Documentary for Social Change

Dalelio/Wilk

Documentary Project: issues of self

THE GOAL:

A self-portrait involving both images and text, which closely examines one issue that helps define you as a person.

HOW DO WE GET THERE?

DECIDE on the issue you’ll be exploring. It could be about:

-a problem (too much work, pressure to get into a good school, etc..)

- a conflict (two different sides of yourself…or a conflict, say, between traditional values in your native country and American values….or between the ideal and the real)

- a question (what defines me? Who am I really?), a question you find yourself wondering about

-or a celebration of a part of your life.

Ideally, your topic should reflect an area of tension in your world (not in the traditional sense—like, you’re stressed about it, but in the more abstract sense, as in two forces somehow pulling against each other.)

BRAINSTORMHOW you want to express that—how you’re going to make the viewer/reader feel what you feel, see what you see. Your project should have some resonance, should leave people thinking….

PROPOSAL- write up a short proposal of what you want to do for this project. What form will your writing be in? Describe images you will make. How will you exhibit your documentary? DUE MONDAY.

ROUGH DRAFT for both images and words.

WORD ROUGH DRAFT - an essay somewhere between one and three single-spaced pages long….or at least enough of a start on this essay that we can see where you’re going. It could take many different forms: a prose poem, a memoir, a rant, an extended journal entry, an essay of argument, an essay of analytic meditation…. The writing needs to be clear, precise, and of high quality.

If you are a “photo” person, this may seem scary for you. Don’t worry. We’ll read some models in class that will give you ideas, and Dr. Wilk will help.

IMAGE ROUGH DRAFT- a plan for at least 10 final photographs, first sketched out, then digitally photographed and/or filmed raw footage. The images need to be consciously made in technical terms and idea (no flash allowed.)

If you are a “word” person, this may seem scary to you. Don’t worry; we’ll view some photos in class that will give you ideas, and Mr. Dalelio will help you.

WORKSHOP YOUR WORK several times: Once you have begun to create both pictures and words you will seek the advice of your peers. First you will share your “rough draft” ideas in a response group of at least 3 and not more than 6 students. This group must be a mix of “photo” people and “words” people. The job of the response group members is to help you clarify your ideas, and to make suggestions about what you might do. (For example, if you can’t think of photo ideas to go with your essay, the photographers can brainstorm suggestions for you. If you can’t think of what to do with your journal writing, the writers can give you ideas.

From there you will pair up, one to one, a writer with a photographer in order to more directly help one another. The writer will help revise and edit the photographer’s writing while the photographer will help the writers with their photograph ideas. This partnership will continue through to the end of the project. We admit there will be some overlap in these roles. For example: “Interesting…Mr. Dalelio can write too!” and/or “Look... Dr. Wilk really can make a nice photo! You may also be good at both writing and photography.

TEACHER WORKSHOP you must have a one-to-one conference with both Mr. Dalelio and Dr. Wilk (not necessarily on the same day or at the same time).

- we will do this for your Rough Drafts and as you Finalize your projects.

THE FINAL DOCUMENARY will contain the following:

YOUR ARTICLE: You will compile your writing and images into a magazine style article that will stand alone as a document of your project. Your images should contain captions and your text should be the final version of your writing with sources included. You need to have this printed out in the format of your choice.

YOUR CHAPTER for our class book: we will be gathering a collection of your finished articles for a class publication. It must be put into the format we as a class decide on. You will need to provide us with an electronic file.

YOUR EXHIBITION: You will present your project in a public exhibit. We will do this in our 300-hallway gallery at PHS and any other venue necessary. This should be a visual display of your work in a form that communicates everything you want your audience to know. It must contain: - a title

- a dominant visual image(s)

-at least 10 images.

-pop out quotes

-text in a format that is readable from a distance

-everything you have to say because you will not be there to say it.

Options: It can be a film, installation, or any other thing you imagine.

We will critique this exhibit in a class conversation.

TIMELINE FOR SELF DOC:

Week of Sept. 22…How is documentary used to express your own world?

(How do I find a meaningful topic?)

Show: Video diaries: Jai Agnish

Dalelio piece: “ Fictional narrative: photos and text”

Masters of Photography and various articles.

Student samples

Discuss: Self Documentary Assignment and timeline.

Brainstorm: ideas for text and images

HW: gather ideas for doc. Make first photos. Journal.

Your official idea PROPOSAL by Friday Sept. 26th

Sept. 29……………..Begin Documentary creation

How do I document this aspect of my life?

Brainstorm: -text under Wilk’s direction

-images under Dalelio’s direction.

Workshop: write Rough Draft of text

HW: Begin making images-35 or more due on Monday Oct.6

Oct.6………………..ROUGH DRAFT COMPLETE

How do I begin to finalize my thoughts?

What do I need to finish my documentary?

Brainstorm: the above questions

Workshop: team up and read each other’s text. Give each other advice. Look at your images. Meet with Mr. Dalelio to discuss images. Meet with Dr. Wilk to discuss text.

HW: ROUGH DRAFT and 35 or more IMAGES

HAND IN: ROUGH DRAFT WITH 10 IMAGES IN TEXT by Monday Oct. 13

Oct. 13………………FINALIZE ARTICLE and BRAINSTORM EXHIBITION

What do I want to say to the world?

Show: Exhibition options

Brainstorm: How will you speak to your audience without saying anything? What will your dominant image be? Pop out quotes? What form will you show this work in?

Workshop: Demo technology… finish articles… decide on book format…

HW: Whatever you need to do to finish your article;

HAND IN: PRINT OUT OF FINAL ARTICLE WITH FINAL

IMAGES DUE Monday OCT. 20.

Oct. 20………………SET UP EXHIBITION OF YOUR DOCUMENTARY

What is the best way to set this up?
Set Up: show is up by the end of the week.

HW: anything you need to finalize exhibition

Workshop: as needed

HAND IN: electronic file of Article for Book and make sure

yourExhibit is up by Monday October 27th.

Oct . 27………….. …CRITIQUE SELF DOCUMENTARIES all week.

Nov. 3……………… GRADE CONFERENCES FOR DOCUMENTARY and

1st MARKING PERIOD

Show: DOCUMENTARIES for social change:

-Michael Moore

-Street Fight

-etc.

HW: info gathering for ideas for Doc for Soc.