Program Overview

Science Filmmaking Marathon

Course Information

The Science Filmmaking Marathon is a course designed for doctoral candidates and postdocs of the University of Basel. The course takes place over three days:

• Thursday, June 25, 2026, 9:00 AM till 5:00 PM
• Friday, June 26, 2026, 9:00 AM till 5:00 PM
• Saturday, June 27, 2026, 9:00 AM till 5:00 PM Registration opens on January 21, 2026, at 9:00 AM, and the registration deadline is May 28, 2026, at 12:00 PM. The course is free of charge and limited to a minimum of 6 and a maximum of 12 participants.

Trainer

The course is led by Dr. Samer Angelone, a filmmaker and scientist who is the founder of the Global Science Film Festival. Dr. Angelone has directed several fiction and documentary films and teaches filmmaking, storytelling, and video-journalism at various universities and research institutes. He holds two PhDs in Film Studies and Biology.

Credits

The course awards 1 ECTS credit.

Organized by

The course is organized by the Graduate Center of the University of Basel, as part of the Transferable Skills program.

Aims

The Science Filmmaking Marathon aims to train researchers in the tools of dramatic storytelling and filmmaking to communicate their research more effectively to a broader audience. Participants learn the basics of visual storytelling, filmmaking, and working in groups supervised by professional filmmakers to produce short films.

Content

The course content includes:

• Day 1: Pitching of science stories, forming small groups, and preparing stories, scripts, and storyboards
• Day 2: Filming
• Day 3: Film editing The produced films will be screened at the 8th Global Science Film Festival.

Methods

Participants will learn the entire process of making films, including pitching film ideas, storytelling, storyboarding, filming, and editing using professional software such as Premiere Pro and CapCut.

Target Group

The course is designed for all doctoral candidates and postdocs.

Workload

The total workload for the course is 30 hours, consisting of 24 hours of course attendance and 6 hours of preparatory tasks.

Feature

Once registration is open, applications will be collected for 24 hours, and course places will be allocated by lot. All registrations received after the initial 24-hour period will be put on a waiting list and assigned on a first-come, first-served basis. Full course attendance is mandatory, and participants who fail to attend without prior notification or withdraw after the registration deadline may be subject to a fee.