Documentary Film-making in Theory and Practise

By Didem Pekün [email protected] +90 537 4160103 Office no: TBC Office Hours: Fridays 2.30- 5 pm(Earlier hours can be arranged by appointment)

Course Description The aims of the course are to foster an understanding of documentary as a diverse form, with a range of styles and genres, to root this diversity in its various historical and social contexts, and to introduce you to some analytical tools appropriate for study of your own and other filmmakers’ work. The course is formed by two sections; while the students will be informed of the history of the genre they will also make their own short documentary videos. As the course is practise-based, it is necessary that the students who wish to take it have a basic knowledge of film-making.

Learning outcomes By the end of the course the students will be able to • Distinguish between, and critically evaluate, the principle ‘modes’ of documentary making • Be able to read a documentary text closely and write about how it communicates meaning • Understanding documentary production in its social and historical context • Be conversant with, and sensitive to, current debates about documentary ethics and aesthetics. • Produce their own short film, making informed and creative decisions at every stage of production process.

Assesment Methods In-class participation and edit analysis presentation to the class 20 – each presentation starting from the 4th week Essay, 30 (1500 words) 17 MAY DEADLINE 2 video projects, 50; first one 5 minutes long - second one 10 – 15 mns long. (it can be an extended version of the first video or a completely new project) –

Bibliography 1) History / Accounts on Documentary The Art of Record, John Corner (Manchester, 1996) Documentary, Bill Nichols (Indiana, 2001) New Documentary, Stella Bruzzi Documentary; a history of non-fiction film; Erik Barnouw Documentary : a history of the non-fiction film / Erik Barnouw. Theorizing documentary / edited by Michael Renov. Introduction to documentary production/ [edited by Searle Kochberg

2) Technical / Production Handbooks Directing the Documentary, Michael Rabiger (Focal Press 1992) Documentary in the Digital Age, Maxine Baker (Focal Press, 2006) Theorising Video Practise, Mike Wayne (Lawrence and Wishart, 1997) The Technique of Documentary Film Production, W. Hugh Baddeley (Focal Press, 1963)

SOME OF THE FILMOGRAPHY IN THE LIBRARY CONTROL ROOM - HE 8700.9.Q22 C66 ( a contemporary doc) 3 SAAT – LB 3058. T9 U 2732010 (Turkish doc by Can Candan) DON’T LOOK BACK ‘ BOB DYLAN’ – ML420.D98D66 (classic observational film) ISTANBUL HATIRASI – M1824.T8 178 (Fatih Akin’s music doc) TRIUMPHY OF THE WILL – DD 253.28.T75 (leni Riefenstahl’s infamous doc) POWAQQATSI – CB 478.P69 (at that time was a pioneering work) NAQOYAQATSI CB 478.N37 KOYAANISQATSI CB 478.K69 BERLIN, SYMPHONY OF A GREAT CITY D538.5.B47 (poetic film of the time) TARNATION HV 697.T37 (autobiography) THE THIN BLUE LINE HV653 .T9 T45 (Errol Morris must see) FIRST PERSON PN 1992.8.I68 F57 FOG OF WAR PN 1997.F64 2004 (Errol Morris must see) BOWLING FOR COLUMBINE HV 7439.G7 B69 (Michael Moore) ROGER AND ME PN1997.R64. (Michael Moore) FREE CINEMA DISC 1 AND DISC 2 PN 1993.5.G7F74 (early English films) SHERMAN’S MARCH PN 1995.9D6 S44 (Autobiographical ) NANOOK OF THE NORTH E99.E7 N36 (First doc) MAN WITH A MOVIE CAMERA PN1997.M362 (MUST SEE) UN CHIEN ANDALOU PN1997.U5324 (luis bunuel) OUR DAILY BREAD PN1997.09733 MAYA DEREN COLLECTED EXPERIMENTAL FILMS PN1995.9.E96M39 CHRONIQUE D’UN ETE – DC.34.C47 (Jean Rouch) SHOAH D 810.J4 S 56 (must see about the Holocaust) REASSEMBLAGE HQ 1814.5.R43 (Trinh min ha must see) NIGHT MAIL, GRIERSON DA16.N54 (Classic) All the Agnes Vardas and Alan Berliners in the library

