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General Education Application for Course Certification

GAILEY.GenEd.COMM3550.DocumentaryFilm.docx• 10/30/13 12:58 PM

Date Submitted: 10/30/13 Department Name: COMMUNICATION Department Mail Code: 3003 Course Title, Number, & Number of Credits (also include all related cross listed courses):

COMM 3550: Documentary Film History, Theory & Practice

Catalog Course Description: Introduces students to the theory, history, aesthetics, editing practices, ethics and political significance of the genre, as well as concept development and visual storytelling techniques. Includes analysis of significant documentaries and preparation of a treatment for a short documentary.

Does the current course description adequately reflect the course content?

Yes No: Explain any discrepancies:

Pre and or Co-requisite Course(s) (Course # and Title(s)), if any:

None

General Education Category(ies) Requested: (Complete additional outcomes information on the category application.)

Rhetoric & Writing I or II The Fine Arts & Humanities Math Historical Understanding Statistics Literature Natural Sciences Thought, Values & Beliefs Behavioral/Social Sciences Visual & Performing Arts Non-Western Culture

Is course required for any majors? If yes, which majors?

Yes: List the majors:

No

Has the course been approved by the Curriculum Committee?

Yes Approximate date approved: 12/2008 No (Please submit the course for approval to the

Curriculum Committee before requesting General Education approval.)

Semester and Year of Proposed Course Offering:

FALL 2014

Planned Frequency of Course Offering: Every Fall Semester Number of sections planned:

Every Spring Semester

Number of sections planned:

Every Summer Semester

Number of sections planned:

Other:

If multiple sections of the course will be offered, how will the department ensure the consistency of student learning outcomes and assessment across all sections?

Syllabus & materials sharing plus meetings with all section instructors to align course outcomes and assessments.

By typing my name in the field below, I indicate agreement that this course meets institutional standards for general education and this proposal has my support for the course for use in the general education curricula.

Dept. Head/Director Name: Betsy Alderman, PhD Date Approved: 10/30/13

Dean Name:

Date Approved:

The following action was taken by the General Education Committee: ❏ Certified ❏ Recertified for 5 years ❏ Returned for revisions/more information

Date: Vote: ___ For ___ Against



DATE additional material/information is due: ❏ Decertified

___ Abstain

Signature of Chair Date:

General Education

Course Certification Specific for Fine Arts & Humanities Course Department, Course #, Name, CRN: A separate document is required for each section/CRN unless the course is coordinated and has a common syllabus and assessments across all sections. If available, sample assignments (3-5, planned or completed [student work]) should also be submitted. Syllabi will be pulled from institutional files and DO NOT need to be submitted. Courses can qualify in more than one category/subcategory.

Fine Arts & Humanities: OVERALL CATEGORY OUTCOMES Describe how this course meets each outcome. Provide

specific examples of course assignments, activities, etc., that assure students learn these outcomes.

Students will: Note: Fields will expand as needed. Tab between fields.

Describe the forms and limits of knowledge in the arts and the humanities.

The course approaches documentary film as both an art form and a conceptual platform. Using the genre's contradictions as a means of exploring questions at the core of fine arts and humanities scholarship, students in the course will evaluate non-fiction film's unique claims to truth, authenticity, and access to "the real." By reading, discussing, analyzing, and writing about visual style, editing, voice, pacing, sound, and other formal devices in documentary cinema's construction of knowledge, they will develop a deeper understanding of the limitations of "objective truth" in human societies. At the same time, analysis of the "poetics" of documentary film will help students develop a keener appreciation of the art of the documentary and its reliance on the language of fiction film to construct (and reframe) collective knowledge and memory.

Identify the relationships among ideas, text, and artistic works and their cultural and historical contexts.

Because a key function of documentary films is to persuade audiences, they are more dependent on the history and culture in which they operate than many other art forms. Each film screened in class will be evaluated not only as an aesthetic construct, but a repository of historical and cultural understandings. Drawing on key documentary film and visual rhetoric theories, students will explore specific ways in which artistic elements, film structure, and cultural and historic contexts shape viewers' enjoyment of and receptivity to documentary film representations. Students will be asked to investigate such questions as: What notions of truth have guided the work of documentary filmmakers over time?; How are links between "seeing" and "knowing" fundamentally different in documentary compared to fiction films? In what ways do thoughts and emotions take on different meanings when they are attached to visual elements meant to index "real-life" phenomena? And what are some of the aesthetic functions and philosophical pleasures associated with documentary film spectatorship?



Recognize and evaluate competing interpretations of texts broadly defined.

