Fall 2009
Fully Enrolled

ARTS 643
The Changing Character of the Documentary Film

Molomot,Lisa

09/14/2009 - 12/18/2009
Tuesday 07:00 PM - 09:30 PM

Public Affairs Center 107

Since the very first films, of workers walking out of factories, the documentary film has continually changed in response to the time. What began as an experiment with technology has evolved into a powerful means of storytelling. This course surveys the history of the genre from the first documentary "Nanook of the North" to avant-garde films of the 1930s, World War II propaganda films like "Triumph of the Will," the first cinema verite documentary "Chronicles of a Summer," and beyond. The goal of the course is to learn critical thinking skills as they relate to nonfiction film. We will look at groundbreaking films and discuss their historical contexts, as well as the issues surrounding documentary film making like ethics, objectivity, and dramatic storytelling. Additionally, a guest filmmaker will offer an inside look at the painstaking process of making a documentary.

Assignments will include watching documentaries and weekly journal writing. Students will be asked to watch contemporary documentaries and write essays, comparing each contemporary film to other films viewed in the course, on a mid-term and in a final paper.

Course tuition: $2022.

Enrollment is limited to 16 students. This course is not open to auditors.

A syllabus for this course is available at:
Course Syllabus


Lisa Molomot (B.A. Hamilton College; M.F.A. The American Film Institute) is a documentary producer and editor. She has edited documentaries for A&E, The Discovery Channel, PBS, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Santa Monica Museum of Art, and the Los Angeles Unified School District. Her various credits include The Kentucky Theatre, The Last Hostage, Los Occultos, Manna From Heaven, Vivien Leigh: A Delicate Balance, On the Inside of: The World Series of Poker, Greg Ford For Congress, and Battle for the Minds. She recently completed a documentary, The Hill, about an unprecedented civil rights case in New Haven. Click here for more information about Lisa Molomot.

ENROLLMENT INFORMATION

Consent of Instructor Required: No

Format: Seminar

Level: GLSP Credits: 3 Enrollment Limit: 17

Texts to purchase for this course:
Erik Barnouw, DOCUMENTARY: A HISTORY OF THE NON-FICTION FILM (Oxford University Press), Paperback

Lewis Jacobs, THE DOCUMENTARY TRADITION (W.W. Norton), Paperback

READING MATERIALS ARE AVAILABLE AT BROAD STREET BOOKS, 45 BROAD STREET, MIDDLETOWN, 860-685-7323 Order your books online

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