Embodied Documentary Filmmaking Workshop: The Stories Our Bodies Hold

Join us for the August edition of our online filmmaking workshop to make your own short embodied documentary film with an international cohort of filmmakers!

Over the course of the month, each participant will make their own short documentary or experimental film (1-10 minutes) through embodied methods which explore the relationship between dreams, the body, and documentary filmmaking as a process. This is an experimental workshop focused on collaboration and feedback to explore the potential of embodied documentary in the making of a short film on the subject of the body.

Please note this workshop is for gender minority participants only, which includes women, trans, and non-binary persons.

SCHEDULE

This workshop consists of 4 meetings total on Monday evenings (UK time):

Introduction to Embodied Documentary (18 August 2025) at 7-9:30 PM UK Time

Experimenting with embodied documentary techniques (``25 August 2025) at 7-9:30 PM UK Time

Embodied editing and story structure (1 September 2025) at 7-9:30 PM UK Time

Screening of final films (8 September 2025) at 7-9:30 PM UK Time

The above meetings will consists of lectures and group activities, and there will be homework in between the weekly sessions, as well as optional readings and films to watch.

Attendance at all 4 sessions is preferred but is not compulsory as lectures can be recorded - do reach out should you have any questions!

INTRODUCTION

Embodied Documentary Filmmaking is a filmmaking method developed by IMPRINT that explores the convergence of the body, embodied practices, and documentary filmmaking.

In this immersive and practical workshop, participants will join a small, international cohort of up to 10 filmmakers in collaborative filmmaking exercises to delve into their dreams through the lens of a camera, to each make their own short 1 - 10 minute documentary.

Through a combination of theory, practice, and collaboration, participants will learn how to deepen into the concept of embodiment to create compelling and authentic short experimental or documentary films on the body in its many forms.

During the workshop, we will move through the main stages of documentary filmmaking:

• Pre-Production: How can our bodies somatically, sensorially, and emotionally inform the making of documentary films?
• Directing: What types of creative decisions do we make as directors on how we tell stories on the body's relationship to our selves and the world around us?
• Shooting: How do we position or visualise the body, or create a representation of the body with a camera?
• Editing: How do we construct bodily-informed, intuitive, and alternative narrative structures for our films?
• Distribution: Where do we want our films to be seen, and what social and personal impact do we want our films to have?

WORKSHOP OBJECTIVES

1. Introducing the concept of embodied documentary filmmaking: We will explore the theoretical underpinnings and practical applications of embodied documentary filmmaking as creative research and practice. Specifically, we will focus on how somatic experiences and the body itself can be integrated into filmmaking to tell deeper stories.

2. Developing somatic and embodied relationships through filmmaking: Through a variety of phenomenological and somatic practices, we aim to use filmmaking as a means to cultivate deeper connections to both the body, others, and the world itself through the act of making films. We will explore the body as a rich source of story material by turning towards and illustrating our own embodied experiences.

3. Experimenting with new embodied filmmaking techniques: We will engage in a series of collective and individual practical exercises and experiments aimed at incorporating embodied techniques into documentary filmmaking. These may include embodied or subjective camera work, sensorial sound and visual-scapes, intuitive editing, and using non-traditional narrative structures inspired by the body itself.

4. Cultivating personal narratives: Drawing from our own experiences, we will identify and develop personal stories that personally and deeply resonate with us, and learn how to craft these into new and exciting storylines by gaining feedback from other participants. We will learn specific filmmaking techniques for deepening the emotional and embodied aspects of our stories through sound and image, resulting in uniquely felt short films.

5. Reflection, integration and connection: The workshop will provide dedicated time for us to reflect on our experiences, share insights, and consider the broader implications of embodied documentary filmmaking as a practice with each other. Each participant will leave with a deeper understanding of how embodiment can enhance their creative process, the impact of their creative work, and their collaborations with others, while creating a network of likeminded filmmakers working on similar themes.

PLEASE NOTE

This is a relaxed workshop focused on connection and experimentation in filmmaking, open to gender minority people only. This include women, trans, and non binary people. This space is explicitly transfeminist and antizionist and no transphobia or colonial ideology will be tolerated.

This workshop is open to participants from all disciplines and practices (artists, researchers, students, filmmakers, dancers, embodiment/somatic practitioners, art therapists, or anyone who has a passing interest in film), who are interested in learning about experimental approaches to documentary, experimental film, and moving image work. People seeking to learn about and/or infuse their creative work with personal, emotional, and sensory elements will find this workshop particularly valuable.

