Studying Abroad In South America: Ethnographic Images and Short Films

Abstract

In returning from my adventure to South America, my research did not go as smoothly as I had anticipated. Culture and language shock and the lack of a formal institution to support me led to produce far less media than I initially anticipated. Producing non-fiction documentaries is hard enough in and of itself, let alone attempting to produce them alone in a foreign country or large metropolis such as Buenos Aires. In the end I found myself capturing more still images than moving images, and although my results do not 100% reflect my hypothesis, I am confident that my still images and select short films do. I have learned a great deal from my time in Argentina and Chile and I now understand that some sort of institution, partner or mentor is necessary if I seek to create a large media project again in the near future.