New York Film Academy [Sponsor]

My thanks once again to the New York Film Academy for sponsoring the candler blog this past week.

Has the proliferation of documentaries, reality TV and faux-documentary television programming (e.g., NBC-TV’s The Office) in any way diminished the film-journalism genre?

It doesn’t appear to be the case. If anything, the appetite for non-fictional video narratives is on the increase: No fewer than 20 top-tier cable television channels carry documentaries 24/7 in the U.S., while online cyber-docs and webisodes offer additional and unlimited distribution venues. The spectacular success of documentary filmmakers Marilyn Agrelo, Michael Moore and Morgan Spurlock now illustrate that big audiences like and respond to documentaries.

The Documentary School at the New York Film Academy’s 6-week, one-year and Master of Fine Arts programs provide more than a vocational education to its very international student body. Aspiring documentarians are exposed to some of the biggest names in documentaries who visit the program, lecture and provide real-world learning experiences for students. These budding filmmakers hear first-hand about the power that documentaries have on education and social change – launching fulfilling careers, documenting the world as they see it.