Students in the course will be given the opportunity (both through class discussions and online discussion posts) to share and respond to conflicting perspectives and interpretations of the subject matter and rheorical elements and effectiveness of films screened in class.

Compare the differences and commonalities among the various disciplines in the Fine Arts and Humanities.

Study of documentary film is fundamentally human-focused and multi-disciplinary, embodying fields ranging from the visual arts and anthropology to sociology, history, cultural studies, and ethics. The course approaches study of non-fiction cinema through questions about the philosophical nature of truth, what Roland Barthes called the "evidential force" of the photographic image, the role of aesthetics in persuasion, and the nature and impact of "performative" aspects of documentary film. In essays and class discussions, students will also compare and contrast films in terms of their boundary-blurring elements--how they defy and redefine categories such as fiction/fact; art/realism; authenticity/artifice; subjectivity/objectivity; and entertainment/pedagogy.

Apply the techniques of interpretation and analysis characteristic of disciplines in the Fine Arts and Humanities to explore significant issues, texts, and artistic works.

Students will be provided with readings and lecture materials to aid in their individual analysis of documentary films screened in the course. Dating from the late 19th century to the present, these films are not only rich sources of human creativity and expression, but expose students to real-world events and issues occurring recently and in the nation's past. Students will also be asked to consider the myriad roles that documentary filmmakers have adopted throughout the history of the genre, including that of witnesses, avant-garde artists, political provocateurs, judges and prosecutors, technological innovators, social movement activists, and ethnographers.

Communicate the results of their inquiries and analyses in writing,

Students will be given ample opportunities to express their own perspectives related to documentary film analysis in class discussions, in written responses to the readings, in comments posted on the course discussion board, and in their responses to essay exam questions that require them to apply theories to analysis of documentary films. (See, for example, the "Grizzly Man," "Scene Analysis," and "Documentary Treatment" assignments included with this application.)

Be sure to attach appropriate subcategory form(s).



General Education

Course Certification Specific for Fine Arts & Humanities Course Department, Course #, Name, CRN:

A separate document is required for each section/CRN unless the course is coordinated and has a common syllabus and assessments across all sections. If available, sample assignments (3-5, planned or completed [student work]) should also be submitted. Syllabi will be pulled from institutional files and DO NOT need to be submitted. Courses can qualify in more than one category/subcategory.

Fine Arts & Humanities: THOUGHT, VALUES & BELIEFS Subcategory Describe how this course meets each outcome. Provide specific

examples of course assignments, activities, etc., that assure students learn these outcomes.


Identify the key components of at least one body of thought.

Through assigned readings and lectures, students will identify key components of two main bodies of thought related to documentary cinema: The first involves the "construction of objectivity," a conceptual framework central to understanding both the persuasive power of documentary films and shifts in aesthetic modes of expression over the 100+-year history of documentary film. The second involves key concepts related to journalistic and philosophical ethics in documentary filmmaking, which takes as its subject matter actual events, as well as the lived experiences, histories, voices, subjectivities, character and/or identities of real-life human individuals and societies.

Explain and analyze a body of thought. Students will demonstrate understanding of these bodies of thought by discussing them in class, summarizing and responding to required readings related to documentary film theories, and by submitting essays that draw on these theoretical frameworks to analyze documentaries.

Apply the unique perspective of the body of thought to a specific problem or question.

Problems related to truth and ethics are central to documentary filmmaking. As public representatives, documentary filmmakers construct reality, insert themselves into and represent others' lives, and make overt attempts to impact human societies and collective memory. Applying theoretical concepts to these problems, students will consider such questions as: What rights do their film subjects have? Who should be allowed to speak for whom? What formal devices--including style, voice, sound, archival footage, music, cuts, camera angles, and source selection--do documentary films use to position themselves as "non-fiction"? What assumptions do audiences have about documentary filmmaking's "indexical" qualities (access to "the real")? And how are these assumptions used in documentary filmmaking to distance documentary filmmaking from fiction cinema?

Effectively articulate in writing their individual perspective in relation to the body of thought.

In addition to participating in class discussions on documentary ethics and the positioning of documentary films in relation to representation of "truth" and "objectivity," students will express their own perspectives in essays that apply theoretical materials



to analysis of the documentaries screened in class. They will also provide their individual perspectives on ethical concerns and problems related to representation in essay exam responses. (See, for example, the "Grizzly Man," "Scene Analysis," and "Documentary Treatment" assignments included with this application.)

If the course has been offered before, include 3-5 student samples of the completed assessments, if available. By typing my name in the field below, I indicate agreement that this course meets institutional standards for general education and this proposal has my support for the course for use in the general education curricula.


