely on location with plenty of support. Photographers refine their photography project and prepare for exhibition. Before departure, the local community is invited to join the crew for a screening of all completed documentaries. Everyone celebrates their storytelling achievements with farewell festivities and then departs for their travels home.
COST TO
PARTICIPATE
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4 weeks documentary training and mentorship
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production equipment
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meeting and coworking facilities access
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29 nights semi-private lodging at local guesthouse
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local transportation
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translation services for storytelling project(s)
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airport transfers on arrival and departure
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group cultural excursion
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community film screening and celebration
WE KNOW THAT GOING IT ALONE IS TOUGH
Actuality Abroad has led hundreds of impact-driven storytellers on documentary adventures that provided them the training, experience, and support they needed to travel the world and tell stories that matter.
WE ARE HERE TO GUIDE YOU
START YOUR
JOURNEY
STEP 1
Apply for the Documentary Outreach to Guatemala.
STEP 2
Schedule a video interview and get all your questions answered.
STEP 3
Accept your invitation to join the crew and make your plans to travel.
BEHIND THE
SCENES
TELL ME MORE
The best way to learn about our Documentary Outreach to Mexico is by signing up for the email series. Find out more about why we travel, how it works, and what you can expect.
FREQUENTLY ASKED
QUESTIONS
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Weekends are unscheduled. Saturday and Sunday are free time to explore on your own, or rest and relax.
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.
All films created through Actuality Abroad are licensed under Creative Commons, ensuring that every stakeholder—the crew, the changemaker, and the broader community—can freely screen and benefit from the final work. Actuality Abroad retains the official copyright to facilitate distribution, uphold ethical storytelling standards, and maintain long-term access for all involved. This approach allows the films to be shared widely while ensuring that they remain accessible and impactful for both the storytellers and the changemakers they feature.
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.
No. We arrange English translators and translating technology as part of the course.
Yes. Each person must purchase a travel insurance policy fur the duration of the Outreach that includes medical coverage. We highly recommend that you also purchase trip cancellation and personal property protection as well.
Yes. We are happy to work with currently enrolled students individually to arrange for you to earn academic credit.