Don Schechter
Encyclopedia
Don Schechter is the founder of Charles River Media Group and is a filmmaker, producer
, composer
, and educator. In 2003, he formed Charles River Media Group - a Boston based video production and post production collaborative.
in 2003. As a graduate student he received the Etta and Harry Winokur Award for Outstanding Achievement in Artistic or Scholarly Work.
Schechter taught at the Conservatory Lab Charter School in Brighton, MA and was a freelance video producer before forming Charles River Media Group - a Boston based video production and post-production collaborative in 2003.
s. These include:
This course immerses students in the practice and logic associated with camera, lighting, audio and editing—all in the service of learning how to tell a story cinematically. Don's immense work in the field of video editing and production gives him a unique ability to instruct young filmmakers in the art of movie-making.
This course addressed the powerful role of video journalism as an advocacy tool to shape perceptions of policy and society. Students learn the principles and techniques of documentary and TV news magazine journalism including directing, camera work, and editing. This course also emphasizes citizenship, active community leadership, and creative approaches to civic engagement. Don Schechter produced the following documentaries through this course: (2003) Silent Screams: Modern Day Slavery in Sudan, Silencing Survivors: Budget Cuts to Rape Crisis Centers, Access Denied: The Polluted Malden River, False Promises: Education Budget Cuts (2004) Political Passions, Walking the Line: Cocaine, Color Coded: Battling the Law, Live! From the New Hampshire Primary, Homelessness: The Shelter vs. House Debate, The Gay Marriage Debate, The Multi-Racial Experience, Finding the Lost Girls (2005) From the Fryer to the Freeway: Alternative Energy Today*, Waitlisted: The Battle Over the In-State Tuition Bill, Flip the Coin: The Somali Bantus' Journey to America, Melanie's Legacy: a Grandfather's Fight against Drunk Driving, Student Soldiers, Bio Safety or Bio Terror?, Hazard Children at Work, Taking it Back: Haitian Empowerment in Boston, (2006) Making Contact, Stuttering, Managing Drinking, Out-Dated, The Price of Education, Hidden Obsession: Body Image and the Gay Male, Silent Killer: Asbestos, Talking Back (2007) Veteran's Day, Changing Uniforms, John School, Undocumented Dreams, Drinking Under the Influence: The Fight Against Bottled Water (2008) Mapendo and the Crisis of African Refugees, Art in Your Face, Honkumentary: No Noise is Illegal, Tourette’s: Ticking Tolerance, * (Winner of a College Emmy Award)
In this course, students develop critical viewing skills, as they learn the language and structures of film and television documentaries. They examine the varied forms of documentary filmmaking, including historical films, advocacy videos, political satire, propaganda, cinema verité and other depictions of “reality.”
Film producer
A film producer oversees and delivers a film project to all relevant parties while preserving the integrity, voice and vision of the film. They will also often take on some financial risk by using their own money, especially during the pre-production period, before a film is fully financed.The...
, composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
, and educator. In 2003, he formed Charles River Media Group - a Boston based video production and post production collaborative.
Background and education
Schechter graduated from Stuyvesant High School in Manhattan before receiving his Bachelor's degree in Media Arts and Technologies and Masters Degree in Music Composition and Theory from Tufts University. He received his Masters Degree in Music Composition and Theory from Tufts UniversityTufts University
Tufts University is a private research university located in Medford/Somerville, near Boston, Massachusetts. It is organized into ten schools, including two undergraduate programs and eight graduate divisions, on four campuses in Massachusetts and on the eastern border of France...
in 2003. As a graduate student he received the Etta and Harry Winokur Award for Outstanding Achievement in Artistic or Scholarly Work.
Schechter taught at the Conservatory Lab Charter School in Brighton, MA and was a freelance video producer before forming Charles River Media Group - a Boston based video production and post-production collaborative in 2003.
Charles River Media Group
Charles River Media Group is a production company based in Brookline, MA, serving corporate, non-profit, governmental and academic institutions. Select clients include Oprah Winfrey's Harpo Productions, ESPN, 38 Studios, New Balance, The N.Y. Times, Harvard and Tufts Universities, Chanel/Viximo, Pearson Education, Houghton Mifflin, The Commonwealth of Massachusetts and The United States Congress, Services include television commercials and programming, documentary and narrative filmmaking, corporate videos, and live event recordings.Film, television, and the internet
Schechter has produced, directed, edited, or worked on in some capacity many television commercials, industrials, internet videos and documentary filmDocumentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
s. These include:
- Marranos (TBD), Director of Photography, a dramatic period piece involving the Jews during the Spanish Inquisition
- Transcendent Man (2009), 2nd Unit Director. Premiered at Tribeca Film Festival
- A Good Whack: The Making of Tonya and Nancy: The Opera, short documentary about an opera based on the Tonya HardingTonya HardingTonya Maxine Harding is an American figure skating champion. In 1991 she won the U.S. Figure Skating Championships and placed second in the World Championships. She was the second woman, and the first American woman, to complete a triple axel jump in competition...
and Nancy KerriganNancy KerriganNancy Ann Kerrigan is a two-time American Olympic figure skating medalist and 1993 U.S. champion.-Early life and skating career:...
incident. Premiered at the ReelHeart International Film Festival in 2009 - awarded 3rd Place in its category. - The Twilight Bar and Grill (2008), Director
- Coventry (2008), awarded 3 Telly Awards for Cinematography, Use of HD, and Nature/Wildlife
- The Raffle (2008), Executive ProducerExecutive producerAn executive producer is a producer who is not involved in any technical aspects of the film making or music process, but who is still responsible for the overall production...
