Documentary Proposals

You will create a documentary as your next MAP project. The classes will create a total of 8 documentaries. Groups will be formed based on needs of the director/producer. The projects we produce will be based on the quality and professionalism of the proposals you create today.

Your final assignment for the semester is to write a documentary proposal. Please click on the following link to access the proposal. You have the entire film final period to write your proposal.

Your proposal must be completed to be considered as one of the 8 films we will produce.

Your proposal must be on the google drive at the end of today's final for credit and to be considered.

You will copy and rename the proposal file such that it stays in the google drive.

Click here for the proposal (remember to make a copy and rename it with your last name)

You must UPLOAD YOUR FINAL PROPOSAL HERE to the shared google drive folder.

Tuesday, December 10th - Ken Burns and Story

Please watch this video featuring Ken Burns describing 'story'.

Play Video Here

Your upcoming documentary project is not an MMJ news story, neither is it a PSA, it is a story deeply rooted in a complex and important topic. Your job is to find a unique story to tell about the topic 'Poverty in America'.

Please answer the following blogspot questions:

1. What does Ken Burns mean by 1 + 1 =  3?
2. What is an emotional truth according to Burns?
3. How does he make 'the dead' come to life in his work, specifically how does he do this with Photography and Audio?
4. Where might you find a story about Poverty in America?
5. How do you dig to find the Poverty in American story where 1 + 1 = 3?
6. What kind of person would make an interesting character to build story around? (ie., what about poverty from a child's perspective, or the perspective of a parent, a sister, a social worker, policeman, clergy, non-profit agency worker, historical figure, city counsel member, non-profit foundation worker). 
7. What conflicts might you find, what inciting incidents? (ie., a child who goes to school but has just lost their home, a parent coping with bills that cannot be paid, a child is too hungry to do homework, a worker who has been laid off due to corporate downsizing)
8. What are your initial thoughts about poverty in America? What message do you think you want to convey in the story you will tell through your documentary?

Introduction to Documentary

Blogspot Question:
Discuss your familiarity with the documentary genre by describing the most interesting documentary you have ever watched. How did the documentary inform your point of view? What made it credible or believable?

Monday Agenda:

• Polling/discussion around documentary genre
• Documentary 'Defined' by Academy of Motion Arts & Pictures, Videomaker
• Ken Burns-why should we study his films?
• Civil War Documentary, 8 media elements. Watch 15 min and log what you see.

Log by time and describe:

1. Photography-what does he do with photos that makes the visual more appealing (be specific, more than, 'he moves them', what specifically do you see at times, how are they moved)
2. Newsreels/Archive Footage
3. Interviews-with who, how does he tell you who is being interviewed?
4. Audio-music, narration, sounds, be specific-what do you hear? Is the music of a certain timeframe, or more contemporary? What instruments do you hear in the music?

Tuesday: 

Complete watching Civil War, Episode 1. 

Thursday:

Preparing for your documentary