Making an Historical Documentary (43:348)
Spring 2011 – Mondays and Wednesdays, 2-3:15
Chad Montrie Office Hours:Mondays and 306 Coburn Hall (ext. 4275) Wednesdays, 12-1pm
and by appointment
This course will introduce you to the basic elements of making an historical documentary, from generating an initial proposal and doing background research to sweetening audio and correcting color. We will begin with a few class discussions about documentary style and storystructure,followed by more class meetings specifically devoted to camera, lighting, sound, and editing. After that, students will work in pairs to make a short, interview-based documentary of their own, honing their skills in interpreting and representing the past through film. We will publicly screen the final versions of those shorts at some venue in Lowell.
This semester, students will choose between three options in documentary topics. One possibility is to work on telling the story of an American war veteran, selected from a list of local volunteers that I have. The second choice is to develop a biopic about a particular engineering, nursing, social science, or other student participating in theUML-sponsored service learning initiative on the Tohono O’odham Indian reservation in southern Arizona. The third is similar, to develop a biopic about a student involved with UML’s Village Empowerment Projectin Peru. If you choose the second option, you will need to travel with thestudent crew to the Tohono O’odham reservation during the planned spring break trip, to film your biopic subject’s participation. If you decide to do the third, there is some expectation (though no requirement) that you will go to Peru during the regular two-week trip in the first half of June, also to follow and film your subject. On your return, you would edit a full-length biopic, supplemented by interviews with village residents and local b-roll. There is some funding for both trips and the one to Peru can be set up for Directed Study credit.
Required Reading:
John Hewitt and Gustavo Vasquez, Documentary Filmmaking: A Contemporary Field Guide (South Campus Bookstore)
Recommended Reading:
Patricia Aufderheide, Documentary Film: A Very Short Introduction
Megan Cunningham, The Art of the Documentary
Joshua Paul, Digital Video Hacks
Assignments:
Discussion Participation – 20%
Research Paper – 25%
Interview Transcripts – 10%
Rough Cut – 15%
Final Cut – 30%
Discussion Participation:I will assess class participation based on both the quantity and quality of the contributions you make during discussions of readings and films. This requires your presence as well as active involvement. This is worth 20% of your final course grade.
Research Paper: To prepare for doing thoughtful interviews and assembling a compelling short documentary, each student will do a research paper. This should be 4-6 pages in length, typed and double-spaced, with one inch-margins, and accompanied by a completed “Writing Contract” (see attached to this syllabus). I will provide an in-class tutorial about the UML library catalogue as well as relevant databases. After I have approved your project proposal (submitted with a partner), you will use key sources (at least 3 scholarly books and 2 academic journal articles) to write the paper. Depending on the film option you have chosen, the main emphasis should be on comparing scholarly viewsof the war your veteran subject experienced (e.g., World War II, Korean War, Vietnam War, etc.),historical accounts of Native Americans in the southwestern United States, or interpretations of Peru’s political, economic, and cultural history. Generally, you might ask yourself (and the sources) several questions to generate a convincing thesis statement and argument. How do perspectives about the topic vary? What explains these variations? Is one or another interpretation more valid? Why or why note? This is worth 25% of your final course grade.
Interview Transcripts: After doing at least 2 interviews for the short, you and your partner will make written transcripts of each and submit copies to me (the MediaCenter has software that will help in this process). This is worth 10% of your final course grade.
Rough Cut and Final Cut:By the second half of the semester, you will be fully engaged in producing a short historical documentary. After completing most of the filming for the short, and submitting written transcripts of the interviews, you and your partner will begin editing. The rough cut should be 4-6 minutes in length, reflect considerable effort toward developing a workable structure, as well as show progress in creating titles, adding transitions, and doing other fundamental edits. This will allow members of the class to do a useful critique. Following that critique, you and your partner will work on a final cut, completing a “picture lock” version, with only audio sweetening and color correction remaining. I will grade the final cuts, 5-7 minutes in length, in terms of structural coherence, technical merit (camera, lighting, sound, and editing), as well as creativity. The rough cut is worth 15% of your final course grade the final cut is worth 30%.
