FILM 385 - The Documentary Film

Institution:

Wesleyan University

Subject:

Film Studies

Description:

This course explores the history, theory, and aesthetics of nonfiction filmmaking from the origins of cinema to the present day. We will trace the emergence and development of documentary conventions and genres, paying particular attention to how structural and stylistic choices represent reality and shape viewer response. In class discussion, we will explore topics central to nonfiction filmmaking, including how documentary has been defined and redefined; how filmmakers and theorists have perceived the relationship between documentaries and the realities they represent; what conceptions of truth have guided the work of documentary filmmakers and theorists; the role of the documentary filmmaker as witness, mediator, instigator, promoter, and/or participant; documentary as social advocacy; the autobiographical impulse; the use of reflexivity; and the ethics of documentary filmmaking. Screenings will include films directed by Robert Flaherty, Pare Lorentz, Basil Wright, John Grierson, Luis Buñuel, Leni Riefenstahl, Jean Rouch, Alain Resnais, Frederick Wiseman, the Maysles brothers, Ross McElwee, Marlon Riggs, Trinh T. Minh-ha, Errol Morris, James Longley, Laura Poitras, and Michael Moore, among others.

Credits:

1.00

Credit Hours:

Prerequisites:

Corequisites:

Exclusions:

Level:

Instructional Type:

Lecture

Notes:

Additional Information:

Historical Version(s):

Institution Website:

www.wesleyan.edu

Phone Number:

(860) 685-2000

Regional Accreditation:

New England Association of Schools and Colleges

Calendar System:

Semester

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