Request for New Course
EASTERN MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY
DIVISION OF ACADEMIC AFFAIRS
REQUEST FOR NEW COURSE
DEPARTMENT/SCHOOL COMMUNICATION, MEDIA & THEATRE ARTS
CONTACT PERSON:
BROOKE DAGNAN
CONTACT PHONE:
487-7865
COLLEGE:
CONTACT EMAIL:
REQUESTED START DATE: TERM WINTER
YEAR
ARTS & SCIENCES
BROOKE.DAGNAN@EMICH.EDU
2013
A. Rationale/Justification for the Course
The area of Electronic Media and Film Studies does not currently have a documentary production course; with the rise
of the documentary in contemporary media and its popularity in both film and television production, a production
course in documentary film is a necessity for the EMFS program. Not only is there significant interest and demand
from students to offer a documentary course, but their skill set will be more well-rounded if they graduate with at least
one course that covers the specific theoretical, aesthetic, process, and content concerns of documentary film.
Further, this course will be offered as an Academic Service-Learning (AS-L) course and in this way will engage the
local Washtenaw County and greater SE Michigan community. Outreach through film production can have a very
positive impact on Washtenaw County and the greater Southeast Michigan region, and it can benefit our students in
immeasurable ways as it allows them practical, real-world, hands-on experience in film production. In the past few
years several non-profit leaders, and even directors of EMU organizations, have expressed excitement about the
possibility of working with EMFS students in a service-learning capacity.
B. Course Information
1. Subject Code and Course Number:
CTAT 434
2. Course Title:
Documentary Film Production
3. Credit Hours:
3
4. Repeatable for Credit? Yes_______
No
If “Yes”, how many total credits may be earned?_______
X
5. Catalog Description (Limit to approximately 50 words.):
This course covers the theory, aesthetics, process, and content of documentary film production. While completing a
short documentary film working in an Academic Service Learning capacity with a non-profit organization in southeast
Michigan, students will learn the necessary steps for research, content development, pre-production, production,
filming concerns, post-production, and editing.
6. Method of Delivery (Check all that apply.)
a. Standard (lecture/lab)
On Campus
X
X
Off Campus
b. Fully Online
c. Hybrid/ Web Enhanced
7. Grading Mode:
Miller, New Course
Sept. 09
Normal (A-E)
X
Credit/No Credit
New Course Form
8. Prerequisites: Courses that MUST be completed before a student can take this course. (List by Subject Code, Number and Title.)
CTAT 333 or CTAT 332
9. Concurrent Prerequisites:
Code, Number and Title.)
Courses listed in #5 that MAY also be taken at the same time as a student is taking this course. (List by Subject
N/A
10. Corequisites: Courses that MUST be taken at the same time as a student in taking this course.
(List by Subject Code, Number and
Title.)
N/A
11. Equivalent Courses. A student may not earn credit for both a course and its equivalent. A course will count as a repeat if an equivalent
course has already been taken. (List by Subject Code, Number and Title)
N/A
12. Course Restrictions:
a. Restriction by College. Is admission to a specific College Required?
College of Business
Yes
No
X
College of Education
Yes
No
X
b. Restriction by Major/Program. Will only students in certain majors/programs be allowed to take this course?
Yes
No
X
If “Yes”, list the majors/programs
c. Restriction by Class Level Check all those who will be allowed to take the course:
Undergraduate
Graduate
All undergraduates___X__
All graduate students____
Freshperson
Certificate
Sophomore
Masters
Junior
Specialist
Senior
Doctoral
Second Bachelor________
UG Degree Pending_____
Post-Bac. Tchr. Cert._____
Low GPA Admit_______
Note: If this is a 400-level course to be offered for graduate credit, attach Approval Form for 400-level Course for Graduate
Credit. Only “Approved for Graduate Credit” undergraduate courses may be included on graduate programs of study.
Note: Only 500-level graduate courses can be taken by undergraduate students. Undergraduate students may not register for
600-level courses
d. Restriction by Permission. Will Departmental Permission be required?
Yes
No
(Note: Department permission requires the department to enter authorization for every student registering.)
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Sept. ‘09
X
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13. Will the course be offered as part of the General Education Program?
