Documentary Presentation
Length: 7-9 minutes
Format: Powerpoint or a Prezi.
Due date: Throughout the semester. You will sign up to present during class.
What films do I select?
You’re going to talk about one documentary and tell us why you think it should be part of future iterations of this course. It should be a documentary you have seen either in the past or that you watch for the purpose of this assignment. It can be of any length. We cannot have repeats, so when you sign up, make sure that others haven’t already signed up to present about that particular film.
What footage do I show?
You can either show the preview for the film or a scene from it. Stick to 2-3 minutes. Please make sure that what you choose is not particularly violent or sexually explicit.
How do I show the footage?
You can either bring a DVD or use a link from Kanopy, YouTube, Vimeo Netflix, Amazon, the film’s website, etc.
How do I access Kanopy?
Go to MSU Library Electronic Resources: Media and on the right corner, under “Streaming Video” find Kanopy. Once you click on it, you’ll need to log in with your MSU ID information.
How do I analyze the footage?
Select three of the following elements and apply them to the scene/trailer and to the film in general as you make your arguments of why this film should be in future iterations of the course:
Cinematography: How does the camera move? Does it favor closeups/mid shots/long shots? What kind of angles does it use in order to make its point? What role does light play in helping us engage with the film? How are scenes filmed? How are interviews filmed? How is t B-roll filmed? How do the scenes, interviews, and B-roll work together?
Sound: What role do voices and accents play in the film? What kinds of ambient sound do we hear and how does it help move the story forward? How do the sounds we hear work with the images we see? Is there narration? If so, how does it move the story forward?
Soundtrack: What role does music play in the film? Is it instrumental, does it have lyrics, or is it a mix of both? Do participants perform music on screen? Was part of the music composed for the film? Is part of it well-known music? Does the music represent a particular culture? What instruments are favored and how do they work with the film’s themes? What kind of mood does the soundtrack create?
Editing: How does the film bring footage together? How do the scenes, interviews, and B-roll flow visually from one to the other? How are the scenes/interviews/narration organized? Does the editing work thematically or chronologically?
Character Development: Who are the main participants in the film and how do the filmmakers make us care about their stories and opinions? Do characters reach out to us through scenes? Do they use interviews and B-roll to get audiences to care about the participants? Do the participants do something besides being interviewed in order to connect to the audience? Do we trust and like the participants? Why? Why not?
Affect: How does the documentary get the audience to feel emotionally connected to the events and participants portrayed in the film? In which way are interviews, cinematography, soundtrack, and/or other aspects of storytelling used to get a strong emotional response from the audience?
Historical/political/social message: Most documentaries work from a number of angles in order to tell their story but they usually have one main approach. Please select only one for your presentation. If the film is trying to capture a period in history, how is it bringing that moment to life and making it relevant to today? If the film is trying to get people to care about a political situation, how is it getting people involved and ready to act? If the film is trying to expose a social issue, what injustices does it uncover and how does it try to address them? Not all documentaries will fall under this category, unlike the choices above, this one may not be right for the particular film you select, in which case you should work with the other choices.
How much of the film should I reveal?
You should start your presentation with information about the film. Title, year, and country of release, who directed it, who are its main participants, and a sentence or two about the story/topic. Don’t go into great detail, just give us enough to get interested and then launch into your analysis.
What about spoilers?
Please avoid spoilers. Assume that people in the class have not seen the film and that if you do a good enough job, they’ll want to check it out, so please don’t give away major plot points, surprises, revealed information, and so on. If you’re not sure if you should reveal a particular piece of information, feel free to email me and ask.
What if I don’t have a film I want to present about?
If you don’t have a film in mind or if the film you had in mind is already taken, you can do a few things:
1. Browse documentaries on Kanopy. Their collection is extensive and they tend to feature high quality films.
2. Google lists of best documentaries (you can also search best documentaries made by women, African Americans, teenagers, and so on).
3. You can think of a topic you’re interested in learning more about—such as bipolar disorder, beauty pageants, the French Revolution, or sushi—and Google that topic plus “documentaries about.”
4. Google lists of best short documentaries, best political/social/activist documentaries, and so on.
How do I turn in the presentation?
Because this is a presentation I will evaluate it as you give it. However, in the past students have enjoyed having access to each other’s presentations so they can keep track of the films they are interested in watching from those you have pitched over the semester. In our course Google Drive we have a folder titled “Documentary Presentations” where you can either drag and drop your presentation file or you can add the presentation link to the document titled “Documentary Presentation Links” that you’ll find in that folder.
How much is the documentary presentation worth?
10 points
How will the presentation be evaluated?
I realize that for some of you speaking in public can be an unsettling experience but I want to give you the chance to bring your voice to the class and to share with us a documentary you love and why you love it. I don’t want you to feel nervous about the presentation, so the assignment is pass/fail. If you present and you follow the requirements above, you will receive full credit. I will email you if you fail but as long as you follow the instructions, you will pass.
What if I still have questions?
