AS90602+Documentary+Genre+and+Society

AS90602 Explain the relationship between a media genre and society.

toc Introduction to the standard. Summary of documentary modes.

PPTs from class. The super-size serve. Reviews, screenshots, exam questions and exempar essays. Covers Nanook of the North, Gimme Shelter and Bowling for Columbine.

**Assessment Resources:**
2010 exam paper. markers comments on the 2010 exam. marking schedule for the 2010 exam. a lower-level exemplar essay - a useful start for revision.

The Cove (Louie Psihoyos, 2009)
[|Official Website]

[|Participant Media - The Social Action aspect of The Cove]- how does this documentary influence society?

"Participant believes that a good story well told can truly make a difference in how one sees the world. Whether it is a feature film, documentary or other form of media, Participant exists to tell compelling, entertaining stories that also create awareness of the real issues that shape our lives. The company seeks to entertain audiences first, then to invite them to participate in making a difference. To facilitate this, Participant creates specific social action campaigns for each film and documentary designed to give a voice to issues that resonate in the films. Participant teams with social sector organizations, non-profits and corporations who are committed to creating an open forum for discussion, education and who can, with Participant, offer specific ways for audience members to get involved..."

[|Take Part - the online activist side of the film.]

[|The Cove director sends dolphin slaughter DVDs to whole fishing town - The Guardian UK] - an update on the campaign against dolphin slaughter in Taiji.

[|Sea Shepherd] - What role did they play in the production? How much influence do different activist groups have in an activist documentary like __The Cove__?

Chasing the Ghost (Anna McKessar, Rob Harley, 2010)
From TVNZ: "Broadcaster Paul Holmes has made an insightful and revealing documentary on his personal journey to get some answers about one of the most urgent issues facing lawmakers in this country. The media has been vigorously reporting developments Paul's daughter Millie's battle with the drug "P" - pure methamphetamine. Millie's court appearances over the last year or so have attracted intense media attention - something Paul Holmes says he doesn't resent, but admits the affair has been very bruising emotionally. All of this against a backdrop of New Zealand having one of the worst rates of methamphetamine abuse in the world. In the documentary Chasing the Ghost, Paul views the "P" issue through the eyes of people whose lives have been damaged by the drug and some of those trying to fight its effects. On his journey of inquiry, Paul says he has encountered some of the most searing stories of personal pain and destruction he has covered in decades of broadcasting. "It takes your breath away," says Holmes. "From the attractive and talented former beauty queen facing attempted murder charges, through to a disabled grandma caring for her daughter's kids in a climate of fear, abduction and death threats." "The whole thing made me more determined than ever, that we have to come up with sound national strategies to beat this drug." Holmes says he has found the new Government informed and motivated on the battle to fight "P", and emerged from the documentary feeling hopeful that New Zealand may be on the path to making inroads against "P". "I know my own family and many other Kiwi families will heave a big sigh of relief once we sense some strong plans are in place," says Paul.

Donated to Science (Trotman, 2009)
Examines the use of donated cadavers in the human dissection programme at the University of Otago School of Medical Sciences. Combines interviews with students, lecturers and donors over a two-year anatomy course. Addresses ethical, practical and emotional considerations of human dissection. 

Bowling for Columbine (Michael Moore, 2002)
Love him or hate him, Michael Moore�s films are hugely important:

� //Bowling for Columbine// won 2003 Oscar for best documentary � //Farenheit 911// won Palme d�Or at Cannes � Big earners: //B4C// earned more money than any documentary ever before. � Reinvigorated the medium, leading to a slew of anti-establishment imitators such as //Supersize Me// and //The Corporation//

The obvious people (gunlovers and conservatives) disliked Moore�s films. But also many liberals disliked him because they felt that some of the tricks he used devalued their arguments and undercut the very causes that Moore purported to help.

Bowling for Columbine Response Task: Moore cuts corners and oversimplifies issues:

a) He edited together two speeches of Charlton Heston�s to make it look like H had come to Columbine straight after the massacre, waving a musket and saying �From my cold, dead hands,� when in fact that footage was from a speech a year earlier. Further, Moore�s cut of H�s post-Columbine speech left out conciliatory comments where H had praised the police who had responded to the emergency and offered condolences to the bereaved families.

b) He then interviewed Heston, who was by this time very elderly and partly incapacitated by Parkinson�s disease, and mercilessly cut Heston down to size, demanding on camera that H apologise to the people of Columbine. Moore also cut noddies into the interview to show himself confronting Heston with a photo of a deceased little girl that in fact he may never have shown Heston.

c) Once you start to doubt Moore, a lot of his practices look unethical (using archival footage of real people dying, set against a �hilarious� soundtrack of Louis Armstrong singing �It�s a Wonderful World�). Whether the USA needs Michael Moore and his bag of reality-TV-inspired tricks is over to you. Hero or charlatan? Both? Write a paragraph(s) explaining your opinion on Bowling for Columbine, the conventions Moore uses, and the place of Bowling for Columbine in the documentary film genre. Choose one of the above examples to refer to in your paragraph.

[|Bowling for Columbine Trailer] [|Moore's Oscar acceptance speech]

**Gimme Shelter (Albert and David Maysles, Charlotte Zwerin, 1970)**
The social, cultural, political and economic context of the decade. Facts! 'Sympathy for the Devil' lyrics. Discussion from class. Reviews of the film.

Gimme Shelter Research Task: Using internet resources, prepare a paragraph summary and post it to the discussion board, with your topic as the subject. Your paragraph should include: 3 key facts; an important date; a link to our film 'Gimme Shelter'. Wikipedia is the source of last resort; if you are having trouble finding information anywhere else, see me.

Gimme Shelter Critical Response: Choose one of the questions below. Write a response, 1-2 paragraphs in length, explaining your analysis and giving examples from the film. Post as a reply to Mr.Hanson's post in the discussion area of this page.


 * 1. This film was made 48 years after //Nanook.// Looking at how the film is made, what technical differences do you see? How has the gear changed? What can the Maysles Brothers do that Flaherty couldn�t? **


 * 2. How are the Stones themselves characterised in this sequence? Stupid? Evil? Astute? How is this characterisation achieved? **


 * 3. How does this film relate to other products of 60s youth culture that you may have seen? What was hippy culture about, and is this film part of it? (//Easy Rider// is probably the easiest example to compare it to, but also consider hippy culture in general). **


 * 4. This is a �direct� film. There is no narrator or obvious figure who stands in for the directors and tells you what to think. Yet the film definitely has a theme. What is it, and how is it conveyed in this sequence? **


 * 5. Is this film any more accurate and truthful than Flaherty�s portrayal of Nanook and his clan? Give evidence for your answer. **

**Nanook of the North (Robert Flaherty, 1920)**
Key Resources: