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Barefoot Workshops is a New York City-based, organization founded in 2004, that teaches individuals and organizations how to use digital video, new media, and the arts to transform their communities and themselves.
Each year, we teach traditional Documentary Workshops in the Mississippi Delta; Marfa, Texas and Cape Town, South Africa, which are open to individuals with beginner through advanced levels of training.
Barefoot Workshops also leads NGO workshops in partnership with government and nongovernmental organizations. Together, we build the capacity of organizations around the world to meet program goals in areas such as: health (HIV/AIDS), conflict resolution, youth empowerment, civil rights and democracy-building.
Partners have included: the U.S. Department of State, Desmond Tutu HIV Foundation, Creative Associates International, the Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI), Kakuma Refugee Camp/Filmaid International (Kenya), UNESCO (Burundi), and Katrina-affected communities in the southern United States.
Barefoot offers advanced filmmakers the opportunity to participate in NGO field programs and assist organizations in producing media for their own communities. Interested filmmakers should email chandler@barefootworkshops.org.
Our goal is to create responsible filmmakers who care about the world around them and who make it a point to give back to their communities. To learn more about our programs, visit our FAQ page or contact us at info@barefootworkshops.org.
WHOM WE SERVE
- High school students
- University students
- Media Professionals
- Nonprofit Organizations (NGOs)
- Civil Society Organizations (CSOs)
- Government/Policymakers
- Career Changers
OUR APPROACH
Barefoot Workshops are intensive and demanding, but deliver the highest returns. Barefoot has years of experience training people from vastly different backgrounds and skill levels in how to blend the technical and artistic aspects of storytelling, beginning with the basics of image-making, the idea of the “decisive moment,” and moving into topics such as: microphone placement, painting with light, the art of the interview, story structure, and how to bring all of these elements together in post-production, in what we call a “symphony” of images and sound.
We keep classes small and flexible and invest a great deal of personalized attention in our students, customizing workshops to meet their highest expectations.
Barefoot Workshops also specializes in one-on-one media consulting and training. Inquiries can be directed to info@barefootworkshops.org.
OUR TEAM
Please visit the Our Team page for a list of instructors, staff, and consultants.
To view a list of organizations we have trained or worked with regionally, please visit our Partners.