Come to office hours, email me, talk to me before or after class.
Format: Powerpoint or a Prezi.
Due date: Throughout the semester. You will sign up to present during class.
What films do I select?
You’re going to talk about one documentary and tell us why you think it should be part of future iterations of this course. It should be a documentary you have seen either in the past or that you watch for the purpose of this assignment. It can be of any length. We cannot have repeats, so when you sign up, make sure that others haven’t already signed up to present about that particular film.
What footage do I show?
You can either show the preview for the film or a scene from it. Stick to 2-3 minutes. Please make sure that what you choose is not particularly violent or sexually explicit.
How do I show the footage?
You can either bring a DVD or use a link from Kanopy, YouTube, Vimeo Netflix, Amazon, the film’s website, etc.
How do I access Kanopy?
Go to MSU Library Electronic Resources: Media and on the right corner, under “Streaming Video” find Kanopy. Once you click on it, you’ll need to log in with your MSU ID information.
How do I analyze the footage?
Select three of the following elements and apply them to the scene/trailer and to the film in general as you make your arguments of why this film should be in future iterations of the course:
Cinematography: How does the camera move? Does it favor closeups/mid shots/long shots? What kind of angles does it use in order to make its point? What role does light play in helping us engage with the film? How are scenes filmed? How are interviews filmed? How is t B-roll filmed? How do the scenes, interviews, and B-roll work together?
Sound: What role do voices and accents play in the film? What kinds of ambient sound do we hear and how does it help move the story forward? How do the sounds we hear work with the images we see? Is there narration? If so, how does it move the story forward?
Soundtrack: What role does music play in the film? Is it instrumental, does it have lyrics, or is it a mix of both? Do participants perform music on screen? Was part of the music composed for the film? Is part of it well-known music? Does the music represent a particular culture? What instruments are favored and how do they work with the film’s themes? What kind of mood does the soundtrack create?
Editing: How does the film bring footage together? How do the scenes, interviews, and B-roll flow visually from one to the other? How are the scenes/interviews/narration organized? Does the editing work thematically or chronologically?
Character Development: Who are the main participants in the film and how do the filmmakers make us care about their stories and opinions? Do characters reach out to us through scenes? Do they use interviews and B-roll to get audiences to care about the participants? Do the participants do something besides being interviewed in order to connect to the audience? Do we trust and like the participants? Why? Why not?
Affect: How does the documentary get the audience to feel emotionally connected to the events and participants portrayed in the film? In which way are interviews, cinematography, soundtrack, and/or other aspects of storytelling used to get a strong emotional response from the audience?
Historical/political/social message: Most documentaries work from a number of angles in order to tell their story but they usually have one main approach. Please select only one for your presentation. If the film is trying to capture a period in history, how is it bringing that moment to life and making it relevant to today? If the film is trying to get people to care about a political situation, how is it getting people involved and ready to act? If the film is trying to expose a social issue, what injustices does it uncover and how does it try to address them? Not all documentaries will fall under this category, unlike the choices above, this one may not be right for the particular film you select, in which case you should work with the other choices.
How much of the film should I reveal?
You should start your presentation with information about the film. Title, year, and country of release, who directed it, who are its main participants, and a sentence or two about the story/topic. Don’t go into great detail, just give us enough to get interested and then launch into your analysis.
What about spoilers?
Please avoid spoilers. Assume that people in the class have not seen the film and that if you do a good enough job, they’ll want to check it out, so please don’t give away major plot points, surprises, revealed information, and so on. If you’re not sure if you should reveal a particular piece of information, feel free to email me and ask.
What if I don’t have a film I want to present about?
If you don’t have a film in mind or if the film you had in mind is already taken, you can do a few things:
1. Browse documentaries on Kanopy. Their collection is extensive and they tend to feature high quality films.
2. Google lists of best documentaries (you can also search best documentaries made by women, African Americans, teenagers, and so on).
3. You can think of a topic you’re interested in learning more about—such as bipolar disorder, beauty pageants, the French Revolution, or sushi—and Google that topic plus “documentaries about.”
4. Google lists of best short documentaries, best political/social/activist documentaries, and so on.
How do I turn in the presentation?
Because this is a presentation I will evaluate it as you give it. However, in the past students have enjoyed having access to each other’s presentations so they can keep track of the films they are interested in watching from those you have pitched over the semester. In our course Google Drive we have a folder titled “Documentary Presentations” where you can either drag and drop your presentation file or you can add the presentation link to the document titled “Documentary Presentation Links” that you’ll find in that folder.
How much is the documentary presentation worth?
10 points
How will the presentation be evaluated?
I realize that for some of you speaking in public can be an unsettling experience but I want to give you the chance to bring your voice to the class and to share with us a documentary you love and why you love it. I don’t want you to feel nervous about the presentation, so the assignment is pass/fail. If you present and you follow the requirements above, you will receive full credit. I will email you if you fail but as long as you follow the instructions, you will pass.
What if I still have questions?
Come to office hours, email me, talk to me before or after class.