Late Assignment Policy: For this course you are allowed one late submission of an assignment due to an excused absence, which must be documented with an “Excused Absence” form (attached to this syllabus) and some other written record of the reason for your absence (e.g., a doctor’s note, ourt papers, etc.). Any assignment you missed as a result of your absence must be turned in during the next class meeting, when you return, in which case it will receive no penalty. Once you have used your absence, however, any assignment not submitted or completed on the day it is due, in class, will receive an “F”. Over-sleeping, family vacations, and other such reasons for missing class and failing to turn in or be present for an assignment are not legitimate as grounds for an excused absence, even with documentation.
Grading Scale: A (92.5 and above), A- (89.5 to 92.4), B+ (87.5 to 89.4), B (82.5 to 87.4), B- (79.5 to 82.4), C+ (77.5 to 79.4), C (72.5 to 77.4), C- (69.5 to 72.4), D+ (67.5 to 69.4), D (62.5 to 67.4), and F (62.4 and below).
Plagiarism: When you use the words or ideas of others, you must document your source with the proper method of citation. For this course, in writing the research paper, you will be expected to use footnotes or endnotes to indicate your sources. The one exception to this rule is the use of lecture material. Evidence of plagiarism—in violation of University policy—will result in an “F” on the assignment or exam and might lead to a formal disciplinary procedure (refer to the University’s course catalog for more details).
Classroom/Course Accommodations: If you have any special learning needs please let me know and I will see about making the course and/or classroom more accommodating (typically you must have documentation from Disability Services). Also notify me if your religious observances conflict at some point with assignment due dates or examinations and we will make different arrangements if necessary.
Tentative Schedule
Week I
Jan. 24th – Introductions and syllabus review
Jan. 26th – Discussion: What is a documentary? What is an historical documentary?
Read Hewitt and Vazquez, Documentary Filmmaking, pp. 3-41, 92-106, 184-199
Week II
Jan. 31st – Discussion: Documentary Styles
Feb. 2d –Discussion: Documentary Styles continued; “Short” Overview
Read Hewitt and Vazquez, Documentary Filmmaking, pp. 107-159; Develop Project Proposal
Week III
Feb. 7th –Research Tutorial
Feb. 9th – Discussion: Storytelling and Structure; Proposal due
Read Hewitt and Vazquez, Documentary Filmmaking, pp.175-183, 200-218
Week IV
Feb.14th – Camera Tutorial
Feb.16th – Camera Tutorial continued
Write Research Paper
Week V
Feb. 21st – President’s Day, no class meeting
Feb. 23d – Sound and Light Tutorial
Write Research Paper
Week VI
Feb. 28th – Editing Tutorial
Mar. 2d – Editing Tutorial continued
Write Research Paper
Week VII
Mar. 7th – Editing Tutorial continued
Mar. 9th – Scheduled appointments (my office); Research Paper due
Shoot for Project
Week VIII
Spring Break
Week IX
Mar. 21st – Review Footage (bring tapes to class)
Mar. 23d – Capture and Log Footage (in class)
Prepare Interview Transcripts
Week X
Mar. 28th – Rough Cut Editing
Mar. 30th – Rough Cut Editing; Interview Transcripts due
Edit Rough Cut
Week XI
Apr. 4th – Rough Cut Editing
Apr. 6th – Rough Cut Editing
Edit Rough Cut
Week XII
Apr. 11th – Rough Cut Editing; Rough Cut due
Apr. 13th – Critique Rough Cuts
Week XIII
Apr. 18th – Patriot’s Day, no class meeting
Apr. 20th – Critique Rough Cuts continued
Edit Final Cut
Week XIV
Apr. 25th – Final Cut Editing
Apr. 27th – Final Cut Editing
Edit Final Cut
Week XV
May 2d – Sound Sweetening; Final Cut due
May 4th – Color Correction
Finish Postproduction
Week XVI
May 9th–Public Screening(off campus)
Petition for Excused Absence
Name:
Date of Absence:
Assignment Submitted Late:
Reason for Absence:
Please also attach written documentation indicating the reason for your absence (e.g., doctor’s note, a relative’s obituary, court papers, etc.).