Yes
No
X
If “Yes”, attach Request for Inclusion of a Course in the General Education Program: Education for Participation in the Global Community
form. Note: All new courses proposed for inclusion in this program will be reviewed by the General Education Advisory Committee. If this
course is NOT approved for inclusion in the General Education program, will it still be offered? Yes
No
C. Relationship to Existing Courses
Within the Department:
14. Will this course will be a requirement or restricted elective in any existing program(s)? Yes X
No
If “Yes”, list the programs and attach a copy of the programs that clearly shows the place the new course will have in the curriculum.
Program Electronic Media & Film Studies
Required
Restricted Elective X
Program
Required
Restricted Elective
15. Will this course replace an existing course? Yes
No
X
16. (Complete only if the answer to #15 is “Yes.”)
a. Subject Code, Number and Title of course to be replaced:
b. Will the course to be replaced be deleted?
Yes
No
17. (Complete only if the answer #16b is “Yes.”) If the replaced course is to be deleted, it is not necessary to submit a Request for
Graduate and Undergraduate Course Deletion.
a. When is the last time it will be offered?
Term
Year
b. Is the course to be deleted required by programs in other departments?
Contact the Course and Program Development Office if necessary.
Yes
No
c. If “Yes”, do the affected departments support this change?
Yes
No
If “Yes”, attach letters of support. If “No”, attach letters from the affected department explaining the lack of support, if available.
Outside the Department: The following information must be provided. Contact the Course and Program Development office for
assistance if necessary.
18. Are there similar courses offered in other University Departments?
If “Yes”, list courses by Subject Code, Number and Title
Yes
No
X
19. If similar courses exist, do the departments in which they are offered support the proposed course?
Yes
No
If “Yes”, attach letters of support from the affected departments. If “No”, attach letters from the affected department explaining the lack of
support, if available.
D. Course Requirements
20. Attach a detailed Sample Course Syllabus including:
a.
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Course goals, objectives and/or student learning outcomes
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b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
g.
h.
Outline of the content to be covered
Student assignments including presentations, research papers, exams, etc.
Method of evaluation
Grading scale (if a graduate course, include graduate grading scale)
Special requirements
Bibliography, supplemental reading list
Other pertinent information.
NOTE: COURSES BEING PROPOSED FOR INCLUSION IN THE EDUCATION FOR PARTICIPATION IN THE GLOBAL
COMMUNITY PROGRAM MUST USE THE SYLLABUS TEMPLATE PROVIDED BY THE GENERAL EDUCATION
ADVISORY COMMITTEE. THE TEMPLATE IS ATTACHED TO THE REQUEST FOR INCLUSION OF A COURSE IN THE
GENERAL EDUCATION PROGRAM: EDUCATION FOR PARTICIPATION IN THE GLOBAL COMMUNITY FORM.
E. Cost Analysis (Complete only if the course will require additional University resources.
Fill in Estimated Resources for the
sponsoring department(s). Attach separate estimates for other affected departments.)
Estimated Resources:
Year One
Year Two
Year Three
Faculty / Staff
$_________
$_________
$_________
SS&M
$_________
$_________
$_________
Equipment
$_________
$_________
$_________
Total
$_________
$_________
$_________
F. Action of the Department/School and College
1. Department/School
Vote of faculty: For ____26______
Against ____0______
Abstentions ____0______
(Enter the number of votes cast in each category.)
4/11/12
Department Head/School Director Signature
Date
2. College/Graduate School
A. College
College Dean Signature
Date
B. Graduate School (if Graduate Course)
Graduate Dean Signature
Date
G. Approval
Associate Vice-President for Academic Programming Signature
Miller, New Course
Sept. ‘09
Date
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New Course Form
Documentary Film Production, CTAT 434
Meeting Time:
Instructor:
Brooke Dagnan
E-Mail:
brooke.dagnan@emich.edu
Office:
714F Pray-Harrold
Office Hours:
Additional hours by appointment. Please e-mail me if you would like to schedule an appointment.
Office Phone: (734) 487-7865 (please do not leave a message, e-mail me instead. Thanks!)