Dean Name:

Date Approved:



General Education

Course Certification Specific for Fine Arts & Humanities Course Department, Course #, Name, CRN:

A separate document is required for each section/CRN unless the course is coordinated and has a common syllabus and assessments across all sections. If available, sample assignments (3-5, planned or completed [student work]) should also be submitted. Syllabi will be pulled from institutional files and DO NOT need to be submitted. Courses can qualify in more than one category/subcategory.

Fine Arts & Humanities: VISUAL AND PERFORMING ARTS Subcategory Describe how this course meets each outcome. Provide specific

examples of course assignments, activities, etc., that assure students learn these outcomes.


Describe, interpret, and analyze creative modes of expression

By reading, discussing, analyzing, and writing about visual style, exposition, voice, music, and other rhetorical elements in documentary cinema's construction of meaning, students will devleop deeper understanding of the limitations of "objective truth" in human societies. At the same time, analysis of the "poetics" of documentary film will help students develop a keener appreciation of the art of the documentary and its reliance on the language of fiction film to construct (and reframe) collective knowledge and memory.

Offer multiple solutions to specific creative problems.

The course approaches documentary filmmakers as creative artists whose work involves "capturing reality" in its myriad guises across time and space. Students will spend considerable course time evaluating how these artists approach the challenge of making real-world problems, issues, and human experiences both entertaining and factually accurate. Studying documentary films as both works of art and conceptual platforms, students examine the strategies used by documentrary filmmakers to tell compelling stories with visual and emotional power while maintaining credibility and ethical standards. Acting as "public representatives" for the people and event documentary filmmakers are unique among artists in representing real people and events in ways that often have real-life consequences.

Form and defend judgments about creative modes of expression.

Students will analyze, compare, and contrast documentaries from a variety of perspectives, including the use of Nichols' (2001) six storytelling "modes," which include expository, poetic, observational, participatory, reflexive, and performative artistic styles. Students will be asked to make both creative and ethical judgments about the documentaries screened in class. Also considered will be the work of unconventional documentary filmmakers such as Werner Herzog, Errol Morris, and avant-garde artists, who use staging, reconstructions, and innovative music and cuts in their films to intensify their impact on audiences. (See, for example, the "Grizzly Man," "Scene Analysis," and "Documentary Treatment" assignments included with this application.)

Compare ideas, issues, or themes in Through the study of the evolution of documentary film, students



human civilizations’ achievements. develop an appreciation for the way in which historical and cultural contexts alter and deepen the meanings associated with historical events, issues, and people. They also gain an understanding of the attempts made by documentary filmmakers to insert themselves into history and political discourse, altering collective memory and occasionally serving as catalysts for change. In the current era of corporate news media and the decline of investigative journalism, students will also evaluate documentary filmmakers' attempts to challenge official "truth" and inequalities.

If the course has been offered before, include 3-5 student samples of the completed assessments, if available. By typing my name in the field below, I indicate agreement that this course meets institutional standards for general education and this proposal has my support for the course for use in the general education curricula.


Dean Name:

Date Approved:

SYLLABUS

FALL 2013 COMM 3550 CRN# 40106 DOC I: DOCUMENTARY FILM HISTORY, THEORY & PRACTICE

Professor: Elizabeth Gailey, PhD Class Meets: Wed. 2-4:30 p.m. in 306 Hunter Hall Office: 208 Frist Hall Phone: (Text): 423-488-5016

Office Hours: Wed. 10 a.m.-noon & 4:30-6:30 p.m. & by appt.

“All great fiction films tend toward documentary, just as all great documentaries tend toward fiction."—Jean-Luc Godard

“The proper route to an understanding of the world is an examination of our errors about it.” –Errol Morris ___________________________________________________________________________________________________

ADA STATEMENT: If you are a student with a disability (e.g. physical, learning, psychiatric, vision, hearing, etc.) and think that you might need special assistance or a special accommodation in this class or any other class, call the Disability Resource Center (DRC) at 425-4006 or come by the office, 102 Frist Hall http://www.utc.edu/disability-resource-center/. If you find that personal problems, career indecision, study and time management difficulties, etc. are adversely affecting your successful progress at UTC, please contact the Counseling and Career Planning Center at 425-4438 or http://www.utc.edu/counseling-personal-development-center/index.php.

