Unit name | Documentary Film and Television |
---|---|
Unit code | FATVM0003 |
Credit points | 20 |
Level of study | M/7 |
Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 1 (weeks 1 - 12) |
Unit director | Dr. Massoumi |
Open unit status | Not open |
Pre-requisites |
None. |
Co-requisites |
None. |
School/department | Department of Film and Television |
Faculty | Faculty of Arts |
This unit will address the theory, history and practice of documentary film, television and screen media. It will explore theoretical issues that documentary has posed historically for makers and audiences such as indexicality, evidence, witnessing, ethics, poetics, subjectivity, the social and political. It will do so through an engagement with key texts and movements, considering the different modes, styles and contexts for documentary making, past and present. Students will then be able to respond to some of the subjects and issues raised through a written essay and by researching, developing and pitching their own idea for a documentary film, television or screen media project.
The unit aims to:
On successful completion of this unit, students will be able to:
(1) demonstrate knowledge and critical understanding of contemporary and historical practices of documentary film, television and screen media;
(2) engage critically with key theories relating to documentary forms and practices;
(3) analyse and evaluate competing perceptions of documentary film, television and screen media;
(4) gain experience in researching and developing an idea for a documentary
(5) develop confidence in articulating and pitching an idea for a documentary project
Weekly 2-hour seminar/workshop + weekly 3-hour screening/workshop, production tutorials (within workshop sessions) and practical work (both independent and partially supervised).
3,500 word essay (70%) ILO 1-3
Presentation of documentary proposal (30%) ILO 4-5
Barnouw, E. (1993) Documentary: A History of the Non-fiction Film, Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Bruzzi, S. (2000). New Documentary: A Critical Introduction. London: Routledge.
Corner, J. (1996). The Art of Record: A Critical Introduction to Documentary. Manchester University Press.
Nichols, B. (2001). Introduction to Documentary. Indiana: Indiana University Press.
Pearce, G and McLaughlin, C (2007) Truth or Dare: Art and Documentary, Bristol: Intellect Books.
Rosenthal, A. and Corner, J. (eds) (2005) New Challenges for Documentary, Manchester: Manchester University Press.