Driven to do both, a dance 主要 adds documentary filmmaker to repertoire

“Skidmore’s Dance Department is what drew me in, but it was the liberal arts experience, where I could get a well-rounded education and do a lot of dancing, that helped me choose,” said Kathryn Brodie ’22, a dance 主要 turned documentary filmmaker.

Today, the alumna, who grew up in rural Virginia, is proudly launching her career 在波士顿做视频编辑. But she says she wouldn’t be there if it weren’t for a few key projects, several kismet moments, and the “out of this world” offerings 在火博体育.

“I will say that when I started, I was a little singularly focused on dance,” said Brodie, reflecting on her Skidmore journey. “But the COVID-19 pandemic arrived during my sophomore year and everything changed. Suddenly I didn’t have the access or drive 追求同样的东西. I felt my curiosity wandering.”

Early in her time 在火博体育, Brodie was exposed to cinematography through her dance 主要. 处理 莎拉素质, associate professor and chair of the 舞蹈系, Brodie learned to film and edit videos for 为成功起舞， a program that helps educators integrate dance into classroom lessons.

“I’d always loved the film industry,” she said, but the resources and encouragement she found 在火博体育 set the gears in motion. “I began filming dancers across campus, working with various professors, and eventually it was recommended to me that I consider 参加 传媒及电影研究 课程.”

Studying at the intersections of two passions – dance and film – Brodie stretched her 利益 and expanded her talents. In film classes, she learned about various documentary mediums, production, and post-production, and in dance classes, she studied the way people move and express themselves.

One of Brodie’s early projects, “Tang Montage,” highlights the intersections of her 利益.

With the support and coaching of peers and faculty, Brodie was accepted into the 约翰B. Moore Documentary Studies Collaborative's (MDOCS) prestigious Storytellers’ Institute, a five-week documentary residency that allows creators to work on independent projects around a shared theme. 被其他人包围 storytellers in the intensive program, Brodie’s documentary perspectives – and opportunities -再次移位.

“I began to be see this work as an opportunity for explanatory journalism, activism, and sharing unique stories,” she said. She also took a risk with a new subject: farming.

“I started just by going to Pitney Meadows Community Farm in person and meeting the 那里的工人，”布罗迪说. "I volunteered with them, picked sweet potatoes in the field for hours, and bought some of their produce. I was in awe at how amazing of a place it was, and that it’s right down the street from Skidmore in the outskirts 萨拉托加.”

She realized there was a great story to be told, of a women-led farming community that teaches people of all ages about food justice, sustainability, and agriculture.

"I was so inspired that the land was being used entirely for education and community 发展，”她说. “It’s a natural space dedicated to the health of those who 使用它."

Along the way, she made mistakes and learned from them, and learned the ins and outs of lighting, transporting equipment, scheduling, audio, re-shoots, and scripts.

“Another Way to Farm” a Pitney Meadows Community Farm Documentary by Kathryn Brodie

“Another Way to Farm” was shared among faculty and students, where it recieved wonderful feedback in September of 2021. Brodie considers it to be one of her greatest accomplishments 在火博体育. It, and a portfolio of other interdisciplinary experiences and lessons, launched her into her post-graduate life.

“I know my experience is not like everyone’s,” she said. “But the thing about Skidmore is that once you pay attention, and take advantage of what’s around you, the offerings 都脱离了这个世界.”