Course
Description:
This documentary video production course emphasizes nonfiction field production. It combines practice
with some background of documentary theory and history. Hands-on demonstrations, film screenings,
readings, lectures and discussion prepare students to produce a documentary video as a final project.
Students gain production experience working in groups engaged in an AS-L collaboration with a
community organization. This course includes an emphasis on research, writing, pre-production, and the
basic production skills as integral components of video production.
The course also covers current theoretical debates and dilemmas within documentary filmmaking,
including: how to define documentary film, what constitutes an ethical treatment of subjects and subject
matter, issues surrounding a documentary’s construction methods, the positioning of the audience, and
the political/economic constraints placed on documentary filmmaking. These questions will be addressed
and analyzed as they relate to representations of the world and presentation of world issues as shown
through documentary film. Finally, students will be asked to consider
“Reality is not what is out there but what we know, understand, and share with each other of what is out
there. Media affect the most expensive real estate of all, that which is inside your head. Documentary is
an important reality-shaping communication, because of its claims to truth. Documentaries are always
grounded in real life, and make a claim to tell us something worth knowing about.” – Patricia
Aufderheide
“Sometimes you have to lie to tell the truth.” – Robert Flaherty
“It (the documentary film movement) was a desire to make a drama from the ordinary to set against the
prevailing drama of the extraordinary: a desire to bring the citizen’s eye in from the ends of the earth to
the story, his own story, of what was happening under his nose. From this came our insistence on the
drama of the doorstep. We were, I confess, sociologists, a little worried about the way the world was
going… We were interested in all instruments which would crystallize sentiments in a muddled world
and create a will toward civic participation.” – John Grierson
“It is far from simple to show the truth, yet the truth is simple.” – Dziga Vertov
“I don't know what truth is. Truth is something unattainable. We can't think we're creating truth with a
camera. But what we can do, is reveal something to viewers that allows them to discover their own truth.”
– Michel Brault
“I think it's inevitable that people will come to find the documentary a more compelling and more
important kind of film than fiction. Just as in literature, as the taste has moved from fiction to nonfiction,
I think it's going to happen in film as well. In a way you're on a serendipitous journey, a journey which is
much more akin to the life experience. When you see somebody on the screen in a documentary, you're
really engaged with a person going through real life experiences. So for that period of time, as you watch
the film, you are, in effect, in the shoes of another individual. What a privilege to have that experience.”
– Albert Maysles
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Approach:
We will study documentary film production primarily through hands-on demonstrations and production
assignments. This practical experience will be fortified by basic documentary film theory and concepts.
Theory and concepts will be demonstrated through both textbook readings and screenings of documentary
films. Weekly readings are a vital component to this class and offer the foundation for class lectures,
discussions, and theory; readings need to be completed before the lecture/discussion and reviewed before
each film screening. Be sure to bring your textbooks to every lecture class, as you will want to reference
the readings during discussion. Most importantly, you will be expected to engage in weekly production
assignments that are staged to cover all of the necessary components of documentary production. At the
end of the semester, students will participate in a group produced, short (5-10 minute) documentary film
final.
AS-L Rationale
& Project
Description:
This is a project-based Academic Service Learning course. There are no exams in the course. Instead
students will create one large project—a documentary film production—during the course of the
semester. This project asks each group of students to engage in a service-learning environment by
working with a local non-profit or community organization to help them complete a documentary film
project about the organization or something important connected to that organization. Several non-profits
and organizations will work with our course at EMU. At the beginning of the semester, every Monday
will be dedicated to lectures and discussions of pertinent documentary field productions concerns and/or
relevant documentary theory. Every Wednesday will be an on-site production day—these days are used
for pre-production, production, and post-production of the documentary film project. Often these days
require meeting at the site, or office location, of the organization. Later in the semester, both Mondays
and Wednesdays may be used for production.
Objectives
& Outcomes:
Films:
1. Students will demonstrate the ability to research, develop, and produce a 5 to 10 minute documentary.
2. Students will learn the basic components of documentary film production.
3. Students will use production skills in engaged learning via the AS-L component by completing a film.
4. Students will learn foundations of documentary theory and how to apply those in filmmaking practice.
5. Students will demonstrate a clear understanding of documentary vocabulary and concepts.
6. Students will learn and utilize professional filmmaking etiquette and professionalism through the AS-L
component of the course.
