Television and Documentaries 1958 2008 part 1 The Narrated Documentary Current Affairs Units and Docs The limits of freedom, independence and experimentation at networks The rebellion against conventional films TV and the Independent film maker

Assignments The film critique The film list see weblog. # 1 a single film due February 15th # 2 a compare and contrast 2 films # 3 a compare and contrast 2 films Details on #s 2 and 3 on Feb 22nd.

Assignment First film critique should be no more than 1000 words or four pages double spaced Identify name of film and film maker at the top and where you got the film Draw from list on line or e-mail me if you want to review a film not on list You may also find some docs on LINE

Assignment The film critique Describe the film briefly Analyze its style and content Why is it effective or not? What visual or creative or experimental devices does it employ Draw from Barnouw or Nichols in your analysis. Reference sources

Documentaries on Television In the early days of television the news divisions of television networks in America and Britain saw current affairs and long form documentary programming as part of their responsibility Serious programming Serious issues Commercial pressures; abandoned form

Early TV Documentaries In the 1950s - 1960s CBS, NBC and ABC set up Documentary units Producing in house between 12 and 24 Docs a year At CBS Fred W. Friendly established See it Now and CBS Reports With famous broadcaster Edward R. Murrow

Early TV Documentaries At NBC a unit called NBC White Paper was set up and investigative documentaries were introduced Cultural Documentaries were also encouraged ex: 1973 The Forbidden City of Beijing produced by Lucy Jarvis Robert Drew produced political docs (more later)

Early TV Documentaries At American ABC News the ABC Close-up Unit was founded under Executive Producer Pamela Hill Encouraged independents as well as inhouse documentaries usually in a traditional conservative, narrative style

In Britain At the BBC in the 1950s the network launched Panorama a weekly single subject current affairs program The BBC invested in expensive cultural documentaries Independent British TV launched a cutting edge single topic current affairs program called World in Action

An early film at American CBS Taught at J-Schools and Film schools around the world esp America Harvest of Shame 1960 See 2006 article on the film http://www.populist.com/06.12.krebs.html

An interesting footnote in 1961 http://www.vcdh.virginia.edu/HIUS316/mbase/docs/harvest.html

A modern comparison When the Levees Broke - A Requiem in Four Acts (2006) Hurricane Katrina Director: Spike Lee http://video.barnesandnoble.com/search/product.asp?ean=26359397325&z=y

Assignment: check to see if this film is available in Hong Kong?

Harvest of Shame (1960) Produced by Fred W. Friendly Reported by David Lowe Written & anchored by Edward Murrow CBS Reports Was striking for its images For its subject matter And its timing Thanksgiving 1960

The BBC 1969:Civilisation Started in 1966. The most ambitious, most expensive documentary series shot in 13 countries, 100 locations Written by Lord Kenneth Clark Produced by Michael Gill In Colour Show film excerpt

Civilisation (1969) The personal view of history by Kenneth Clark http://www.tvfactual.co.uk/civilisation.htm http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenneth_Clark

Very stodgy by modern standards But the first of many BIG documentaries for television at the BBC

BBC Panorama BBCs first current affairs effort Single subject for 50 minutes weekly Worlds longest running investigative TV show 1953 See: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/panorama/default.stm See:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/panorama/about_panorama/default.stm

BBC Panorama Often Controversial Sometimes for the wrong reason Allowing a reporter/film maker to go too far personal involvement is part of doc film making but the actions of this doc reporter Was out of control Panorama May 2007 - Scientology http://www.youtube.com/watch?v =Md0zPchNeQ0

The American Network Doc Born at CBS, NBC, ABC The style of CBS Reports remained at the networks through the early 1990s A personal experience Creativity lost to corporate film making 1979-1980

This Shattered Land (1980) A film about the Cambodian Famine Shooting began in 1979 Written and produced by Phil Lewis and Jim Laurie Approval by a committee of 12 people Graphic nature, scheduling problems A deeply flawed film about a worthy subject. Impact less than desired (show film = 2 pts)

Another film by contrast

John Pilger 1980 The Silent Death of Cambodia http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V2dLjaB83

Myths Behind the Miracle (1981) A film about Japan Directed by Malcolm Clarke Written by Jim Laurie Again the dreaded Committee of 12 Limiting POV and Limiting expression

( excerpt )

Smaller cameras changed the style and form From the mid 1950s onward First in film and then later (1980s) in video tape Cameras became smaller & smaller Less obtrusive More flexibility for the documentary film maker Film making followed technology

Early Influential Films & Filmmakers Some film makers experimented Robert Drew producing films for NBC, ABC and Time Magazine moved away from narrative story telling. In early 60s broke convention. An experiment that lasted a short time to be revived only much later

Un-narrated Docs on Television Cinema Verite Direct Cinema Observational Candid Drama [Drew] No narration Resistance by traditional television

Un-narrated Docs on TV On Drew -- Susan Hamovitch writes of ambivalence of the television industry [toward the un-narrated form] difficulty attracting sponsors for the projects; and most importantly the networks' unshakable preference for correspondent-hosted or narrated reporting. Predictable, containable, effects of a regular news anchor have prevailed, with exceptions, over more poetic candid documentary.

Early NON narrative film making Robert Drew http://www.drewassociates.net/Main/About.htm http://www.museum.tv/archives/etv/D/htmlD/drewrobert/drewrobert.htm

Primary (1960) http://www.sugarpictures.com/News/News_Item10_JFK.html

Influential in making War Room in 1993 About 1st Clinton Campaign Show excerpt from War Room

Early NON narrative film making Show Clip re Robert Drew [from CV @ 1530] Footnote: Primary was not shown on prime time network television Without national network TV Distribution on smaller TV channels, Theatrical or film festival or DVD or internet (in the 2000s) release

Next Time Continue Documentary and Television American PBS Frontline Britain Channel 4 Getting money from TV to make films HBO, Discovery, and NGC Docs on TV 1998 to 2008

Remember Critique one film E-mail by February 15th Check out film list on WEBLOG See you February 15th Cong Xi Fa Cai Kung Hei Fat Choi