JOURN 125 THE DOCUMENTARY: A SOCIAL FORCE Spring 2013

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1 JOURN 125 THE DOCUMENTARY: A SOCIAL FORCE Spring 2013 Professor: Heather Carawan hcarawan@pierce.ctc.edu Office hours by appointment only: T and Th, 11:00 a.m. 12:00 p.m. Canvas Class Website: Class Meeting Times: Tuesdays and Thursdays Cascade Room 512, Pierce College, Ft. Steilacoom 12:00 p.m. 2:10 p.m. Required Text: Documentary Film; A Very Short Introduction by Patricia Aufderheide (Oxford University Press, 2007) Additional Recommended Texts: Introduction to Documentary Second Edition, by Bill Nichols (Indiana University Press, 2010) AVAILABLE as E-BOOK in Pierce College Library. A New History of Documentary Film Second Edition, by Betsy A. McLane (Continuum International Publishing Group, NY, 2012) Documentary; A History of the Non-Fiction Film Second Revised Edition, by Erik Barnouw (Oxford University Press, 1993) Documenting the Documentary: Close Readings of Documentary Film and Video by Barry Keith Grant & Jeannette Sloniowski (Wayne State University Press, 1998) Documentary Filmmakers Speak by Liz Stubbs (Allworth Press, 2002) Course Goals: In this course we will examine documentary films, both historical and modern, which have educated, intrigued, influenced, and entertained us. We will study the various modes of documentary filmmaking and discuss their strengths and weaknesses. Students will explore the challenges of non-fiction representation, including such issues as social impact, personal perspective, and the ethical and moral considerations that emerge in the process of documenting real people and real situations. Course activities will include weekly screenings, readings, discussions, and written responses. Student Learning Objectives / Outcomes: By the end of this course students should demonstrate: Broad knowledge of the field of documentary studies, including an understanding of the associated history, development and social impact, and an understanding of the research methods and writing conventions particular to the field of film studies 1

2 Grading: Active Class Participation / Attendance: 10% Journal Entries on Screenings and Reading Assignments 10% First Paper, 3-5 pages 20% Second Paper, 3-5 pages 20% Documentary Film Treatment (in two parts) 20% Take-Home Final Exam 20% Assignments: Directions for each assignment (in bold above) will be provided by instructor in ample advance of due dates. All assignments should be delivered in person, at the beginning of class, on the assigned due date. Participation / Viewing Guidelines: Active participation and consistent attendance contribute significantly to your grade. Any more than three absences will result in the lowering of your class grade by a full letter grade. Please arrive on time and let the instructor know in advance if you must leave early. Come to class with questions prepared; ask and respond to questions; share your ideas. Please turn off and put away all cell phones before you enter the classroom. Entering and leaving during a screening is disruptive, as is talking. Turn off laptop computers while screening films. Please remain in class for entire film viewings. Whenever possible, films will be available on reserve in the library. If you must miss a screening of a film not available on reserve, talk with the instructor about alternate viewing options. Reading: You are expected to have completed the assigned reading for each date before you come to class on that day. In addition to the assigned pages in the textbook, students are expected to read additional handouts and / or web-based materials provided by instructor throughout the course. Plagiarism Policy: Plagiarism will not be tolerated. Plagiarism means to represent the ideas or words of another as your own. It is plagiarism anytime you put anything in your paper that comes out of a book or magazine or the Internet, whether word-for-word or paraphrased, and do not give written credit to the source. Access and Disability Services: Students with disabilities who believe they may need academic adjustments, auxiliary aids or services to fully participate in course activities or meet course requirements are encouraged to register with the Access and Disability Services (ADS) Office, located in the Welcome Center. You may also call the ADS Office to make an appointment to meet with the ADS Coordinator at (253) or (253) Students requesting accommodations must obtain the Approved Quarterly Academic Adjustments, Auxiliary Aids or Services (green) form provided by ADS. 2

