Film/Media
VCAM features a number of facilities and initiatives supporting film and media work by Haverford students and faculty.
Strange Truth
The Strange Truth film series was founded in 2009 at Haverford College by documentary filmmaker Vicky Funari. Since then she and Haverford faculty John Muse have partnered with faculty, staff, and students within the Tri-College community and beyond to annually present films and media works that explore “the non-fiction imagination,” redefining and expanding the definition of “documentary film.”
Screened on campus, at our community partner Bryn Mawr Film Institute, or in Philadelphia, films are accompanied by conversations with the filmmakers and film scholars. Makers visit classes, converse with faculty and staff, and critique student works.
A core initiative of Haverford’s Hurford Center for the Arts and Humanities and VCAM (Visual Culture, Arts, and Media) facility, Strange Truth is now organized by Haverford faculty John Muse.
2025 Flaherty Seminar (June 25-29, 2025, New York City)
Deadline: Wednesday, April 2, 2025
Open to Tri-Co first, second, and third-year students who have completed film coursework at Haverford.
Open to current Haverford College faculty and staff who will continue to be employed by the College during the 2025-26 academic year.
This year’s Seminar will gather participants for four days in New York City, beginning the afternoon of June 25th and ending the afternoon of June 29th. To commemorate the Flaherty's 70th anniversary, the program will be curated collaboratively by past seminar programmers Janaína Oliveira (OPACITY, 2021), Carlos Guttiérez (SOUTH OF THE OTHER, 2007, with Mahen Bonetti), and Richard Herskowitz (1987 Seminar, 1999 Seminar with Orlando Bagwell, and chair of the Flaherty's 50th Anniversary Committee). Venue details to come.
Contact VCAM and Visual Studies Director John Muse (jmuse@haverford.edu) with any questions.
What to Expect
You are applying to attend the Flaherty Seminar beginning on the afternoon of Wednesday June 25th, ending on the afternoon of Sunday, June 29th. You are expected to stay for the duration and to attend all Flaherty programs. Accommodations and Program will be provided, but you are also expected to make your own travel arrangements to and from New York. You will have a small per diem for food and some meals will also be part of the Program.
Participants sponsored by Visual Studies and VCAM are representing Haverford College. Haverford expects you will uphold the same community standards of the Tri-College Community while participating in the Flaherty Seminar.
How to Apply
To apply, please email a letter of interest to jmuse@haverford.edu as a pdf with the following information:
Students: Name, Class Year, Advisor, Major/Minor/Interests if Undeclared
Faculty/Staff: Name, Department
A statement of interest of no more than 500 words describing how you would benefit from attending this year’s Flaherty Seminar–if relevant, how would this experience connect with your research, creative practice, studies, and/or ambitions?
Please put “Flaherty Seminar Application” in the subject line.
VCAM Media and Makers Series (2025-26 Academic Year)
Deadline: April 21, 2025
VCAM invites faculty and staff to propose a series of three films, Maker Arts creators, or multimedia artists in conjunction with a course or multiple courses. Screenings or workshops are open both to students and the general public. Priority is given to faculty/courses in the Visual Studies program or taught in collaboration with the VCAM Maker Arts Space.
Funding of up to $10,000 is available to cover artist honoraria, workshop materials, travel, lodging, receptions, and more. Collaborative projects involving more than one faculty or staff member will be given priority.
Send the following to VCAM Director John Muse (jmuse@haverford.edu) to apply.
Name
Department
Amount Requested
Project Description (Theme, Media, Audiences, Outcomes) of 750-1000 words
Brief description of how funds will be used, including potential dates, venues, and budget breakdown.
Summer DocuLab
DocuLab was a donor-funded five-year program that developed student-faculty documentary work in VCAM.
Students spent ten weeks both on campus and in the field developing documentary projects, working with faculty, visiting filmmakers, and technicians. Taking advantage of the new filmmaking spaces and equipment in VCAM, the initiative built on the College’s successful Interdisciplinary Documentary Media Fellows Program (WAKE, Capitalish) and the Hurford Center’s Tuttle Summer Arts Lab (The Pool Movie Project). DocuLab was a joint initiative of the John B. Hurford '60 Center for the Arts and Humanities and VCAM.
Facilities
Equipment Checkout
VCAM Equipment Checkout (VCAM 101B) houses cameras, lights, and other equipment used in VCAM courses with film/media components. Additional equipment is available in the Stokes Instructional Technology Center. Haverford VCAM equipment loans are provided to Haverford College students, faculty, and staff currently enrolled in related video production courses, or for use in conjunction with VCAM sponsored events. Bryn Mawr College and Swarthmore College students enrolled in a VCAM video production course may borrow equipment as needed for assignments in that class.
Screening Room
The VCAM Screening Room (VCAM 001) serves as a venue for classes, co-curricular screenings, and public events in VCAM. Users can connect their laptops directly at the podium via HDMI or VGA connection to project onto the screen. They can also screen a DVD or Blu-ray in the space by accessing the player in the projection booth. Requests must be made a week in advance to provide student support for a screening involving a DVD or Blu-ray. The Screening Room also hosts a Digital Cinema Projector for special events with visiting filmmakers or film-related courses.
Film/Media Editing Studio
The Film/Media Editing Studio (VCAM 101) has 16 iMac computer stations in the main room, with another iMac at the room’s teaching station. These iMacs come equipped with the Adobe Creative Cloud suite, headphones, and a special AJA media encoder to route picture and sound to the projection screen in the room. There is also a separate editing room (VCAM 101A) to allow users some privacy when collaborating on a project or for more in-depth audio editing. VCAM 101A is also equipped with an iMac and Adobe CC suite.
The Film/Media Editing Studio is reservable for special workshops and class sessions in consultation with Digital Media Specialist Charles Woodard (cwoodard@haverford.edu).
Object Study/Media Production Classroom
The Object Study/Media Production Classroom (VCAM 201) is a flexible space designed for teaching both video production and the study of objects. The room has two LCD screens and a single projection screen that are equipped to show computer desktops, production camera feeds, and Blu-ray / DVDs. VCAM 201 also has multiple roll-down screens for background use (green, white, black, grey) in film projects. The remote may be checked out in the VCAM Equipment Checkout, 101B. Finally, VCAM 201 hosts an exhibition wall viewable from the building’s main Presentation Lounge, capable of storing objects in use by classes throughout the semester.