Documentary video making presents unique challenges for cinematographers, who often have to work alone or in small crews while capturing the unpredictable. This introductory graduate-level course is designed to elicit beautifully-framed, meaningful footage despite the chaos that may surround a typical shoot. There is special emphasis placed on shooting cinema verite and lighting with a small or non-existent crew. This course is as much about cinematography as it is about the technical nuts-and-bolts aspect of digital cameras. Students work exclusively with HD cameras in preparation for the documentary project, and crew with classmates for a series of preparatory exercises, designed to conclude as the production period begins.