The Many Worlds of Documentary Blog

Name, Major and Minor, Graduation Year:

My name is Xinyi Qin. Casually I go by Dona. I’m majoring in Documentary Studies and Production, minoring in Sociology. I will be graduating in December 2025.

Hometown:

I’m an international student from Shanghai, China.

Why am I a Documentary Studies and Production major?

There are so many good reasons, and they keep adding up as I take more courses. The beauty of documentary stories is truly unique, and I don’t think it can be replicated by any other form of media.

The classes in the Documentary Studies and Production major are extremely interesting. In my first year I took journalism, photography and documentary classes wherein I was given the opportunity to collaborate with people in the Ithaca community. Gradually, those experiences built up my confidence, and my language skills to establish relationships with global partners.

Courses in the major that impacted me:

Investigative Journalism set the basic skills for me to survive in this industry. I learned how to research and organize the research results; how to write professional emails to potential interviewees; and how to collaborate as if I was in a newsroom, all from this class.Journalism Ethics and Nonfiction Production allowed me to extend those skills and focus on not just completing the project, but also to build my portfolio.

What I learned at my recent internship:

During the summer, I worked at the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) in New York City as a Contributing Junior Video Editor. I was also given the opportunity to assist with photo editing on the multimedia team.

I worked on six major projects throughout three months. The tasks I did included researching stock videos, court materials, and news reports for social media reels; assist in the production of the film donor-advised fund ad campaign video; archive and organize video and audio assets in digital asset management system; and assist on the editing of a Robert Redford appreciation video.

My responsibilities included researching and licensing videos and photos through stock and news agencies; negotiating photo licensing policies and rates with outside agencies; and archiving audio, video, and photo assets based on programmatic and institutional priorities.

I learned a lot about environmental law, copyright and licensing, archiving, media research and reverse search. More importantly, I learned intangible skills like how to collaborate with various departments, with respect, transparency, and humor. I also gained a lot of experience being adaptable and flexible while multitasking and managing many projects at once.

Something about me beyond my major:

I am a rock climber and climb boulders, top-rope and lead. You will see me at least twice a week at the Cornell climbing wall. Recently, I’ve been also enjoying cooking and reading Chinese literature.