Syllabus

SPRING 2004
The Documentary Experience: A Video Approach

Thursday: 3:50-6:20 & 7:30 – 9:00 p.m, Center for Documentary Studies

John L. Jackson, Instructor, jackson5@duke.edu

Office Hours: Thursdays, 2:30-3:30 CDS, or by appointment 668-5252

Wil Weldon, T.A., wil@duke.edu / office hours: by appt.

Textbooks:
Ilisa Barbash and Lucien Taylor, Cross-Cultural Filmmaking: A Handbook for Making Documentary and Ethnographic Films and Videos. 1997. University of California Press. (Available at University Bookstore)

Barry Hampe, Making Documentary Films and Reality Videos: A Practical Guide to Planning, Filming, and Editing Documentaries of Real Events. 1997. Henry Holt. (Available at University Bookstore)

Note: Class calendar subject to change. Rely on announcements as well as syllabus.

WEEK ONE
Thursday, January 8th
3:50 – 6:20 DOCUMENTARY HISTORY/THEORIZING NON-FICTION
What is cinema verité and direct filmmaking? How do we tell the story through images? What defines a documentary over and against other genres of filmmaking? Go over project’s parameters.

SCREENING: Cinema Verité: Defining the Moment, Peter Wintonick (excerpt)
New York, Ric Burns (excerpt)
Welfare, Fred Wiseman (excerpt)

7:30 – 9:00 CAMERA WORKSHOP: Introduction to Sony VX cameras
The Basics: focus, holding steady
Defining the shot: frame, take, tilt, pan, dolly, ES, LS, MS, CU, MCU, ECU. (Getting Coverage—compositionally, thematically)

BUSINESS: Think about Partner Formation
Equipment Policy

ASSIGNMENT: Choose specific subject/s for your film. Write a short one-page summary on why you’ve chosen that person/those people. You should have been thinking about this all break. Due January 15th.

READINGS: Cross Cultural Filmmaking, pp 34-47 on subjects, pp 48-68 on ethics, pp 71-89 on collaboration.
Making Documentary Films and Reality Videos, pp. 36-49 on Recording Human Behavior

Open-Book Quiz on Camera Manual, January 22nd.

WEEK TWO
Thursday, January 15th

3:50 – 6:20 IDENTIFYING ACTIVITIES and LOCATIONS
How our characters/subjects are what they do?

SCREENING: Harlan County, USA, Kopple (excerpt)
Gaea Girls, Longinotto and Williams (excerpt)
Salesman, Maysles Brothers (excerpt)
Nanook of the North, Flaherty (excerpt)

7:30 – 9:00 PRE-PRODUCTION: CHARACTER SHOW-AND-TELL
Who are our characters? Where are our characters? Why should anyone care enough to watch them? Finalize pairings.

ASSIGNMENT: Bring in 5 minutes of footage in which your chosen subject is engaged in activity that is revealing. The footage must be activity, not an interview. Due Feb 5th.

ASSIGNMENT: SIGN-UP for FINAL CUT PRO tutorials, see Wil.

HANDOUTS: Camera Manuals/Good Will Contract
Release Forms/Letter of Assurance from Duke Faculty

READINGS: Making Documentary Films, pp 36-48 Recording Human Behavior; pp 49-68; Visual Evidence; pp 218-220 Working on Location. Cross-Cultural Filmmaking, pp 123-130 on coverage and continuity; pp 281-288 on writing treatments; pp 327-340 on production actualities; pp 363-368 on production tips.

WEEK THREE
Thursday, January 22nd

3:50-6:20 CHOOSING CHARACTERS/SUBJECT FORMATION
What makes an interesting subject?

SCREENING: The Cruise, Bennet Miller

7:30 – 9:00 Discuss your Spaghetti Films Assignment
OPEN-BOOK QUIZ ON CAMERA MANUAL.

ASSIGNMENT: Use one or two pages to sell your film idea to us. You can include potential locations, characters, and activities to be shown. Can you get us excited about it? Due Jan 29.
Make sure you complete the Final Cut Tutorial by next week. Begin work on your Spaghetti Films, Due Feb 19th.

READINGS: Making Documentary Films, pp 103-118, The Documentary Idea; pp 119-217 Recording Picture and Sound.

WEEK FOUR
Thursday, January 29th

3:50 – 6:20 SHOW, NOT TELL: CINEMATIC LANGUAGE
How to shoot observational films? What should we be observing and why?

SCREENING: Titicut Follies, Wiseman

7:30 – 9:00 READ AND DISCUSS WRITING ASSIGNMENTS

ASSIGNMENT: Activity Footage, Due next week, Feb 5th.
5-page Treatment Due Feb 12th.
Remember, Spaghetti Films are Due Feb 19th.

