Course Title: Documentary Screenwriting
Part B: Course Detail
Teaching Period: Term1 2007
Course Code: COMM5124
Course Title: Documentary Screenwriting
School: 345T Creative Media
Campus: City Campus
Program: C6045 - Advanced Diploma of Arts Professional Screenwriting (Film,Television and Digital Media)
Course Contact : Professional Screenwriting Administration
Course Contact Phone: +61 3 9925 4368
Course Contact Email:brendan.lee@rmit.edu.au
Name and Contact Details of All Other Relevant Staff
Sally Ingleton
Boris Trbic
Nominal Hours: 136
Regardless of the mode of delivery, represent a guide to the relative teaching time and student effort required to successfully achieve a particular competency/module. This may include not only scheduled classes or workplace visits but also the amount of effort required to undertake, evaluate and complete all assessment requirements, including any non-classroom activities.
Pre-requisites and Co-requisites
Pre-requisites: Introduction to Storytelling, Storytelling, Writing for Film and/or Writing for Television
Course Description
This course develops the skills necessary to write across a range of genres within the documentary film tradition. It also develops the skills needed to produce documentary narratives and funding submissions.
National Codes, Titles, Elements and Performance Criteria
National Element Code & Title: |
VBB503 Documentary Screenwriting |
Learning Outcomes
1. Identify and analyse current types, genres and trends in non-fiction documentary screenwriting in developing a specific project
2. Generate polished concept, synopsis, and treatment documents for documentary film
3. Produce first draft of a documentary screenplay
4. Produce second draft of a documentary script using scene breakdown, mapping and workshop feedback in the development process
5. Produce a documentary proposal for funding.
Details of Learning Activities
Through screenings, discussions, workshopping and lectures, students will identify documentary types and trends, generate polished concept, synopsis and treatments documents for documentary film and produce a documentary proposal for funding
Teaching Schedule
Wk 1: 15 February Introduction and Course Overview
Historical Overview of Documentary Film (1)
Nanook of the North (Robert Flaherty, 1922), Berlin: Symphony of a Great City (Walter Ruttman, 1927), Triumph of the Will (Leni Riefenstahl, 1933), Night and Fog (Alain Resnais, 1956).
Wk 2: 22 February John Grierson, ‘First Principles of Documentary’ and
Bill Nichols, ‘Why are Ethnical Issues Central to Documentary Filmmaking?’
Historical Overview of Documentary Film (2)
Monterey Pop (D.A. Pennebaker, 1968), Gates of Heaven (Errol Morris, 1978), Waco: The Rules of Engagement (William Gazecki, 1997), Ballets Russes (Daniel Geller, Dayna Goldfine, 2005).
Wk 3: 1 March Documentary Modes:
Warren Buckland, ‘The Non-Fiction Film: Five Types of Documentary’
Expository Mode: Drifters (John Grierson), Grierson (Roger Blais, 1973), London Can Take It; Words for Battle (Humphrey Jennings, 1941);
Reflexive Mode: Land Without Bread (Luis Bunuel), A Man With a Movie Camera (Dziga Vertov, 1927)
Wk 4: 8 March Welcome to the Documentary film industry: An overview of how it works; TV, marketplace, festivals, raising finance. Contemporary voice: How to set up a story: Nerves of Steel, Helen’s War, Welcome 2 My Deaf World, 2 Mums and Dad, Wedding in Ramallah
Wk 5: 15 March Class papers x 3 students: Contemporary Voice: The Personal Voice/Auteur: Michael Moore, Nick Broomfield, Molly Dineen, Victor Kossavosky, Brian Hill
Wk 6: 22 March Class papers x 3 students: Writing a proposal – What does it take? Exercise: Write a one-liner & synopsis (5%)
Wk 7: 29 March Discuss synopsis, director’s statement. Contemporary Voice-Reality TV. Exercise: Write a director’s statement for either Dennis O’Rourke, Nick Broomfield, Morgan Spurlock.
Wk 8: 5 April Easter Break
Wk 9: 12 April Discuss director’s statements. Contemporary Voice-Format TV (Survivor, SuperNanny, Wife Swap, Faking It, Who Do You Think You are?) Discuss Treatment
Wk 10: 19 April Contemporary Voice-Format TV: Class papers re format TV
Wk 11: 26 April Students present Format TV ideas.
Wk 12: 3 May Hand in Formats Exercise (15%) Interview techniques: Screening examples from documentary films.
Wk 13: 10 May The Documentary Interview: Research and Style. Exercise: Conduct an interview and write it up.
Wk 14: 17 May Performative Mode: The Thin Blue Line (Errol Morris, 1988) and The Fog of War: Eleven Lessons from the Life of Robert S. McNamara (Errol Morris, 2003)
Project work and class consultations.
Wk 15: 24 May Interactive Mode: Nick Broomfield’s The Leader, His Driver and the Driver’s Wife (1991) Kurt & Courtney (1998).