CATALOG DESCRIPTION: Introduces students to the theory, history, aesthetics, editing practices, ethics, and politics of the genre, as well as concept development and visual storytelling techniques. Includes analysis of significant documentaries and preparation of a treatment for a short documentary. *(3 hours) COURSE OVERVIEW: The historical and theoretical component of the course focuses on documentary film evolution and modes (expository, poetic, observational, participatory, reflexive, and performative), with an emphasis on the formal devices (e.g., sound, editing, rhythm, structure, composition), rhetorical techniques, and ethical implications of each. Through readings, in-class screenings, lectures, written assignments, and exams, students gain an understanding of the elements involved in the creation of emotionally and intellectually powerful non-fiction films. In the practice component of the course, students will write a treatment for a short documentary. COURSE OBJECTIVES: On completion of this course, students should: • Possess broad knowledge of documentary film history, conventions, aesthetics, ethics, and impact on social change; • Be able to identify major theoretical (academic) debates associated with documentary cinema, including

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blurred definitions and boundaries, ethical dilemmas, and unique claims to objectivity, truth, and authority; • Understand the wide range of methods and modes used to tell stories in the documentary form; • Be able to write critical analyses of documentary films; • Understand the basics of documentary pre-production (research and proposal writing) involved in the creation of a documentary. REQUIRED TEXTBOOKS: None. Readings are available for download on Blackboard.

INTRUCTION METHODS: This is a seminar-style course that requires close attention to lectures, readings, class discussion, and film screenings. Although lectures are important to clarify concepts and present examples, class discussion is a key element of the learning environment in COMM 3550.

RULES OF ENGAGEMENT: • Attendance: Role will be taken at the beginning of each class and absences recorded on Blackboard. Because we meet only once per week (14 times all semester), you are allowed only one “free” absence (automatically excused). Each absence after the first will result in a 10% deduction (per absence) from the participation/ attendance grade (worth 15% of the total semester grade). It is up to students who arrive late to notify Dr. Gailey at the end of that particular class period that they arrived after role was taken. Otherwise coming to class late will be counted as an absence. Important: Students who have missed two or more classes must attend class on the date an assignment is due in order to receive credit for all work submitted on Blackboard. • Late Papers: Late assignments will not be accepted. However, students may earn credit for one late homework assignment by attaching it to the Late Assignment Coupon (see last page of this syllabus) and turning it in the class period following the due date. • Class Etiquette (The following will reduce your participation grade):

• Leaving class early without prior approval (except in a genuine emergency.) Early departures (except when absolutely unavoidable) will be counted as absences. • Using your cell phone while class is in session. • Using laptops for anything other than note-taking and/or class-related research. • Frequent side conversations. (Raise your hand and share your ideas with the class.)

GRADES: (100% possible): A=90-100; B=80-89; C=70-79; D=60-69; F=0-59

1. Reading summaries and film response essays (20%) 2. Scene Analysis Assignment (10%) 3. Final Exam (35%) 4. Short Documentary Film Proposal/Treatment or Film Analysis Exercise (20%) 5. Attendance/Participation (15%)

PLAGIARISM: Strict standards of honesty are enforced in COMM 3550. Students who submit for credit all or a portion of work completed by someone else will earn an “F” in the course and may be required to report to UTC’s Honor Court for further disciplinary action. Pleading lack of knowledge of what constitutes plagiarism is not a legitimate excuse for representing someone elseʼs work as oneʼs own. Please ask Dr. Gailey if you have questions about proper source attribution, and read the guidelines for avoiding plagiarism on the Lupton Library website: (http://guides.lib.utc.edu/content.php?pid=127238&sid=1092184). FILMS AND FILM CLIPS SELECTED FOR COMM 3550: A great deal of thought has gone into choosing the films and film clips shown and discussed in class this semester in COMM 3550. Top criteria used to select films include historic significance, stylistic and technical innovation, and contemporary socio-cultural and political interest. Final documentary choices are based on student interests, as well as specific themes, such as the blurring of boundaries between fiction and non-fiction cinema (e.g. Man on Wire; The Thin Blue Line); artistry (e.g. The Man with a Movie Camera; Koyaanisqatsi); the perennial struggle of humans against natural forces (e.g. Nanook; Grizzly Man); class-based oppression and suffering (e.g. The Plow that Broke the Plains; Harlan County; Bus 174); racism/homophobia (e.g. Tongues Untied); “man’s inhumanity to man” (e.g. Night and Fog; Shoah); investigative reportage and advocacy (e.g. Year of the Pig; Atomic Café; Standard Operating Procedure; Sicko; The Yes Men); the trend toward essay and autobiographical documentaries (e.g. Sherman’s March; Tarnation), and ethical questions raised by documentary cinema (e.g. Aileen; My Kid Could Paint That; Dancing Outlaw). Other films were chosen to illustrate key trends and technological innovations in documentary history (e.g. A Happy Mother’s Day, Primary, Gimme Shelter, Don’t Look Back).

