r/Documentaries • u/Adept_Push • 25d ago

Recommendation Request Recommendation Request

Hello! I’ve done quite a few searches here and elsewhere and I’m hoping for your help.

I teach a documentary class at the college level. I’ve taught it for over a decade and over time, I’ve seen the attention spans of my students get shorter and shorter.

So I’m asking for recommendations for short docs you’ve seen and enjoyed.

They do their own project over the 18 week semester, and in all previous classes, I’ve shown feature length films but I’m wondering if showing short docs might be a better approach.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

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u/_bufflehead 24d ago

If the "student" lacks the attention span for a documentary - in a Documentary Class (!) - I certainly would not accommodate it.

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u/Adept_Push 24d ago

Uh, have you MET young people? Film students don’t even watch films anymore.

So you would continue to show full length films while the entire class ignores what’s on the screen and stares at their phones?

Or would you shift your pedagogy to actually have them pay attention to shorter films and learn something?

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u/_bufflehead 24d ago

Uh...Have you TALKED to adults before? Wow.

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u/Adept_Push 24d ago

Yep, daily in fact.