READING: Making Documentary Films, pp 127-133, on The Treatment; Cross-Cultural Filmmaking, pp 218-288

WEEK FIVE
Thursday, February 5th

3:50 – 6:20 THE DIRECTOR’S VOICE and P.O.V.
Finding a directorial voice—and not just through narration.

SCREENING: Roger and Me, Moore
High School, Wiseman

7:30-9:00 VIEW AND DISCUSS FOOTAGE

ASSIGNMENT: 5-page Treatment Due next week, Feb 12th.
Spaghetti Films, Due Feb 19th

Interview Exercise due February 26thth. Show 5 uninterrupted minutes of an interview with your subject. Choose location and shot composition (ECU, MCU, etc.) carefully.

READING: Cross-Cultural Filmmaking, pp 341-356, on interviews; Making Documentary Films, pp 263-271, The Documentary Interview.

WEEK SIX
Thursday, February 12th

3:50 – 6:20 DRAMATIC ELEMENTS: CONFLICTS AND TENSIONS

SCREENING: The War Room, Pennebaker

7:30-9:00 DISCUSS TREATMENTS AND STORY DEVELOPMENTS.

ASSIGNMENT: Spaghetti Films due next week, Feb 19th.

READING: Making Documentary Films, p277-286, Preparation for Post.

WEEK SEVEN
Thursday February 19th

3:50 – 6:20 DRAMATIC ELEMENTS: STRUCTURING STORY
An introduction to the theory and practice of editing.

SCREENING: Fast, Cheap and out of Control, Morris

7:30-9:00 VIEW SPAGHETTI FILMS

READING: Cross-Cultural Filmmaking, pp 379-441, on editing; Making Documentary Films, pp 287-308, Editing the Documentary.

ASSIGNMENT: INTERVIEW FOOTAGE DUE NEXT WEEK, Feb 26th.

In two weeks, March 4th, bring in 3 minutes of material that might be cut together to create one scene in your film. Be prepared to share your approach with the class in terms of choices made about character, location, activities engaged in, editing techniques, etc.

WEEK EIGHT

Thursday, February 26th

3:50 – 6:20 THEORIZING THE EDIT: The art of the scene.

SCREENING: Psycho, Hitchcock (excerpt)
Divided We Stand, Jarrod (excerpt)
Crumb, Zwigoff (excerpt)
JFK, Stone (excerpt)

7:30-9:00 VIEW AND DISCUSS INTERVIEW FOOTAGE.

READING: Cross-Cultural Filmmaking, pp 429-436, on editing practice.

ASSIGNMENT: Editing exercises, due March 18th. Edit one scene of your film (2-3 minutes) and present to the class. This scene should give us some important insight into your main character/s.

WEEK NINE
Thursday, March 4th

3:50 – 6:20 EDITING 102: Thinking creatively about “the lie” of the cut

SCREENING: Sound and Fury, Aronson
The Farm, Stark and Garbus

ASSIGNMENT: Edited scene due after break, March 18th.

7:30-9:00 VIEW/DISCUSS THE REST OF THE INTERVIEW FOOTAGE.

WEEK TEN
Thursday, March 11th, no class

WEEK ELEVEN
Thursday, March 18th

3:50 – 6:20 VIEW AND DISCUSS STUDENT-EDITED SCENES

SCREENING: Hands on a Hard Body, Bindler

7:30-9:00 VIEW AND DISCUSS STUDENT-EDITED SCENES.

BUSINESS: Schedule one-hour individual appointments with professor at the Final Cut Suite.

WEEK TWELVE
Thursday, March 25

3:50-6:20 SCREENING FOR STORY: Love and Diane, Dworkin

7:30-9:00 CONTINUE VIEWING ROUGH CUTS

WEEK THIRTEEN
Thursday, April 1

3:50-6:20 SCREENING FOR REFLEXIVITY: American Movie, Smith.

No evening session. Personal meetings with students at Final Cut Pro Suites.

WEEK FOURTEEN

No Class sessions. Personal meetings with students at Final Cut Pro Suites.

WEEK FIFTEEN

No Class sessions. Personal meetings with students at Final Cut Pro Suites.

WEEK SIXTEEN

Redigitizing sessions with Wil Weldon. You must attend your redigitizing session.

Friday, April 23rd: FESTIVAL SCREENING AND PRODUCTION PARTY (Both Mandatory)

EVALUATION:
Work will be evaluated weekly in class. Students will also receive an evaluation of their final film at the end of semester.

GRADING CRITERIA:
Quality of work (assignments and final film) 50%

Professionalism (care with equipment, willingness to collaborate) 30%

Attendance, Class Participation, Quizzes 20%