10/30/13 1:01 PMWeekly Schedule

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Weekly ScheduleDocumentary I: History, Theory, and Practice FA13.COMM.3550.40106

Weekly Schedule

WEEK 1 AUG. 21 - INTRODUCTION / Documentary Ethics

WEEK 2 AUG. 28 - JUSTICE AND DOCUMENTARY EVIDENCE

WEEK 3 SEPT. 4 - EARLY DOCUMENTARY HISTORY

WEEK 4: SEPT. 11 - FROM ADVOCACY TO PROPAGANDA

WEEK 5: SEPT. 18 - DOCUMENTING TRAUMA

WEEK 6: SEPT. 25: MUSIC DOCS - FROM ROCK TO REGGAE

WEEK 7: OCT. 2: CINEMA VERITE (cont.)

WEEK 8: OCT. 9 - REBELS WITH A CAUSE: POST-VERITE DOCUMENTARIES

WEEK 9: OCT. 16 - WERNER HERZOG AND EXISTENTIAL DOCUMENTARY

WEEK 10: OCT. 23 - GRIZZLY MAN NOTE: Your Scene Analysis Assignment is due on Sun. OCT. 27 (just before midnight). Click onSCENE ANALYSIS (to your left) at the main Blackboard menu for assignment directions and toupload finished document.

WEEK 11: OCT. 30 - "SOCIALISM FOR THE RICH": DOCUMENTING DISASTERCAPITALISM

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10/30/13 1:01 PMWeekly Schedule

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WEEK 12: NOV. 6 - STUDENT CHOICE

WEEK 13: NOV. 13 - FINAL EXAMStudy Guide and readings inside.

WEEK 14: NOV. 20 - ETHICS REDUX (Nick Broomfield & Aileen Wuornos)




NOTES ON HERZOG’S “ECSTATIC TRUTH”

Dr. Elizabeth Gailey

"In Herzog the line between fact and fiction is a shifting one. He cares not for accuracy but for effect, for a transcendent ecstasy.” –Roger Ebert

“[F]ew films have been able to capture and present so accurately the contradictions, paradoxes, and ambiguities of our contemporary attitude toward wildness as ‘Grizzly Man.’”

Kover and Leuven (2007).

“Herzog's philosophy is more like a garden of intuitions, or a collection of koans written on scraps of paper and scattered across the floor of an abandoned monastery atop some far-off

mountain where the wind never settles down.” --Matthew Cheney, “The Mystery of Werner Herzog,” Indiewire, Sept. 28, 2012

The word “ecstasy,” according to Prager (2007), has traditionally been defined as:

1. “something like stupor or a state of wordlessness” (as when one is “thrown into ecstasy by passion, astonishment or fear”);

2. “a state of rapture during which the body is incapable of sensation because the soul is otherwise occupied with the contemplation of divine things” (p. 6).

3. “something akin to ‘dreaming with the eyes open’” (p. 6).

Interestingly, Werner Herzog’s films have often been described as “dreamlike” or “dreams” (See, e.g. Knowlton, 2012). His use of the term “ecstatic truth” to describe his approach to documentary filmmaking suggests that he is not interested in capturing factual, external, or “objective” reality so much as giving viewers an emotional and philosophical experience that offers insights into the human struggle. In his 1999 manifesto, “Minnesota Declaration,” Herzog denounced cinema vérité as an “accountant’s truth” and vérité filmmakers as “tourists who take pictures amid ancient ruins of facts.” Reacting to the glut of meaningless images of “reality” that dominate popular culture today, Herzog said in an interview,

We are in a time when we have to redefine reality. When you watch Reality TV of course it is not reality and is all made up. When you look at a photo it is somehow manipulated through photoshop. Everything in a Hollywood film has digital effects in it. Reality has been modified and manipulated, so we have to redefine reality.

Redefining reality, to Herzog, means attempting in his films to transcend reality, to transport viewers to a deeper realization of human existence—both of its nightmarish and brutal aspects and its sublime and mysterious beauty. It is not cinema vérité that will achieve “ecstatic truth,” according to Herzog, but “fabrication and imagination and stylization” (Buckley, 2010, p. 5). In other words, he believes in “intensifying” or

“inventing” parts of his documentaries—including coaching and rehearsing his film subjects and staging scenes. “I stylize documentaries, sometimes I even invent,” he said in an NPR interview, in order “to dig into something much deeper than the superficial truth of the so-called cinema vérité.” Although Herzog’s strategy of achieving transcendence through manipulation of scenes and interviews has not caught on widely in documentary film practice, many film scholars and critics applaud the artfulness of his hybrid films. As Veronne (2011) writes,

The thread that runs through Herzog’s cinematic output consists of three main ties: transgression, transcendence, and the search for ‘ecstatic truth.’ These elements work in combination to create the overwhelming sense of anxiety that hovers in almost every individual film, but also the overriding sense of beauty, wonder, and awe (181).