DATE TOPICS FILMOGRAPHY ASSIGNMENTS

Week 1 Documentary Dilemmas Viewings: Examples from Introductory reading 17 FEBRUARY Introduction to the course and contentious Contemporary issues around the documentary form. An Documentaries overview of the scope of documentary, Agnes Varda, e.g. debates about committed documentary, conceptual documentary and political documentary

Cinema-verite, observational cinema Titicut Follies, dir Fred Week 2 and the lure of the ‘real’ Wiseman US 1967 Production workshop – 24 FEBRUARY A discussion of “Direct Cinema” in the US The Beatles the first U.S. visit schedules, budgets etc. in the 1960s and its legacy Dir. Maysles, Albert D.A. Pennebaker films

Nineteenth Century Legacy and films of Nanook of the North US Week 3 record 1922 Production workshop – 2 MARCH The documentary impulse and the reaction The Battle of the Somme GB Shoot plan against ‘constructed’ images: the 1916 first moving images: early newsreels: looking at other cultures. Nanook of the Night mail: west Highland North becomes the first recognised [DVD videorecording]/ documentary, but is it? Panamint Cinema.

Land of promise [DVD Videorecording]: the British documentary movement 1930-1950

Week 4 Formalism, Revolution and the cinematic Man with a Movie Camera dir. Production workshop – subversion Dziga Vertov USSR 1928 festivals and how to go about 9 MARCH Revolutionary politics, artistic modernism and them the cinema montage in the Soviet Union in the 1920s. Dziga Vertov and Kino Eye, versus Edit analysis by 3 students Sergei Eisenstein and the montage of attractions. Artistic subversion, abstraction, surrealism across Europe.

Week 5 Screening of first video projects to the class Edit analysis by 3 students 16 MARCH

Week 6 Surrealism and the unconscious Land Without Bread, dir Luis Students will present topics From Salvador Dali and Luis Bunuel to Chris Bunuel Spain 1932 for their Essays 23 MARCH Marker La Jetee, Dir. Chris Marker, France Edit analysis by 3 students Sans Soleil, dir. Chris Marker, France 1983 My winnipeg, dir. Guy Maddin Maya Deren, US 1943

Re-thinking ethnographic film Reflexivity and the work of Jean Rouch as an Les Maitres Fous, dir Jean Week 7 ethnographic filmmaker. Rouch, France 1955 Edit analysis by 3 students Comparison between ‘Direct Cinema’ and cine- 30 MARCH verite in France. Chronicle of a Summer, dir. The possibility of unmediated observation. Jean Rouch – Edgar Morin “My aim is not to film life as it is, but life as it is 1961 provoked.” Jean Rouch

2-8 APRIL TERM BREAK TERM BREAK TERM BREAK individual consultation for Week 8 Female documentary Reassemblage, dir. Trinh T. essays 13 APRIL From the earliest days women have been Min-Ha US making documentaries. The feminist movement of the 1970s set out to Perfect Image, dir Maureen re-assert women’s presence and argued that Blackwood there were specifically feminine ways of making documentaries. Rosie the Riveter, dir. Connie Field

Triumph of the Will, dir. Leni Riefenstahl

Week 9 Autobiographical films Ross Mc Elwee films Production workshop – rough 20 APRIL How does the injection of the Nobody’s Business, dir. Alan cut preview personal/confessional mode affect Berliner

documentary’s ‘truth claims’? Is the collapsing Agnes Varda films of the subject/author divide a way through Michael Moore some of documentary’s ethical and aesthetic Whited Sepulchre, dir. Tony dilemmas? Dowmunt

Week 10 Third cinema and post-colonialism The Hour of the Furnaces, 27 April Writings from latin America and Africa and dirs. Fernando Solonas and their influence on black filmmakers in Ottavio Gettino, Argentina The UK and USA. Handsworth Songs, dirs. Black Audio Collective, UK 1988

Week 11 Freakshows & television today Whatever is current Production workshop – 4 MAY The proliferation of television genres; docu- The Fog of War; eleven individual edit consultation drama, reality shows and newer interective lessons fron the life of Robert forms. McNamara The Thin Blue Line Werner Herzog

Edit consultation Week 12 Truth or Dare Kutluğ Ataman 11 MAY Documentary form used by artists & Sadie Benning documentarists using art aesthetics. Sophie Calle

Week 13 Visiting Speakers Essay Deadline 18 MAY A contemporary documentary filmmaker and a documentary professional, (either a festival

organiser, or a producer) speaks about the professional life.

Week 14 FAQ Presentation of final films 25 MAY to the class

END OF TERM