Master Classes are in-depth, interactive learning experiences focused on craft and career building and led by renowned industry experts. Topics include fiction and documentary filmmaking, TV writing and production, and navigating and succeeding in the entertainment industry.

To be the person filming is to discover that the presence of a camera transforms all relationships. To film is to bring the future into the present and to see in ways that you cannot without a camera. With over 30 years of observational documentary cinematography experience, Kirsten Johnson has as many questions as ever. In this online Master Class, Kirsten, whose credits include Cameraperson, Dick Johnson is Dead and Citizenfour, shares the contradictions and joys of cinematography with anyone who is thinking about what filming is and can be.

Resources:

Download the list of resources from Kirsten Johnson and Sundance Collab

Topics covered include: 

00:00 - Introduction from Sundance Collab

00:05 - Using Contradictions to Define Who You Are as a Filmmaker

22:40 - The Inherent Power in Recording Others

30:50 - Why Do People Let Us Film Them, and How Does That Change Over Time?

36:43 - How the Images We Create Impact Our Future

48:45 - Q&A

01:19 - Defining What You Want to Say - As an Individual and in a Community

01:26 - Letting Your Interests Define Your Creative Process

01:49 - Q&A

02:18 - Embracing the Unknown While Crafting a Story

02:42 - Closing Remarks