Learning Community Course Creates Experimental Documentaries on Eco Cinema and Trip to Channing Philbrick Park
October 27, 2026
This fall, students in the Learning Community course Arts in Action are studying how artists explore and comment on issues in the world. Through Eco-Cinema, the first of the three-part class, students look into the natural world, climate change, and humans' connection to the natural environment.
As part of the experience, the class took a field trip to Channing Philbrick Park to film the scenes of the park's waterfalls, trees, vegetation, and natural beauty. Their assignment was to create short, experimental documentaries to encourage appreciation of the environment and natural spaces.
“Students are given a fair amount of freedom in how they approach this film. They learn about framing and types of shots and are using the cell phones to film—they also learn to edit using Davinci Resolve,” said Jeremy Sarachan, associate professor of media and communication.
The class consists of students from across disciplines, including biology, business, and film and television, among others.
“I think it's important for students to retain the creative side of themselves regardless of their major. Such work makes them more effective in whatever area of study they pursue,” added Sarachan.
Biology major Jessen Johnson deepened his appreciation for local parks and demonstrated how eco-cinema encourages viewers to look beyond the surface of a landscape. He added that viewing life through a cinematic lens makes people more observant of their surroundings.
“What stood out to me was the stunning natural scenery. The location provided an ideal atmosphere for filming, and I was genuinely surprised to discover such a beautiful place so close by,” said Johnson. “By observing nature through a cinematic lens, you become much more aware of subtle details such as light and sound which deepens your connection to the environment. I hope viewers gain a renewed appreciation for local natural environments and are inspired to explore the natural beauty.”
Business management student Olivia Langworthy was struck both by the sounds of nature and how people take nature for granted.
“The sound of the waterfall running down the rocks or the birds chirping. When I was filming, I realized how beautiful nature is,” shared Langworthy.
She hopes viewers of her short film will take away how beautiful nature can be, and that to preserve it we must stop littering, and harming the environment and the wildlife in it.
“Something I learned while at the park was that a lot of people take nature for granted. I found wrappers and cans while walking along the trail and by the bank of the water. It made me want to encourage people to take care of nature because we only get one world, so we should try to preserve it,” she said.
Matt Costa, who is studying film and television, said that the field trip pushed him to experiment and be more bold in capturing his footage, moving beyond basic symmetry and composition.
“I decided to become more bold with my footage, nearly dropping my phone in the water twice in order to capture two close-ups of running water. I also started playing around with my shot composition, utilizing the rule of thirds, and being creative with my depth of field, playing around with the focus of objects whether they were in the foreground or the background,” said Costa.
The eco-inema unit has opened Costa up to ecological filmmaking and lessons from the trip have carried over into other classes and his daily life. He said that after the experience, he has found himself pulling out his phone at “every cool tree” or “anything that screams beautiful nature.”
“I have learned valuable filmmaking skills and have applied them to other places and other classes (earning the role of cinematographer for a project), and have also developed more appreciation for nature,” said Costa. “I’ve gained more ideas for future projects, and I hope to study more ecological filmmaking as well.”
Learning Community Course Creates Experimental Documentaries on Eco Cinema and Trip to Channing Philbrick Park2026-10-27T16:11:00-04:00This fall, students in the Learning Community course Arts in Action are studying how artists explore and comment on issues in the world. Through Eco-Cinema, the first of the three-part class, students look into the natural world, climate change, and humans' connection to the natural environment.As part of the experience, the class took a field trip to Channing Philbrick Park to film the scenes of the park's waterfalls, trees, vegetation, and natural beauty. Their assignment was to create short, experimental documentaries to encourage appreciation of the environment and natural spaces. “Students are given a fair amount of freedom in how they approach this film. They learn about framing and types of shots and are using the cell phones to film—they also learn to edit using Davinci Resolve,” said Jeremy Sarachan, associate professor of media and communication.
The class consists of students from across disciplines, including biology, business, and film and television, among others.
“I think it's important for students to retain the creative side of themselves regardless of their major. Such work makes them more effective in whatever area of study they pursue,” added Sarachan.
Biology major Jessen Johnson deepened his appreciation for local parks and demonstrated how eco-cinema encourages viewers to look beyond the surface of a landscape. He added that viewing life through a cinematic lens makes people more observant of their surroundings.
“What stood out to me was the stunning natural scenery. The location provided an ideal atmosphere for filming, and I was genuinely surprised to discover such a beautiful place so close by,” said Johnson. “By observing nature through a cinematic lens, you become much more aware of subtle details such as light and sound which deepens your connection to the environment. I hope viewers gain a renewed appreciation for local natural environments and are inspired to explore the natural beauty.”
Business management student Olivia Langworthy was struck both by the sounds of nature and how people take nature for granted.
“The sound of the waterfall running down the rocks or the birds chirping. When I was filming, I realized how beautiful nature is,” shared Langworthy.
She hopes viewers of her short film will take away how beautiful nature can be, and that to preserve it we must stop littering, and harming the environment and the wildlife in it.
“Something I learned while at the park was that a lot of people take nature for granted. I found wrappers and cans while walking along the trail and by the bank of the water. It made me want to encourage people to take care of nature because we only get one world, so we should try to preserve it,” she said.
Matt Costa, who is studying film and television, said that the field trip pushed him to experiment and be more bold in capturing his footage, moving beyond basic symmetry and composition.
“I decided to become more bold with my footage, nearly dropping my phone in the water twice in order to capture two close-ups of running water. I also started playing around with my shot composition, utilizing the rule of thirds, and being creative with my depth of field, playing around with the focus of objects whether they were in the foreground or the background,” said Costa.
The eco-inema unit has opened Costa up to ecological filmmaking and lessons from the trip have carried over into other classes and his daily life. He said that after the experience, he has found himself pulling out his phone at “every cool tree” or “anything that screams beautiful nature.”
“I have learned valuable filmmaking skills and have applied them to other places and other classes (earning the role of cinematographer for a project), and have also developed more appreciation for nature,” said Costa. “I’ve gained more ideas for future projects, and I hope to study more ecological filmmaking as well.”
View student films:
Jessen Johnson
Daniel Palisano
Matt Costa
Kyle Dredger