When sophomore Jacob Falberg realized that no organization on campus focused on documentary filmmaking, he decided to start Emerson Documentaries.
“If you check all of the crew call posters that are out there, most of them are for dramas and comedies,” Falberg said. “None of the organizations work on large-scale documentary productions.”
EmDocs hopes to gain Student Government Association recognition next semester, Falberg said. At the beginning of each semester, students will pitch their idea for a documentary, then EmDocs will choose the best submission to work on for the whole term. This semester’s project, “Hidden Gems” will serve to gain student awareness.
In EmDocs’ case, Falberg said he and Vice President Tyler Mashkoori ‘19 will look for concepts based on educational and commercial topics that will gain the largest audience.
“We are really looking for projects that will be exciting not just to develop, but also to show off,” Falberg said. “Starting off strong will be invaluable with getting our name out there.”
Falberg said the biggest requirement in starting an organization is gauging student interest.
“We’re planning on showcasing a lot of documentary projects current students have created to really drive up student interest,” Falberg said. “Our goal is to show that there is a wide array of students who would like to work on documentaries.”
Professor Peter Flynn, EmDocs’ advisor, wrote and directed the feature-length documentary Blazing the Trail: The O’Kalems in Ireland.
“If we can get [EmDocs] to be a sustainable organization on campus, we have the potential to be the very first stepping stone of the next Ken Burns or Werner Herzog,” Flynn said. “We can really make this something special for Emersonians wanting to document true stories and experiences.”
“Hidden Gems” will be a three-part mini series about lesser-known art attractions in Boston.
Mashkoori said he and Falberg wanted EmDocs’ first project to show why they wanted to start the organization in the first place.
“We want to highlight the hidden arts of Boston,” Mashkoori said. “Art forms that have good followings but never see the light of day because they are overshadowed by other forms of art, whether they be showing classic theaters in the Boston area or covering the stand-up comedy scene.”
Falberg said that members need an interest in film production and storytelling. He hopes the organization will bridge the gap between the creativity of both film and journalism majors.
“At Emerson, we’re all in our own little bubbles 90 percent of the time,” Falberg said. “Any time we can bring the bubbles together or build bridges between majors can be great for the overall Emerson community.”