Participants from all levels of filmmaking experience are welcome to join, from absolutely no experience to seasoned professional. The workshop sessions will focus on directing rather than technical skills, however guidance in using a camera and editing programmes will be supported during the independent working time by the course leader, who is also available for support and feedback.

MATERIALS

This workshop is aimed towards people who have at least very basic experience in using a computer, camera and editing software, or who have experience in experimental, documentary or fiction filmmaking, or who have another creative or technical digital practice. The workshop time will not focus on technical filmmaking skills, but additional resources for basic skills in filming and editing will be provided on an as-needed basis.

Participants should have access to their own equipment, including:

• Camera (this can be a smartphone, DSLR, analogue film camera, etc.)
• Editing software (free or paid, ie DaVinci, FinalCut Pro, iMovie, Premiere, etc.)
• Microphone (smartphone, portable mic, etc.)
• Computer or laptop to edit on and attend workshops

COST

Please note there are a maximum of 10 spaces available on a first come, first serve basis.

This workshop is offered on a sliding scale basis of £140 to £240 in order to cover fees and administrative costs for putting the workshop on, and to contribute to the overall effort of running IMPRINT Documentary Collective. IMPRINT is currently run by one person with a disability, and these workshop fees allow the provision of a basic income.

Sliding Scale:

£140 - for those who are unemployed, low income students, or part time due to disability/accessing benefits

£180 - for those who are regularly waged

£240 - for those whose participation is supported/funded by an institution (such as a university, production company or arts insititute)

We understand that there can be further financial barriers to participating, and we currently offer 1 free space on a first come, first served basis for each workshop for those who would be unable to afford it otherwise, due to structural inequalities, caring duties, disability, etc. QTBIPOC will be prioritised for these spaces.

We also offer a discount for those residing in the Global South whose participation would otherwise be limited due to exchange rates.

Please email us at imprintdocumentaries@gmail.com to request this, no reasons need to be given!

Please note no refunds will be given due to limited spaces. Spaces are non-transferable.

ABOUT US

IMPRINT Documentary Collective is a queer led feminist film collective focusing on embodiment and the body in documentary film. Founded in 2021, IMPRINT delivers workshops, residencies, productions, consultancies and popup screenings to experiment with the theme of embodiment as a process for making films.

Our collaborations within the film industry and community initiatives have allowed us to reach a wide audience on the potential of embodied filmmaking, and our goal is to broaden the potential for representation of marginalised storytellers, using storytelling and the documentary medium as an act of radical and empathic resistance through the lens of the body politic. IMPRINT is currently based in Scotland.

Find us online @imprint.documentaries or at imprintdocs.cargo.site

And sign up for our newsletter here: IMPRINT Newsletter (mailchi.mp)

YOUR FACILITATORS

Erica Monde

Erica Monde (they/them) is a queer and disabled filmmaker, researcher and educator from Turtle Island (California) based in Scotland. They work across documentary, fiction and hybrid filmmaking, are a trained medical anthropologist, and are currently working in academia on the intersections of digital technology and health. Their work focuses on the body, medicine, queer ecologies, and embodied methodologies, and draws on over a decade of experience in body-based practices such as dance, focusing, somatic experiencing, and movement studies, as well as lived experience of chronic illness and disability. They hold an MFA in documentary directing from the University of Edinburgh and an MA in medical anthropology from the University of Heidelberg. Their short documentary, There's Not Much We Can Do, commissioned by the Scottish Documentary Institute and Screen Scotland in 2021 for the Bridging the Gap scheme, premiered at the Edinburgh International Film Festival, and has since screened in festivals around the world such as DOC:NYC, Raindance, and Encounters. They currently tutor on the Film Medicine postgraduate course at the University of Edinburgh, are a recent alum of the Locarno Industry Academy, and have worked as a producer and story consultant on BAFTA nominated and award winning short films that have screened at BFI Flare, Thessaloniki Documentary Film Festival, Sarajevo, IDFA and Sundance. They are currently completing their next short experimental film, i was born in the month of the moon (what my body told me), is in development for their first feature documentary, and was recently commissioned by Screen Scotland and BFI Network for Sharp Shorts to direct their first short fiction film, This desert will rust your bones. Follow them @erica.monde