7. Students will reflect on the AS-L experience as it relates to their documentary film production.
Most films in this course will be completely unfamiliar to you. I have selected films that are good
examples of the main topics we are covering within the world of non-fiction film. Many of them are
considered preeminent examples of their approach to non-fiction or documentary filmmaking. Some are
recent, some are older. Some are in color, some are in monochrome. You will need to look at them
critically and objectively, and move beyond whether or not you “like” them or can “relate” to them.
Great documentary films are complex creative works, often based on difficult subject matter, frequently
present complex social issues, and raise difficult questions about society, political structures, and human
nature.
Required
Texts:
Documentary Film: A Very Short Introduction, Aufderheide, Patricia.
Documentary Storytelling for Video and Filmmakers, Bernard, Sheila Curran.
BOTH texts are required. Readings are mandatory and will help you to better understand the process and
production requirements of documentary film. Please complete readings on time, before the lecture,
discussion, or film screening. The books are available at all local books stores, the Student Bookstore,
and on-line.
Additional
Texts:
The Documentary Film Makers Handbook: A Guerilla Guide, Jolliffe, Genevieve.
Writing, Directing & Producing Documentary Films, Rosenthal, A.
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Documentary: A History of the Nonfiction Film, Barnouw, Erik.
The Art of the Documentary, Cunningham, Megan.
Notes:
Production
Assignments:
Production
Schedule:
Taking notes during both demonstrations, lectures, and films is extremely important for your success in
this course. The skills, concepts, materials and theories covered will be crucial for you to review to best
understand how to produce your own documentary film. I would suggest a minimum of one page of hand
written notes per lecture or demonstration. Use this for studying and reviewing on a weekly basis.
During this course you will complete nine (9) small projects that exemplify the necessary skills to make a
documentary film. These assignments are staged to become progressively more challenging and to allow
you to incorporate the previous weeks’ materials in each production (i.e. for Week 3 you will be expected
to complete the assignment using the materials presented in week 3, plus the skills and materials covered
in weeks 1 and 2). Please see the handout on Production Assignments for additional information.
DUE DATES ARE FINAL FOR ALL PRODUCTION ASSIGNMENTS & THE FINAL FILM.
LATE PROJECTS RECEIVE REDUCED CREDIT.
See “DETAILED COURSE SCHEDULE” on last page of syllabus.
FINALS WEEK – The Final Edit of each group’s final film is due at the beginning of the Final
Exam Day. Absolutely NO LATE FILMS will be accepted.
Plagiarism:
The issue of academic integrity is very serious. Plagiarism is the act of copying another author’s content
and or style without giving credit. Providing insufficient sources or accrediting work to incorrect sources
may also be plagiarism. Using someone else’s ideas as your own or copying a speech, video, or other
recording verbatim are all examples of plagiarism. The penalty for plagiarism will be a zero on the
assignment and/or a zero in the class. Plagiarism may also result in suspension or expulsion from the
university. Please see the attached sheet for specific information.
The University Student Code of Conduct gives specifics regarding cheating, falsification and plagiarism.
Please do not disrespect yourself, your fellow classmates, or university instructors by falling into one of
these categories. University Handbook’s complete policy: http://www.emich.edu/studentconduct/
Attendance:
Attendance is MANDATORY. It is imperative to attend both the lectures and production days. You are
allowed to miss no more than two classes; for every unexcused class you miss beyond two, your grade
will be reduced by one letter grade. Lectures and discussions contextualize the productions you will work
on during the semester, and they help you to apply the concepts of film appreciation and theory to your
own films. Further, film is meant to be viewed on a very large screen, in a dark room where you can give
it your undivided attention; this is what you get in class and in movie theaters, but not what you get at
home watching your TV.
Participation:
Participation will be based on completing each of the 9 weekly production assignments and fully
participating in the final, group film project. Further, your ability to discuss, critique, contextualize, and
present ideas about documentary film and the elements of film covered in this course is imperative.
Students’ names will be chosen at random at the beginning of each class and during post-film discussions
to help contextualize the readings and films; your responses, including your ability to concisely represent
and express key ideas being covered in class will be used to assess your participation grade for the term.