Writing Guide
General Requirements and Guidelines
All papers for this course must be typed, double-spaced, with one-inch margins, and stapled in the upper left-hand corner. I will not accept papers with paper clips or ‘dog ears’.
For citing sources you must use footnotes or endnotes (rather than parenthetical author, date citation). In general, you should limit your use of direct quotations. Your paper will flow better if you paraphrase a statement, putting it into your own words. Quote only when you wish to call attention to the precise phrasing of a source or when you plan to analyze or interpret a passage.
Do not use first person when making an historical argument (e.g., “I contend that Margaret Sanger was no longer a radical by the 1920s.”) Instead, state your points as general statements (e.g., “Margaret Sanger was no longer a radical by the 1920s.”)
When referring to something that happened in the past, use the past tense (e.g., “In his Gettysburg address, Lincolnsaid [rather than “says”] the nation was dedicated to the principle of equality.”)
Avoid using the conditional verb tense (e.g., “The protestors would see that their efforts would bring about change.”) Usually, it is better to substitute the past or present tense form of the verb (e.g., The protestors saw that their efforts brought about change.”)
Common Writing Errors to Avoid
Misspellings and typing errors—Use “spell checker” and proofread carefully.
Contractions and colloquial speech—Do not use contractions (e.g., “wasn’t” or isn’t”) or colloquial speech (e.g., “straight-up”) in formal writing.
Sentence fragments and run-ons—Check to make sure your sentences are not incomplete, lacking either a subject or main verb (e.g., “He did not understand the reasoning behind segregation. The use of separate water fountains and bathrooms that were labeled ‘White Only’ or ‘Colored’.”)
Unclear meaning—Be watchful for unclear references, confusing wording, undeveloped ideas, and awkward phrasing.
Word choice—Using a word culled from a thesaurus can often cloud if not completely confuse your meaning. Say what you have to say using the simplest and most appropriate language.
Redundancy—Avoid unnecessary restatement of points (e.g., “People had seen that protests could make a difference and had started to challenge all sorts of school rules. People were seeing that their voices could make a difference and by the time she left high school people were not afraid to speak up.”)
Commas omitted or in wrong place—Set off every parenthetical phrase by a pair of commas, one before and one after it (e.g., “The computer, an ingenious invention, transformed modern society.”) Also, use a comma after each item in a sequence of three or more items, including the next-to-last (e.g., “Johnny Appleseed walked across Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Indiana.”)
Missing apostrophe—Insert an apostrophe when a noun is used as a possessive (e.g., “The war’s destruction,” or “poverty’s consequences.”) Do not use an apostrophe for “its” as a possessive (e.g., “The National Liberation Front began its offensive.”) “It’s” with an apostrophe is a contraction of “it is” and hence should not be used in formal writing.
Pronouns with clear referents—Make sure it is clear who or what you are referring to when using a pronoun (e.g., “Many student anti-war activists had learned to organize years earlier in the South. In Mississippi, Georgia, and Alabama, they led marches, made speeches, wrote literature, ran freedom schools, and had violent encounters with law enforcement officials.”)
Punctuation with quotation marks—When ending a quotation in the text, a final comma or period always precedes the closing quotation marks, whether or not it is part of the quoted matter. Question marks and exclamation marks precede the quotation marks if they are part of the entire sentence of which the quotation mark is a part. (Thus: The newspaper reported “hundreds of women protested outside this year’s Miss America contest.” Should we accept its account of a “riotous congregation”?)
Hyphens—Insert a hyphen when you use a century to modify a noun (e.g., “seventeenth-century science”) and for some compound words (e.g., “working-class politics”)
Parallel wording—When using the constructions “both…and” or “not only…also,” use the same grammatical form after each of those terms. That is, the word or phrase immediately following both terms must be a subject, a verb, or a prepositional phrase. (Wrong: “The Baptists prohibited both dancing and alcohol.” Right: “The Baptists prohibited both dancing and drinking alcohol.”)