NATURE is an important and complex component of Herzog’s cinema of transgression, transcendence, and “ecstatic truth.” In many of his films, flawed individuals—often outsiders like Timothy Treadwell—seek transcendence through the natural world. As Verrone (2011) observes,

His characters are in search of something—whether a higher calling, a new level of consciousness, or a physical and psychic transposition or transfiguration. They essentially seek transcendence. Transcendence, both in a philosophical and religious sense, means something that reaches beyond any possible knowledge of human understanding (180).

The natural world Herzog’s characters encounter is not nature as imagined by Disney, however. As Herzog said in Grizzly Man, “I believe the common character of the universe is not harmony, but hostility, chaos and murder.”

Works Cited

Buckley, Donna Maris. (2010). “Vérité, Ecstatic Truth, and History: The Documentary Styles of

David & Albert Maysles, Werner Herzog, And Ken Burns,” MS Thesis, USC Graduate School, pp. 1-55.

Noys, Benjamin. (2007). “Werner Herzog’s Grizzly Man,” Film-Philosophy, 11:3: pp. 38-51. Prager, Brad. (2007). The Cinema of Werner Herzog: Aesthetic Ecstasy and Truth. Wallflower Press. Verone, William. (2011). “Transgression and Transcendence in the Films of Werner Herzog,” Film-

Philosophy, 15:1: 179-203.

COMM 3550 (Doc I) - Dr. Gailey Grizzly Man Assignment In 500 (or more) words, write an analytical essay that focuses on one of the three following questions (or an interesting question of your own that seeks to explore an original argument about the film). "A" essays will be well-written and well-organized and demonstrate engagement, careful analysis, and original insights:

1. In an interview about Grizzly Man, Herzog said, “I have an ongoing argument with [Treadwell] throughout the film” (Ingman, 2005). Discuss this “argument,” addressing such questions as: Whose voice (Treadwell’s or Herzog’s) is dominant/subordinate in the film? What is the substance of the two filmmakers’ dueling ideologies/mythologies about nature? Is there a “winner” and “loser” in the dialectic between Herzog and his subject? What do Herzog and Treadwell have in common? In what ways is Treadwell’s personal story in conflict with Herzog’s narration?

2. In his films, “Herzog attempts and succeeds at capturing great moments of transgression, transcendence, and emotional and physical catharsis caused by existential angst,” according to Veronne (2011). Evaluate how well this observation applies to Grizzly Man by asking such questions as: Does Herzog succeed in producing “great moments” of “ecstatic truth” in the film? If so, what is it about the film—including specific scenes, shots, and other filmic elements—that support this argument?

3. Herzog has said that he “cannot cope with irony” and “simply [does] not

understand irony” (Cronin, Herzog on Herzog, p. 27). Yet (ironically) there is plenty of it on display in Grizzly Man. For example, the film is awash in ironic juxtapositions of the “real” and “authentic” versus the “simulated,” “faked,” and “mediated”—not just in Treadwell’s repeated takes as he films himself for a future television show, but in Herzog’s many staged and rehearsed interviews (e.g. with the strangely enthusiastic coroner). Discuss the presence and significance of the numerous examples of IRONY in the film (including visual irony). What do you believe to be the intention and/or effect of the film’s ironic themes and images? Do they undercut the film’s seriousness? Are they meant to contribute to Herzog’s “ecstatic truth”? Is Herzog being ironic when he says he “does not understand irony”?

COMM 3550 – DOCUMENTARY I – FALL 2013 - Dr. Elizabeth Gailey SCENE ANALYSIS ASSIGNMENT (worth 10% of course grade)

DUE SUNDAY, OCT. 27 AT 11:59 P.M. (JUST BEFORE MIDNIGHT) (To submit, click on Scene Analysis Assignment tab at main Blackboard menu.)

