Science Writing Workshop

 I am just returning from an extraordinary week at the science 

writing workshop in Santa Fe led by George Johnson and Sandra Blakeslee.  I felt honored to be included among this group of ace reporters, writers, and scientists.  I was the only documentary filmmaker present.  I attended because I felt I needed the help of experienced science writers to clarify the complex findings in neuroscience and brain chemistry that is part of the medical research on entheogens documentary that I'm making.

 Although I do not think of myself as a professional writer, documentary filmmakers do quite a bit of writing in the course of a production - treatments, proposals, web copy, press kits, scripts, letters.  So I started out as a quiet person and become an enthusiastic participant.  We were able to go to the Santa Fe institute, home of complexity theory, and listen to presentations by two post-docs.

I guess it was inevitable that many reporters expressed the desire to learn basic video making skills as their zines were interested in video postings of their stories as well as text.  Sitting outside by blooming cactus, enjoying the afternoon spring showers, we all speculated on where this drive for video on the web is going to go.  Documentary Jukebox is growing to be the right site at the right time to host powerful stories and information rich media.