Grading:
Scale:
Peer Review
Mid-term Project Notebook
Weekly Documentary Projects
- 9 projects @ 50 points each
Film Treatment for Final Film
Final Film Project
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100
50
450
100
250
A
AB+
B
BC+
94 – 100
90 – 93
87 – 89
84 – 86
80 – 83
79 – 77
D+ 67 – 69
D
64 – 66
D- 60 – 63
E
0 – 59 points
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Final Project Notebook
TOTAL
Minimum
Grade Req:
Classroom
Etiquette:
50
1000 points
C
C-
74 – 76
70 – 73…
You are required to make a C or better in this course in order for it to count toward either the
Major or Minor in Electronic Media and Film Studies (including the Film Studies Concentration).
Respect and Reciprocity. These are the foundations and expectations that we enter into for this course,
these principles must be maintained in the classroom as they are integral to everyone’s success in an
academic environment. Please keep in mind that anything I expect from you as a student, in return
you can expect from me as your Professor. Therefore…
Be respectful, courteous, and mature at all times.
Be early or at least on time to class; arriving late is rude and disruptive to both your fellow
classmates and your Professor.
Be prepared, attentive, and ready to take notes at the start of class.
Turn off your cell phone, PDA, and/or laptop before entering the classroom.
Engage in class discussion while keeping in mind that everyone needs to be involved.
Your complete attention during class is expected and necessary to do well and succeed in this course.
Please keep in mind, all classroom discussions will be civilized and respectful to everyone and relevant to
the topic we are discussing.
In an effort to maintain a clean room where hundreds of students learn every day, I ask that you do not
bring food or drinks into the classroom.
Office Hours:
Email
Etiquette:
My office hours are open hours of my time for you to utilize to help better your education and academic
experience. Please come to see me if you have questions about assignments, need clarification on lecture
notes, want me to look over drafts of your paper, or anything else academic or class related. Remember,
it is best to have open communication with your professors at all times, the more we understand about
your life and academic experiences the better able we are to assist you in your education. On Mondays,
a sign up sheet for the following week’s office hours will be posted outside my office door. If you
can’t make it to my scheduled hours e-mail me with a few times you are available to set up a meeting.
I encourage my students to correspond with me via email (brooke.dagnan@emich.edu) throughout the
semester. Unfortunately, it has become common for students to send messages to their professors by
email that are often unprofessional. I provide you with the following useful tips on email etiquette for
use in this class (and in your classes or other professional obligations, both now and in the future).
Following these guidelines will help you create a positive impression over email. (This list is not
exhaustive, but highlights some of the more important aspects of good email etiquette.)
1. You should consult your course syllabus, schedule, and assignment handouts before emailing your
professor to ask about basic course logistics, like due dates and policies. (Exam dates, for example,
are usually noted on the schedule.) Emailing professors with questions that are clearly explained in
your syllabus gives the impression that you haven’t read the syllabus. Your syllabus is essentially
your contract for the course, so you want to be sure you are familiar with its contents.
2. Your email needs to begin with a greeting, such as “Dear Professor X,” or “Hello, Dr. So-and-so.” To
begin an email without a greeting (instead rushing into the content) conveys – even if you don’t intend it
– a lack of respect. Until your professor gives you permission to call him/her by his/her first name, it’s
best to use his/her professional title when speaking with or emailing that professor. The same holds true
of business professionals as well.
3. Please thoughtfully construct your e-mail and be sure it is free of spelling and grammatical mistakes.
Clear writing is important in your academic papers, but it’s also very important in your emails. Our
communication—written, spoken, and nonverbal—creates an impression, and when corresponding
with your professors, it is best to avoid creating a negative impression.
4. It is very easy to misinterpret a person’s intentions in written communication. Be careful as you write
your email that your tone does not suggest disrespect, entitlement, or hostility.
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5. Your email should always contain a closing in which you thank your professor in advance for the time
and effort she/he expends in fulfilling the request you’ve made in your email, and a signature.
6. Professors at EMU teach 3-4 classes, usually more than 110 students, each semester; beyond teaching,
professors advise numerous students and lead professional research and creative endeavors. Therefore,
they receive lots of emails from students and other academic professionals, and cannot always reply
immediately. Courtesy requires that you give your professor 48 hours to reply to your email.