(Adapted from an assignment by David Goldstein-Shirley, PhD.) RESOURCES NEEDED FOR THIS ASSIGNMENT: 1. Be sure to read Barnard, chapters 3-‐-‐-‐4 before writing your paper (Posted on Blackboard along with this assignment). The Bernard reading offers a good overview of film components and structure and should provide the context you need to think about and write your analytical essay. 2. Film Glossary: http://www.filmsite.org/filmterms12.html (also posted on Blackboard along with the Bernard reading). SCENE: “usually a shot (or series of shots) that together comprise a single, complete and unified dramatic event, action, unit, or element of film narration, or block (segment) of storytelling within a film, much like a scene in a play; the end of a scene is often indicated by a change in time, action and/or location; see also shot and sequence.” (Source: Film Glossary: http://www.filmsite.org/filmterms12.html) ASSIGNMENT PURPOSE: In addition to understanding documentary film structure and theme, it’s important for film scholars and filmmakers to think about how individual cinematic elements contribute to the whole. This assignment is designed to help you develop this type of critical thinking skill, as well as familiarity with film language and its appropriate application. DIRECTIONS: Choose a film that we’ve seen so far this semester in class and critically analyze a SINGLE SCENE from it, guided by the five questions listed below. Not all scenes deserve close, critical analysis, so choose one that you consider pivotal to the film’s dramatic structure or one that is noteworthy for its emotional resonance and/or technical features (e.g., editing, camera angles, use of expository material, relationship between narration/interview and accompanying “b-roll” or visual material, etc.). If possible and you have time, watch the film again from beginning to end, taking notes, and select a key scene. Watch the scene repeatedly until you’ve developed an awareness of its components and understand its role in the overall film. Prepare an essay of 700 or more words in which you analyze the scene you’ve selected. Make sure that you respond to all of the questions below in relation to the scene. (Note: This assignment requires that you write an essay—not a list questions and answers. No need to respond to the questions below in any particular order.) You are not required to draw on the work of other authors, but if you do, be sure to cite sources properly within the text and in your bibliography. 1. WHAT & WHERE: What is the scene, and where is it located in the film? Provide just enough information in this section to allow a reader to find or recall the scene you’ve chosen. 2. WHY: Provide a convincing rationale for choosing this particular scene. For example, is it important in establishing the film’s tone (mood or atmosphere)? Is it notable for its camera work, editing, or other cinematic techniques? Does it play a key role in the overall film’s narrative or dramatic structure (e.g., Does it represent a turning point in the film)? Is it important in establishing the emotional quality or impact of the film? Is it aesthetically innovative or otherwise noteworthy? Is it important to the rhythm of the film (tempo created through the inter-cutting of repetitive and contrasting film elements, including speech, music, visuals). 3. SCENE COMPONENTS: What visual and audio elements does the scene contain (camera movements, relationship between what is spoken/shown, live action, direct- to-camera address, focus, voice-over narration, use of music and other sound, mise- en-scene, etc.)? How many and what types of shot sequences (establishing shot; mid-shot; close-up, reverse shot; pan, tilt) and cuts and transitions (jump cuts, dissolves, cut away shots) are used? For help on these and other film terms, see: http://www.filmsite.org/filmterms12.html 4. EMOTIONAL IMPACT: What emotional impact does the scene have? (See Walter Murch’s

comments on the importance of emotional resonance, below.) 5. CONTRIBUTION TO WHOLE: Each scene in a documentary should present a single idea or argument that helps support the overall film’s theme. What is the central argument or idea communicated in the scene you chose? How does this scene and its elements CONTRIBUTE to the film’s overall theme? PLAGIARISM: Strict standards of honesty are enforced in COMM 3550. Students who submit for credit all or a portion of work completed by someone else will be required to report to UTCʼs Honor Court for further disciplinary action, which may include a failing grade on this assignment or in the course as a whole, as well as other possible sanctions. Pleading lack of knowledge of what constitutes plagiarism is not a legitimate excuse for representing someone elseʼs work as oneʼs own. Please read guidelines for avoiding plagiarism at one of the many online sites devoted to this topic (e.g., http://www.plagiarism.org/plag_article_types_of_plagiarism.html). ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ FYI: WALTER MURCH ON THE IMPORTANCE OF EDITING FOR EMOTIONAL IMPACT The famous film editor, Walter Murch, wrote that the secret of great editing is to make emotional impact the most important criterion in making decisions about cuts. In his book, In the Blink of an Eye (2001), he lists six criteria for making editing decisions. His criteria—in order of most to least important—include: • Emotion — Does the cut reflect what the editor believes the audience should be feeling at that moment? (Murch assigned a percentage value to each criterion, giving the highest—51%--to emotion. In other words, emotion should account for half of all decisions about where to make cuts in a film.) • Story — Does the cut advance the story? • Rhythm — Does the cut occur "at a moment that is rhythmically interesting and 'right'"? • Eye-‐trace — Does the cut pay respect to "the location and movement of the audience's focus of interest within the frame"? • Two---‐dimensional plane of the screen — Does the cut respect the 180 degree rule? • Three---‐dimensional space of action — Is the cut true to the physical/spatial relationships within the diegesis?”