Gender-specific (sexist) language—In contemporary American usage, we no longer follow the traditional but biased practice of using masculine nouns and pronouns to refer to everyone. Instead, we try to use “gender-neutral” language, finding wordings that are inclusive or introduce both male and female terms (e.g., “humankind” for “mankind” or “Every student is responsible for his or her own work” rather than “Every student is responsible for his own work”).
Formatting Specifications Guide
(borrowed from the OhioUniversity Press Style Guide)
Full Citations
The first citation of a work in your paper should be complete. A full citation of a book should include the following details: author’s full name, full title and subtitle; names of editor and translator, if any; place, publisher, and date of publication; and page reference. A full citation of a journal article should include the following details: author’s full name; full title and subtitle of the article; full title of journal; volume number; issue number (or, alternately, month or season of publication); year; and page reference (Do not use “p.” or “pp.” with page numbers). Italicize titles of published books, plays, films, and other larger-scale works. Titles of articles, chapters in books, short poems, and unpublished materials (such as most dissertations) are placed within quotation marks and are not italicized.
Books are cited in the following basic form:
John Doe, Title of Book: Subtitle of Book (Athens: OhioUniversity Press, 2007), 123-48.
Journal articles are cited as follows:
Jane Doe, “Title of Article: Subtitle of Article,” Name of Journal 12, no. 3 (2007): 45-46.
Film or Video:
Title, format [VHS or DVD, if any], directed by director’s first name and surname (original year of film or video’s release).
Shortened Citations
After a first, full citation of a work, subsequent citations can be shortened to the author’s or editor’s surname and a short form of the title plus the page number(s). The abbreviation “Ibid.” (in the same place) is used to indicate “the same as in the preceding reference except as noted.” It may not be used if the preceding note cites more than one source.
Writing Contract
__ This paper is the required length, typed, double spaced, with one inch-margins, and stapled.
__ This paper has a thesis statement that anchors and structures the rest of the essay.
__ This paper uses footnotes or endnotes to cite sources, and these citations follow the proper format explained in the Writing Guide.
__ This essay is free of misspellings, contractions, colloquial speech, and gender-specific language.
__ I have read a rough draft of my paper out loud to check for awkward phrasing, unclear meaning, sentence fragments, redundancy, and poor word choice.
__ When referring to events in the past, this essay use the past tense. It also avoids frequent use of the conditional verb tense.
Signature______
Date______
Assignment______
Making an Historical Documentary (43:348) - Spring 2011
Camera Tutorial
Framing
LS, long shot
MS, medium shot
CU, close-up
ECU, extreme close-up.
Movement
Pan, left and right
Tilt, up and down
Zoom, in and out
Truck, left and right
Dolly, in and out
Heads and tails (for zooming)
Composition
Headroom
Nose-room, leading (not following)
Elevation
Rule of thirds
Don’t cut people at joints
Perspectives
Cover shot, establishing shot
POV, point-of-view shot
OS, over-the-shoulder shot
Direct to camera
Focus, Exposure, and Color
Close-up on eye to manual focus
Depth of field
Shutter speed
Aperture (f-stop #)
Neutral Density (ND) filter
Electronic Gain
White Balance
Making an Historical Documentary (43:348) - Spring 2011
Editing Tutorial
Creating and Saving a Project
Browser, Viewer, Canvas, Timeline
Browser
Media Files , Importing Clips, Creating/Deleting Sequences, Using Bins
Non-Linear/Non-Destructive Editing
Viewer (and Canvas)
Opening a clip
Playhead, duration timecode, current timecode
Navigating with transport controls, jog/shuttle controls, and keyboard (J/K/L, spacebar, and arrow keys)
In/Out points (I, O, Option-I, Option-O, Option-X)
Image wireframe, title safe, and action safe
Command-Z, Shift-Command-Z
(Motion tab, keyframes)
Timeline
Opening a sequence, dragging clips (linked, video, and audio), snapping (N)
Managing tracks (adding and deleting), track controls (levels and size)
Scrolling, home/end, zooming (Option-= and Option--), and Shift-Z