Tonight, Tufts student filmmakers in Roberta Oster-Sachs' class, "Producing films for Social Change," will debut their films, created through a semester of what Oster-Sachs refers to as "journalism bootcamp." Students, many with little to no experience with broadcast journalism, must make a film and it's not a simple task.
"It's insane," Oster-Sachs said, enumerating the skills students must develop and hone throughout the course of the semester in her class. "They've got to pitch, shoot, edit," she continued, "It's not just teaching students to make a film either. It's also media ethics, balance, checking facts, fairness."
Oster-Sachs finds that Tufts is very "plugged in" to broadcast journalism, citing many alumni in the business, such as Neal Shapiro, the executive producer of NBC "Dateline."
The growing interest in broadcast journalism led the University College of Citizenship and Public Service and Communication and Media Studies to combine forces to address it in 2003. "Producing Films for Social Change," and "Understanding and Creating TV News," are a part of the resulting Media and Public Service Program.
Oster-Sachs, who is also the director of the program, has a goal to generate discourse on pressing social issues, while teaching students media literacy. A former producer for Dateline NBC and a former adjunct professor with Columbia's School of Journalism, Oster-Sachs believes that media can be a civic tool.
"Understanding media is a critical part of a liberal arts education in our media-saturated world," Oster-Sachs noted. Students must learn to use the media as a means for active citizenship, according to Oster-Sachs.
The class focuses on elevating discourse on campus and portraying all aspects of an issue. With the election year and the polarization in the nation, one group of students decided to capture a controversial issue by focusing on two members of Tufts' political community - a Republican and a Democrat, both equally fervent to see their candidate win the White House.
Their film, "Political Passions: Taking on the 2004 Election," is a true process piece. Oster-Sachs remarked that the film documented a "personal, professional, and emotional transformation" for both characters.
Junior Leigh Simons, a producer of that film, hopes that the film illustrates that college students are not apathetic to the political process, as she finds that society typically perceives them. Ultimately, she hopes that viewers of the film will know that cooperation is possible. "We differ, but we can still work together and achieve goals," Simons said. "And the media is such a powerful way to reach people."
Alexis Miller, a sophomore who was part of the team that produced "Color Coded: A Fight for Civil Rights," also highlights the importance of the media. She hopes that their film will be an effective way to combat current social issues in Somerville. The film documents the recent anti-gang ordinance, which students at Tufts felt targeted young men of color.
Junior Ben Huggins and his group members created a film delving into the mystery behind campus cocaine use, sparked by one of Daily columnist Evan Cochran's articles. The film, "Walking the Line: Cocaine Use at Tufts," captures campus attitudes toward the drug, as well as opinions of campus health officials.
"Our focus was to generate discussion," Huggins said, "[it was] not to change anybody's opinion on cocaine, but to get people to realize what they thought about cocaine."
Web site addresses will be posted in the event programs of the screening for viewers who would like to become more involved with the causes represented in their three films. Ultimately, Oster-Sachs feels that using media to bring attention to societal issues is key, melding communication and public service.
Senior Emilie Gullans, one of Oster-Sachs' teaching assistants, is a veteran of the very first semester of the groundbreaking class. Gullans feels that the evolution of the course has been tremendous, and she lauded the professional experience and enthusiasm that Oster-Sachs brings to the program.
"It's really a novel concept for Tufts," Gullans remarked. "It's changing the face of communication on this campus."