COMM3550 Dr. Elizabeth Gailey

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DOCUMENTARY TREATMENT ASSIGNMENT

The treatment is the first document a filmmaker prepares in the pre-production process. It’s a written narrative used to convince potential financial backers to support a proposed film. Offering a concise description of the overall vision and objectives of the project, a treatment is written only after a filmmaker has thought carefully about and conducted research on an idea for a film. (Treatments also typically discuss budget and distribution/marketing plans, which you are not required to do for this assignment.)

A successful treatment—which should be written in present tense—allows readers to “see” and “hear” a film in advance of production. Before beginning your treatment you’ll need to come up with an intriguing topic and conduct background research (e.g., gathering statistics and background/historical information).

Assignment: Prepare a 6-8 page (typed, double-spaced, 1” margins on all sides; 12 pt. font) treatment for a 10-12 minute documentary film. Read Bernard, ch. 3 “Documentary Storytelling” and ch. 4 “Structure” (posted on Blackboard under FINAL PAPER tab at main menu) to guide your thinking before you begin.

Your treatment should include the following (use subheadings for each): • TITLE (may be a “working title”) • SYNOPSIS: A brief summary of the story at the heart of your documentary. Be sure to read Bernard prior to writing this section. • SIGNIFICANCE: Why the film should be made—e.g., what problem will it address or expose? What will the film contribute to cultural understanding of an individual, event, or issue? • AUDIENCE: Who is your intended audience? What evidence will you use to persuade viewers to care about your film’s characters and/or message? • CONFLICT: What is at issue in the film? Are there clear protagonists/antagonists? How will conflict be expressed in the film? • SOCIAL AND/OR HISTORICAL CONTEXT: Explain the larger historical and/or social framework/context for your documentary. For example, the social context for a documentary on a local environmental activist fighting for cleaner rivers might include a brief history of the type of industries responsible for polluting our city’s waterways. You’ll need at least 5-6 interview sources. Try finding articles and books on your topic by searching online databases at UTC’s Lupton Library and the Hamilton County Library downtown, media sources such as the Chattanooga-Times Free Press, The Echo, The Pulse, and local TV news. Also check out the Chattanooga Regional History Museum and the African-American Museum if appropriate. • MODE(S): Within which of Nichols’ documentary modes does your proposed documentary fit most easily and why? (e.g., poetic, reflexive, expository, observational, etc.)? • FORM AND STYLE: Describe any special shooting/editing conventions you’d like to use, including lighting, camera effects, inter-cutting and juxtapositioning of scenes, parallel storytelling,

etc. • STRUCTURE: (Read Bernard, ch. 4 “Structure” before writing this section.) Decide on the narrative arc your story will take (based on the research you’ve conducted). If possible, divide the story into Acts (I, II, & III) and describe the climax and anticlimax. Is there an “inciting incident” (Bernard, p. 46). Be sure to include a brief description of how you would like the film to OPEN and END. What would you like the audience to feel at the end?

• CHARACTERS: A list of interview sources (as extensive and detailed as possible, with real names and contact information). • SOUNDTRACK: A discussion of narration, music, and/or other sound elements you plan to include. • WORKS CITED PAGE (optional—use if you’ve cited sources within the text of your proposal) RESOURCES

• Bernard, chs. 3 & 4 (access from Blackboard)

EVALUATION CRITERIA: • Papers earning an “A” will demonstrate serious effort in research and planning, as well as creativity in choice of topic and knowledge of documentary styles and conventions from the readings assigned this semester (e.g., Nichols, Bernard, and others). “A” papers will be well-written and free of spelling and grammatical errors. • “B” papers will be thorough and detailed. However, they will be less creative in choice of topic and will lack the high level of research and detail found in “A” papers. “B”papers will contain a minimum of spelling and grammar errors. • “C” papers will be less complete and lack the insights and planning evident in “A” and “B” papers. “C” papers will also contain grammar and spelling errors. • “D” papers will demonstrate insufficient research, incomplete vision, and poorly conceived ideas. They may also contain numerous spelling and grammar errors. • “F” papers will demonstrate an unacceptably low level of effort, including shoddy research, lack of vision and detail, and little or no evidence of thoughtful planning. They may also be poorly written and contain numerous spelling and grammar errors.

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