- God or The Girl (2006) Production Assistant for A&E's miniseries.
- The Rolling Stones: Four Flicks (2003) Camera for Michael Apted's documentary on The Rolling Stones
- Bad Boy Made Good: The Revival of George Antheil's 1924 Ballet Mécanique (2001) Camera
- Dateline NBC (2000) Intern
- Walnut Park Productions (1999) Intern
Select industrials
- Hasty Pudding Awards (MOY, WOY Awards), Director/Editor, Harvard University
- Mayor Menino Reelection Commercial, Director of Photography, Mullen & Company
- Michael Flaherty Mayoral Announcement, Director of Photography, Dixon Davis Media
- Massachusetts School Building Authority, Director and Editor, Massachusetts School Building Authority
- TruFlirt, Director, Chanel/Viximo
- New Balance Training Video, Director/Editor, New Balance
- New Balance Kiosk Video, Editor, New Balance
- Holy Cross Promotional Video, Director/Editor, Holy Cross Promotional Video
- Centennial Farms, Editor, Centennial Farms
- Advanced Technologies Laboratory, Director/Editor, Advanced Technologies Laboratory
- Hellenic College Promotional Video, Director/Editor, Hellenic College
- Att. General Tom Reilly Biography, Editor, Commonwealth of Massachusetts
- Congressman Delahunt Hearing on Torture, Camera/Editor, U.S. Treasury
Select internet productions
- Producer/Editor, About.com/The N.Y. Times (2006–2008) - Created over five hundred video tutorials on technology and cooking for online viewing
- Producer/Editor, Metacafe (2007) - Created tutorials on video editing for online video producers
- Producer, Viscosity/Nibblebox (2000) - Developed and produced a web-based music video application for nibblebox.com. Worked with Director Doug Liman (Swingers, The Bourne Identity)
Adjunct instructor
“Making Movies,” Tufts University, Experimental College, (co-taught: 2007-2009, taught: 2010–present)This course immerses students in the practice and logic associated with camera, lighting, audio and editing—all in the service of learning how to tell a story cinematically. Don's immense work in the field of video editing and production gives him a unique ability to instruct young filmmakers in the art of movie-making.
Adjunct Instructor (co-taught)
“Producing Films for Social Change,” Tufts University, Tisch School of Citizenship and Public Service (2003–2008)This course addressed the powerful role of video journalism as an advocacy tool to shape perceptions of policy and society. Students learn the principles and techniques of documentary and TV news magazine journalism including directing, camera work, and editing. This course also emphasizes citizenship, active community leadership, and creative approaches to civic engagement. Don Schechter produced the following documentaries through this course: (2003) Silent Screams: Modern Day Slavery in Sudan, Silencing Survivors: Budget Cuts to Rape Crisis Centers, Access Denied: The Polluted Malden River, False Promises: Education Budget Cuts (2004) Political Passions, Walking the Line: Cocaine, Color Coded: Battling the Law, Live! From the New Hampshire Primary, Homelessness: The Shelter vs. House Debate, The Gay Marriage Debate, The Multi-Racial Experience, Finding the Lost Girls (2005) From the Fryer to the Freeway: Alternative Energy Today*, Waitlisted: The Battle Over the In-State Tuition Bill, Flip the Coin: The Somali Bantus' Journey to America, Melanie's Legacy: a Grandfather's Fight against Drunk Driving, Student Soldiers, Bio Safety or Bio Terror?, Hazard Children at Work, Taking it Back: Haitian Empowerment in Boston, (2006) Making Contact, Stuttering, Managing Drinking, Out-Dated, The Price of Education, Hidden Obsession: Body Image and the Gay Male, Silent Killer: Asbestos, Talking Back (2007) Veteran's Day, Changing Uniforms, John School, Undocumented Dreams, Drinking Under the Influence: The Fight Against Bottled Water (2008) Mapendo and the Crisis of African Refugees, Art in Your Face, Honkumentary: No Noise is Illegal, Tourette’s: Ticking Tolerance, * (Winner of a College Emmy Award)
Adjunct Instructor
“History of Documentary: From Nanook to The Real World,” Tufts University, Experimental College, (2006–2008)In this course, students develop critical viewing skills, as they learn the language and structures of film and television documentaries. They examine the varied forms of documentary filmmaking, including historical films, advocacy videos, political satire, propaganda, cinema verité and other depictions of “reality.”