Research
Assistance:
Student Code
of Conduct:
Special
Needs:
Religious
Holidays:
The Academic Projects Center (http://www.emich.edu/apc/) is a place where you can drop in to
get help with research, writing, and technology to improve the quality of your research paper, project, or
presentation. From brainstorming ideas, to finding sources, to structuring an essay or putting together a
presentation using technology like PowerPoint or a web page, APC consultants are there to help you. The
APC is staffed by trained writing and technology consultants and Halle Library faculty.
The University Writing Center (http://www.emich.edu/english/writing-center/) offers small
group workshops that provide students with additional opportunities to improve your writing, reading,
and research skills. Workshops cover a variety of topics from "Using Your Writing Handbook" to
"Strategies for Successful College Reading"; from "Organizing and Structuring Your Writing" to
"Sentence Infrastructure and Polishing Your Work." Workshops are open to all EMU students.
Students are expected to abide by the Student Conduct Code and assist in creating an environment that is
conducive to learning and protects the rights of all members of the University Community. Incivility and
disruptive behavior will not be tolerated and may result in a request to leave class and referral to the
Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards (SJS) for discipline. Examples of inappropriate
classroom conduct include repeatedly arriving late to class, using a mobile/cellular phone while in the
class session, or talking while others are speaking. Please see: http://www.emich.edu/studentconduct/
If you wish to be accommodated for your disability, EMU Board of Regents Policy 8.3
requires that you first register with the Students with Disabilities Office (SDO) in 240 EMU Student
Center. You may contact SDO by telephone (734.487.2470). Students with disabilities are encouraged to
register with the SDO promptly as you will only be accommodated from the date you register with them
forward. No retroactive accommodations are possible
Current University policy recognizes the rights of students to observe religious holidays without penalty
to the student. Students will provide advance notice to the instructor in order to make up work, including
examinations, they miss as a result of their absence from class due to observance of religious holidays. If
satisfactory arrangements cannot be made with the instructor, the student may appeal to the school
director or head(s) of department(s) in which the course(s) is / are offered.
FERPA:
The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) is a Federal law designated to protect the
privacy of a student’s education records and academic work. The law applies to all schools & universities
which receive funds under an applicable program of the U.S. Department of Education and is applicable
to students at EMU. All files, records, and academic work completed within this course are considered
educational records and are protected under FERPA. It is your right, as a student in this course, to expect
that any materials you submit in this course, as well as your name and other identifying information, will
not be viewable by guests or other individuals permitted access to the course. The exception will be only
when you have given explicit, written, signed consent. Verbal consent or email is insufficient.
SEVIS:
The Student exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) requires F and J students to report the
following to the Office of International Students 244 EMU Student Center within ten days of the event:
A. Changes in your name, local address, major field of study, or source of funding;
B. Changes in your degree-completion date;
C. Changes in your degree-level (ex Bachelors to Masters)
D. Intent to transfer to another school.
Prior permission from OIS is needed for the following:
A. Dropping ALL courses as well as carrying or dropping BELOW minimum credit hours;
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B. Employment on or off-campus;
C. Registering for more than one ONLINE course per term (F visa only)
D. Endorsing I-20 or DS-2019 for re-entry into the USA.
Failure to report may result in the termination of your SEVIS record, even arrest and deportation. If you
have questions, contact the Office of International Students at 734.487.3116, not the course instructor.
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DETAILED COURSE SCHEDULE
Week 1: Introduction to Course
Week 1 Monday – Introduction to course, Treatments, Brainstorm & Groups
Week 1 Wednesday – Documentary Filmmaker's Code of Ethics & Best Practices. Introduction to Documentary Film Theories –
Complete Project #1
Week 2: Pre-production location logistics, paperwork. Treatment writing & Storytelling: A Checklist
Week 2 Monday – Working through location logistics, understanding documentary film contracts. Writing a documentary treatment.
Week 2 Wednesday – On-site Pre-Production: Location Scouting and Paperwork/Releases/etc. – Complete Project #2
Week 3: Field Documentary Production Concerns
Week 3 Monday – Audio Recording for Documentary – Treatments DUE.
