Colorado Film School at Community College of Aurora and University of Colorado Denver project will utilize more than 80 faculty, students, Film School alumni
 

AURORA and DENVER, CO—A creative partnership between the Colorado Film School at the Community College of Aurora and the University of Colorado Denver will document all aspects of the 2008 Democratic National Convention in Denver next week, and more than 80 volunteer filmmakers representing students, faculty, and alumni from both schools will be on the ground to record this once-in-a-lifetime event.

Colorado Film School Instructor Geoffrey Chadwick pointed out that this project is largely unfunded, unofficial, and extracurricular by nature, and will make a wonderful opportunity for students to learn and practice the documentary craft. “Unconventional by design, the Colorado Film Student DNC Documentary Project will be an excellent learning and filmmaking opportunity and will help to promote understanding of democracy in America, with its many culturally diverse peoples, to the nation and world at large,” he said.

The project kickoff, with approximately 30 assembled filmmakers and other volunteers, will take place at noon today at the Colorado Film School on CCA’s Lowry Campus, Building 965, 9075 East Lowry Boulevard.

“This is a massive documentary project, both inside and outside the Pepsi Center, designed to cover a wide variety of issues and personalities,” Chadwick said. “It is a strictly nonpartisan effort, and the resulting footage will be freely shared, edited, and distributed in a variety of formats, including broadcast TV, short- and feature-length documentary, as well as distributed at film festivals and used in programming across the nation and around the world.”

Chadwick explained that ultimately, the footage will be archived for future generations in the Denver Public Library, The Freedom Archives, and the Library of Congress, becoming part of the public record. The project is not designed to advance the viewpoints and popularity of one particular party or organization over another, but rather is intended to be fair and objective, and respectful of all points of view.

Filmmakers from both schools will be provided the opportunity to work in collaboration with national and local media organizations and filmmakers, including the RNC/DNC Verite project, KOA and KGNU radio, Denver’s cable access channel, Free Speech TV, and local PBS channels, among others. “We are covering this event like no one else can,” Chadwick said.