Project work and class consultations.
Wk 16: 31 May Observational Mode: Don’t Look Back (D.A. Pennebaker, 1968), High School (Frederick Wiseman, 1968), Mission (Bayden Findlay, 2000), Spellbound (Jeffrey Blitz, 2002), Z Channel (Xan Cassavettes, 2005).
Wk 17: 7 June Guest Lecture
Wk 18: 14 June Cinema Verite: Cinema Verite: Defining the Moment (Peter Wintonick, 1999), The Back of Beyond (John Heyer, 1954)
Project work and class consultations:
Wk 19: 21 June
Impressionist Documentaries and Documentary Essays:
Lessons of Darkness (Werner Herzog, 1992) The Last Bolshevik (Chris Marker, 1993), Noon Gun (Anthony Stern, 2002)
Major Essay due (20%). Project work and class consultations.
Semester review. Last class for Semester 1
Wk 20: 12 July
(2nd Semester) Introduction and overview of Semester Two.
The Heart of Darkness: The Good Woman of Bangkok (Dennis O’Rourke, 1991), Land Mines – A Love Story (Dennis O’Rourke, 2003), Darwin’s Nightmare (Hubert Sauper, 2004)
Wk 21: 19 July Personal Journey and Postmodern Self-Reflexivity: The Gleaners and I (Agnes Varda, 2004).
Project work and class consultations.
Wk 22: 26 July Documentaries, Rockumentaries:
This is Spinal Tap (Rob Reiner, 1984), Original Schtick (Maciej Wszelaki, 1999), DiG! (Ondi Timoner, 2004)
Project work and class consultations.
Discussing the documentary program at the Melbourne International Film Festival.
Wk 23: 2 August The Anatomy of Social Malaise: The Sorrow and The Pity (Marcel Ophuls, 1974) Grey Gardens (Elen Hovde and Albert Maysles, 1975), Capturing the Friedmans (Andrew Jarecki, 2003), La Sierra (Scott Dalton, Margarita Martinez, 2003), Born Into Brothels (Ross Kauffman and Zana Briski, 2004)
Interview Transcript due (10%).
Wk 24: 9 August Guest Lecture:
Wk 25: 16 August Guest Lecture
Wk 26: 23 August Dissecting Corporate and Media Power: In the Year of the Pig (Emile de Antonio, 1967), Harlan County USA (Barbara Kopple, 1976), Control Room (Jehane Noujam, 2004), Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room, (Alex Gibney, 2005), The Corporation (Mark Achbar, Jennifer Abbot, 2003)
Wk 27: 30 August Intimate Portraits:
Eternity (Lawrence Johnston, 1994); Autumn Leaves (Bayden Findlay, 1999)
Project work and class consultations.
Wk 28: 6 September Guest Lecture
Wk 29: 13 September Guest Lecture
Wk 30: 20 September Contemporary Australian Documentaries:
Chasing Buddha (Amiel Courtin-Wilson, 2000)
In the Shadow of the Palms (Wayne Colles-Janess, 2006)
Just Punishment (Shannon Owen & Kim Blemish, 2006)
Project work and class consultations.
Wk 31: 27 September TAFE Holiday
Wk 32: 4 October Project work and class consultations: Developing a documentary proposal submission for funding. (Sally Ingleton)
WK33: 11 October Project work and class consultations: Developing a documentary proposal submission for funding. (Sally Ingleton)
WK 34: 18 October Project work and class consultations: Developing a documentary proposal submission for funding. (Sally Ingleton)
WK 35: 27 October Project work and class consultations: Developing a documentary proposal submission for funding. (Sally Ingleton)
WK 36: 1 November Project work and class consultations: Developing a documentary proposal submission for funding. (Boris Trbic)
WK 37: 8 November Project work and class consultations: Developing a documentary proposal submission for funding. (Boris Trbic)
Wk 38: 15 November Documentary proposal submission due (30%). Semester Review.
Learning Resources
Prescribed Texts
References
Other Resources
Suggested reading material will be provided in class by teacher.
Handouts provided in class by teacher
Internet access through RMIT Library
Final Draft program on several computers in RMIT Carlton Library and Main Library
Publications & dvds/videos through RMIT Library, community libraries, video libraries and other sources
Overview of Assessment
Assessment for this course includes:
- Major Essay (1500 – 2000 words)
- Synopsis
- Conception and Presentation of a format series
- Interview: Transcript & Edit
- Ongoing written proposal for a documentary
- Class participation and presentation
Assessment Tasks
Semester 1
Major Essay (1500 – 2000 words) 20%
Synopsis 5%
Conception and Presentation of a format series 15%
Class exercises 10%
Semester 2
Interview: Transcript & Edit 10%
Ongoing written proposal for a documentary 30%
Class exercises 10%
Details of assignments to be provided separately.
Assessment Matrix
Reserved
Course Overview: Access Course Overview