Week 3 Wednesday – Handheld or Tri-pod – Complete Project #3
Week 4: Field Documentary Production Concerns
Week 4 Monday – Audio Recording for Documentary
Week 4 Wednesday – Handheld or Tri-pod – Complete Project #4
Week 5: The Field Interview
Week 5 Monday – The Interview & writing interview questions. Ethical issues and concerns surrounding interviews and information
gathered via interviews.
Week 5 Wednesday – On-site: Conduct Initial Audio Interviews – Complete Project #5
Week 6: Lighting for Documentary – To light or not to light?
Week 6 Monday – Lighting for Documentary – To light or not to light?
Week 6 Wednesday – Complete Project #6
Week 7: Staying on track: Ethical considerations and collaboration.
Week 7 Monday – More on Documentary Theory and Ethics. Midterm Production Notebooks & Reflection #1 Due.
Week 7 Wednesday – Complete Project #7, a written reflection on issues of representation and collaboration.
Week 8: B-Roll
Week 8 Monday – B-Roll and filming “everything” necessary. Imposing limitations on the B-roll you collect.
Week 8 Wednesday – On-site–Film B-roll with course-imposed limitations – Complete Project #8
Week 9: B-Roll and filming necessary components
Week 9 Monday – On-site–Film B-roll with no imposed limitations
Week 9 Wednesday – On-site–Film B-roll with no imposed limitations, filming other necessary locations and components.
Week 10: Editing, thoughts on a variety of approaches and styles within documentary film.
Week 10 Monday – Editing Projects and/or Continue filming on-site
Week 10 Wednesday – Editing Projects – each group sign-up for a screening meeting with Prof. Dagnan on Monday
Week 11:
Week 11 Monday – Editing Projects – each group sign-up for a screening meeting with Prof. Dagnan
Week 11 Wednesday – Editing Projects
Week 12: Rough Cuts DUE!
Week 12 Monday – Screen Rough Cuts of each project in class – Complete Project #9
Week 12 Wednesday – On-Site: Screen Rough Cut for your organization--get feedback, etc. Continue Editing Projects
Week 13: From Rough Cut to Final Picture Lock
Week 13 Monday – Continue Editing Projects
Week 13 Wednesday – Continue Editing Projects
Week 14: In-Class Film Screenings
Week 14 Monday & Wednesday– Screen Final Film Projects for class, community organizations, and greater EMU community
FINAL EXAM: Final Production Notebooks Due! Remember: Reflection #2 must be the *first* entry in your Notebook
FINALS WEEK – The Final Edit of each group’s final film is due at the beginning of the Final Exam Day. Absolutely NO LATE
FILMS will be accepted.
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CTAT 434 – Documentary Film Production, AS-L
Dagnan
REFLECTION ASSIGNMENT:
Reflection is used to give you space to consider how service and learning are intertwined in this
course; these reflections are an important part of the course because they allow you to explain, and
hopefully better understand, your personal experiences and growth within the field (documentary film
production), its connections to the greater community, and the ways you can engage and collaborate
with your community as a scholar in your field (documentary film production). These reflections
should include anecdotes from your personal experiences during pre-production, production, and postproduction while creating the short film for your organization. Each reflection has a given frame, or
set of questions that can guide you. These two reflections are parts of your Production Notebooks-reflections should be the first entry in your Production Notebook.
DUE with Midterm Production Notebook
Reflection #1 Frame:
What are you initial impressions of the work you will be doing with your organization? How do you
foresee the collaboration? What do you see as the potential challenges? What will be most
interesting? From a documentary film production stand-point, where are the connections, how will the
service-learning be tied into the main content that you hope to take away from the course?
DUE with Final Production Notebook
Reflection #2 Frame:
What did this experience reveal to you about being a documentary filmmaker? What did you learn
about working in the field of documentary film and directing a documentary film? Using the
Documentary Code of Ethics and relevant documentary film theories and you learned this semester,
discuss the AS-L experience and how you were better able to work with your non-profit or community
collaborators by understanding these issues and concepts.
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Documentary Production – CTAT 434
Bibliography
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