3 CLASS SCHEDULE (subject to change) - THE DOCUMENTARY: A SOCIAL FORCE WEEK ONE: Introduction / Distinguishing Documentaries April 2, 4 Syllabus review Differences between fiction & nonfiction films Origins of documentary Components of a documentary The Movies Begin ( ) Lumiere Brothers, Thomas Edison, Eadweard Muybridge (Series Photography) Nanook of the North (Robert Flaherty, 1922, 79 min.) Read: Aufderheide, Chapter 1, pages 1-22 Th 4/4 Nichols, Chapter 5, pages Web Resources: Freeze Frame: Eadweard Muybridge's Photography of Motion: The short films of the Lumière brothers: Thomas Edison's Annie Oakley [1894]: Edison Motion Pictures (Library of Congress): "Documentary Chronology WEEK TWO: Reality and Representation April 9, 11 Ethnographic foundations of American documentary filmmaking Introduction to modes of documentary filmmaking Revolutionary in Russia - Dziga Vertov s kino pravda in the 1920s First Contact (Anderson & Connolly, 1984, 58 min.) Man with a Movie Camera (Dziga Vertov, 1929, 68 min.) Read: Aufderheide, Chapter 1, pages T 4/9 Taxidermy and Romantic Ethnography by Fatimah Tobing Rony, in The Third Eye: Race, Cinema, and Ethnographic Spectacle [Durham: Duke University Press, 1996]. AVAILABLE on CANVAS WEBSITE and on E-RESERVE. FIRST JOURNAL ENTRY DUE IN CLASS: TUESDAY, APRIL 9 th Read: Aufderheide, Chapter 2, pages Th 4/11 Chapter 1, pages Nichols, Chapter 6, pages

4 WEEK THREE: The Politicization of Documentary Film April 16, 18 Ethical issues 1930s British and American social documentaries Modern advocacy in documentary filmmaking Screenings: Night Mail (Harry Watt and Basil Wright, 1936) Housing Problems (Arthur Elton and Edgar Anstey, 1935) The River (Pare Lorentz, 1937) When the Levees Broke (Spike Lee, 2006) excerpts Life and Debt (Stephanie Black, 2001) Read: Aufderheide, Chapter 1, pages T 4/16 Nichols, Chapter 2, pages SECOND JOURNAL ENTRY DUE IN CLASS: TUESDAY, APRIL 16 th Read: Nichols, Chapter 8, pages Th 4/18 Chapter 9, pages (in preparation for 1 st paper assignment) Web Resources: Depression Era Documentaries: "A New Frontier for Documentaries": WEEK FOUR: Propaganda, WWII, and Documentary on TV April 23, 25 Germany and the rise of fascism on film Indoctrination prelude to war in the U.S. Market changes documentary for television Screenings: Triumph of the Will (Leni Riefenstahl, 1934) Why We Fight (Frank Capra, 1943) Primary (Robert Drew, 1960) excerpts Read: Aufderheide Chapter 2, pages T 4/23 The Mass Psychology of Fascist Cinema: Leni Rienfenstahl s Triumph of the Will by Frank P. Tomasulo in Documenting the Documentary, ed. Grant and Sloniowski [Detroit: Wayne State University, 1998]. THIRD JOURNAL ENTRY DUE IN CLASS: TUESDAY, APRIL 23 rd Read: McLane: New History of Documentary Film, Chapter 9, pages Th 4/25 FIRST PAPER DUE IN CLASS: THURSDAY, APRIL 25 th 4

5 WEEK FIVE: The Observational and Participatory Modes April 30, May 2 Changes in technology Cinema Verite the fly on the wall The relationship between filmmaker and subject The art of the interview / perspective and point of view Screenings: High School (Frederick Wiseman, 1968, 75 min.) Excerpts from the Maysles brothers, D.A. Pennebaker & Chris Hegedus, Richard Leacock, Robert Drew, Barbara Kopple Read: Aufderheide, Chapter 1, pages T 4/30 Nichols, Chapter 7, pages FOURTH JOURNAL ENTRY DUE IN CLASS: TUESDAY, April 30th The Life and Times of Rosie the Riveter (Connie Field, 1985, 65 min.) Forbidden City (Arthur Dong, 1989) Read: Aufderheide, Chapter 2, pages Th 5/2 Nichols, Chapter 7, pages WEEK SIX: The Voice in Documentary Film May 7, 9 Style and organization Introduction to the Reflexive Mode The search for documentary truth The Thin Blue Line (Errol Morris, 1988, 103 min.) First Person T.V. episodes (Errol Morris, 2000) JFK (Oliver Stone, 1991) Read: Nichols, Chapter 3, pages T 5/7 FIFTH JOURNAL ENTRY DUE IN CLASS: TUESDAY, MAY 7 th Read: Nichols, Chapter 7, pages Th 5/9 Truth, History, and The Thin Blue Line by Linda Williams, in Documenting the Documentary, ed. Grant and Sloniowski [Detroit: Wayne State University, 1998]. AVAILABLE on CANVAS WEBSITE and on E-RESERVE. WEEK SEVEN: The Modern Documentary and Social Issues May 14, 16 The call to action Alternative distribution models Murderball (Rubin & Shapiro, 2005, 88 min.) 5

