Case Studies

Our 21/2-year multi-media project, Saving The Sierra: Voices of Conservation in Action, is now over. The digital files are all tucked into a nice big hard drive and we've recycled all but the most important papers. But before we head off our next adventure in independent, social issue media making, we'd like to share a few lessons learned along the way that any producer could use in planning a national multiplatform documentary special.

This case study by CSM Research Fellow Katja Wittke explores the origins, structure, outreach strategies and impact of The War Tapes, a documentary film about the Iraq conflict that incorporated footage shot by soldiers on the front line.

This case study by CSM Research Fellow Barbara Abrash explores the origins and trajectory of A Lion in the House

Download:

Lion.pdf

This case study examines how a documentary, The Double Life of Ernesto Gomez Gomez, can become an instrument for social change, while also giving some important advice on what to focus on when making an issue based film.

This comprehensive website contains 12 case studies documenting how producers have integrated educational outreach into their productions. The archived broadcast projects range from children's programs, to one-off documentaries, and to nonfiction limited series. The list includes programs such as Africa, Building Big, Culture Shock, and Cyberchase, among others.

Go to: http://enhancinged.wgbh.org/cases/index.html