Our Last Lecture

1
Our Last Lecture

• Note on Course Requirements
• Old Syllabus
• Fourth paper eliminated
• Three the third due before May 10
• Average of three 40 of grade
• Comprehensive Final Exam 40
• Next Week

2
Exam

• Be on time
• Part of exam will be to respond to videos
• Much of it multiple choice
• Or short answer or short essay
• Review - http//jmsc.hku.hk/blogs/

3
Review

• Elements of Style
• Some original film makers
• Ken Burns
• Errol Morris
• Nick Broomfield
• Ross McElwee
• Michael Moore

4
Review

• Reflexive Film Making
• The film - as much about the filmmaker
• as about the film subject
• Les Nouvelles Egotiste
• Compare American Gonzo journalism of 60s,
  70s, 80s Hunter S. Thompson
• Moore, Spurlock, McElwee, Broomfield

5
Review

• Errol Morris
• http//morris.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/04/03/play-it
  -again-sam-re-enactments-part-one/index.html?them
  cth

6
Review

• Cinema Verite
• Direct Cinema
• Jean Rouch
• The Maysles Brothers
• Frederick Wiseman

7
Influential CV Filmmakers

• Jean Rouch (1917-2004)
• engineer Africa, journalist with AFP
• Chronique d'un été (Chronicle of a Summer) 1961

8
Albert Maysles (1926 - )

• Since 1955 has directed/produced more than 40
  documentaries
• The Salesman (1969)
• Grey Gardens (1976 and updated in 2006 on DVD)
• Gimme Shelter (1970)

9
Frederick Wiseman (1930 - )

• One critic said
• Frederick Wiseman is arguably the most
  important American documentary filmmaker
  of the past three decades. A law professor
  turned filmmaker in 1967, Wiseman, in his most
  dramatically powerful documentaries, chronicles
  the exercise of power in American society by
  focusing on the everyday life.
• http//www.zipporah.com/
• An argumentative, self promoting uncompromising
  filmmaker

10
Frederick Wiseman

• Wiseman films (more than 40)
• Institutional subjects
• Titicut Follies (1967)
• High School (1968)
• High School II (1994)
• Near Death (1989)

11
Disciples of Wiseman

• In Hong Kong and China, Wiseman has influenced
  film makers like Tammy Cheung.
• Secondary School (2002)
• Also Zhou Hao, Senior Year (2005)

12
Development of Cinema Verite

• From the mid 1950s onward
• First in film /then video tape
• Cameras became smaller
• Less obtrusive
• More flexibility for the documentary film maker
• Allowing Direct Cinema to develop

13
The Debate

• Truth in documentary films
• Can you capture truth
• on camera?
• Does the camera affect the subject of a film
• How much structure should a film have
• How much intervention by the filmmaker

14
Review

• Variations in Direct Cinema Style
• Pure DC observational, no narration, no
  interviews, few titles, as little
• intrusion as possible
• CV setting up some situations,
• directing, some interviews, no narration
• Permissible to impose, intervene in the pursuit
  of truth issue 1st raised by Flaherty
• Most work a combination of all CV forms
• Final directors decisions in editing room

15
China Filmmakers

• CCTV http//www.youtube.com/watch?vAbDPWwILEWwfe
  aturerelated
• Independents
• Motivations
• Wu Wenguang
• Hu Jie
• Zhao Dayong

16
China Filmmakers

• A mixture of CV with little intervention
• Un-narrated films with interviews and a good deal
  of intervention
• Some disciplined
• some western critics might find overly long and
  undisciplined
• Rebellious
• Focus on history and underclass

17
Your Film

• Making a documentary film
• Elements for success
• A story to tell
• Financing
• A strong visual conceptualization
• Strong characters
• Strong dramatic arc
• Distribution and promotion

18
Dramatic Arc
19
Your Film

• Making a documentary film.
• Difficult
• A few examples of broadcast documentaries with
  simple ideas and execution
• Daughter From DaNang (2001)       
• Principle ingredient a single character
• with a good story to tell
• Good Morning Baghdad (2003)
• A dangerous place and a clear POV  

20
Your Film

• The Vehicles for distribution
• Film Festivals http//www.documentaryfilms.net/fes
  tivals.htm
• TV
• Channel 4
•   http//www.channel4.com/news/about_us/filmma
  king.html   
• Discovery Channel First Time
• China Film Makers Project 2003-05
•    http//corporate.discovery.com/news/press/05
  q3/050708r.html    

21
Your Film

• How to books and courses
• Directing the Documentary
• by Michael Rabiger (2004) 4th ed.

22
Further Readings

• A lot out there
• On line surfing
• http//www.docurama.com/
• http//eidolonfilms.wordpress.com/
•  Interesting debate about a new film called
  Billy the Kid
•   http//movies.nytimes.com/2007/12/05/movies/0
  5kid.html
• http//billythekiddocumentary.blogspot.com/2007/
  08/documentary-film-truth-marketability.html

23
And finally

• Thanks for your attention
• Questions?
• Exam next week
• Be on time
• Peter Wintonick CV Defining the Moment (NFB)

24
Documentary Dollars

• Fahrenheit 9/11 120 million
• Sicko 24.5 million
• Roger Me 6.7 million
• Other big films
• March of the Penguins 77 m (2)
• An Inconvenient Truth 24.1m
• Super Size Me 11.5 m 65g to make?
• 
  
  Source boxofficemojo.com