6 Gasland (Josh Fox, 2010, 107 min.) An Inconvenient Truth (Davis Guggenheim, 2006) Oil on Ice (Bo Boudart & Dale Djerassi, 2004) The Invisible War (Kirby Dick, 2012) Read: McLane: Chapter 13, pages T 5/14 SIXTH JOURNAL ENTRY DUE IN CLASS: TUESDAY, MAY 14 th Read: Supplemental Reading To Be Assigned Th 5/16 WEEK EIGHT Capturing History / First-Person Documentary May 21, 23 Introduction to the documentary film treatment (in preparation for Treatment assignment) The roles and responsibilities of reporting The role of the viewer Stranger with a Camera (Elizabeth Barret, 2000, 58 min.) History and Memory (Rea Tajiri, 1991, 32 min.) Fog of War (Errol Morris, 2003) When the Levees Broke (Spike Lee, 2006) Read: Nichols: Chapter 4, pages T 5/21 SECOND PAPER DUE IN CLASS: TUESDAY, MAY 21st Read: Handouts on Documentary Film Treatments Th 5/23 Review, STRANGER WITH A CAMERA by Larry Daressa from Cineaste, vol. XXVI, No. 3 page 48. AVAILABLE on CANVAS WEBSITE and on E-RESERVE. Ultimately We Are All Outsiders: The Ethics of Documentary Filming by Calvin Pryluck in New Challenges for Documentary, ed. Rosenthal [UC Press, 1988]. WEEK NINE: Michael Moore: The Court Jester of Documentary Filmmaking May 28, 30 Using humor in bleak circumstances Strategizing the message / Taking liberties The Essay Film Bowling for Columbine (Michael Moore, 2002, 120 min.) 6

7 Read: From Idea to Story; Discovering a Documentary Narrative T 5/28 By Sheila Curran Bernard in The Independent, December 2003, adapted from Documentary Storytelling (Focal Press, 2003). PRE-TREATMENT EXERCISE DUE IN CLASS: TUESDAY, MAY 28 th Read: McLane: Chapter 15, pages Th 5/30 WEEK TEN: Beyond the Educational Documentary June 4, 6 Entertainment, action, and hybrid genres The documentary film as mirror Screenings: Riding Giants (Stacy Peralta, 2004) This is Spinal Tap (Rob Reiner, 1984, 82 min.) Metallica: Some Kind of Monster (Joe Berlinger & Bruce Sinofsky, 2004) King of Kong (Seth Gordon, 2007, 79 min.) Forgotten Silver (Costa Botes & Peter Jackson, 1995, 50 min.) Read: McLane: Chapter 16, pages T 6/4 SEVENTH JOURNAL ENTRY DUE IN CLASS: TUESDAY, JUNE 4 th DOCUMENTARY FILM TREATMENT DUE IN CLASS: THURSDAY, JUNE 6 th WEEK ELEVEN: Reflections on the Class June 11, 13 Sharing Treatment Assignments Review Screenings: VIEWERS CHOICE - TBA EIGHTH JOURNAL ENTRY DUE IN CLASS: TUESDAY, JUNE 11 th TAKE-HOME OPEN BOOK FINAL EXAM WILL BE DISTRIBUTED ON LAST DAY OF CLASS (TUESDAY) AND DUE IN CLASS ON FINAL EXAM DATE: THURSDAY, JUNE 13 TH 12:00 1:00 P.M. 7

CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, NORTHRIDGE DEPARTMENT OF CINEMA AND TELEVISION ARTS. CTVA 416: The Documentary Tradition Spring units #10815

CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, NORTHRIDGE DEPARTMENT OF CINEMA AND TELEVISION ARTS CTVA 416: The Documentary Tradition Spring 2019 3 units #10815 Classroom: Manzanita Hall 103 Meeting time: Tuesdays, 7-9:45pm