the assignment

Create a 5 minute video documentary (absolutely no longer!!!!) that tells a documentary story about an issue/event/trend of larger cultural significance, import, and interest to a broad audience. Your documentary has the goal of making the audience care about your topic/issue and the people associated with it. Your video should focus on people doing something--some action--not simply talking.

You must use only video footage that you shoot yourself. For your documentary, you can also create your own materials (e.g., music you compose, photographs you take), and you can use materials for which you have written permission (e.g., snapshots that interviewees give you, music that your friends have composed and for which they have given you written permission). You can also use music from Creative Commons that is licensed for Attribution (the "By:") license). Hand in copies of all licenses and signed permissions with your video project.

Your purpose in creating this video project is to document a story about an issue/event/phenomenon/trend of larger cultural significance, import, and interest to a broad audience. Your audience for this video is the general public. Your video documentary should be on the same topic as your photo documentary.

You can use either of the following two choices for focusing your documentary:

• CHOICE #1: Confront the existing public understanding of the issue/event/phenomena/trend you have chosen. What are the public's beliefs about the issue/event/phenomenon/trend? Their understanding of the people involved in the issue/ event/phenomenon/trend? Their perception of the beliefs associated with the issue/event/phenomenon/trend? The challenges/problems/opportunities they think the issue/ event/phenomenon/trend poses?

Create a documentary that tells an story of a person or people connected in some way with the issue/ vent/phenomenon/trend and that, in doing so, argues persuasively for a point of view that runs counter to the public perception.

• CHOICE #2: Explore an issue from the perspective of insiders and outsider Identify a problem/tension that characterizes/faces this issue/event/phenomenon/trend. How does the general public/outsiders characterize/understand this issue/ event/phenomenon/trend? How do insiders characterize/understand the issue/event/phenomenon/trend?

Create a documentary that tells a story of this issue event/phenomenon/trend and, in doing so makes a persuasive argument about it.

the goals

There are two primary goals for this assignment.

The first goal is to provide you practice in documenting a persuasive and compelling story that extends/expands the public's understanding of an issue/event/phenomenon/trend that has larger cultural significance or import. To accomplish this, you need to focus on somebody doing something—interesting action and settings will provide the rich texture you need for your documentary

The second goal is to provide you practice in using digital resources to make a persuasive documentary argument.

 

how to get started

Identify an issue/ event/phenomenon/trend that you care about and that has some larger cultural import and significance. Establish some initial contacts and make sure you have considerable access to people involved in the event/phenomenon/trend or materials associated with the event/phenomenon/trend (e.g., interviews with individuals inside and outside the event/phenomenon/trend, documents, photographs). For the video documentary, you will need to conduct a minimum of 2 one-hour video-taping sessions.

Focus on action and setting--for a good video documentary, you will need to record people doing something compelling an a setting that is unusual and rich with detail that will keep a viewing audience engaged. Only action--and an unusual perspective—will accomplish this goal!

Make sure that your subject matter/approach/issue lends itself to the specific capabilities of video --that you can document your story/issue with a Flip camera. If not, consider using an audio recorder or a digital still camera to do a video documentary instead.

Check out an video recorder for at least two separate, one-hour video recording sessions. In the first session, shoot your primary footage of interviews, events, places, etc. (A roll). In the second, shoot secondary footage and still photographs that add texture and further detail to your story (B-roll).

Make sure the people you are planning to record are willing to participate, and be sure to have them sign an "informed-consent/release" form (Course CD) before you record anything.

Provide this person the following information:

• that you are a student at OSU,

• that the recording project is for a class at OSU,

• that this project will involve at least one and possibly two hour-long videotaped interviews (noting approximately how long each interview will take),

• that this project will involve at least one and possibly two hour-long video recording sessions (possibly involving interviews--although recording interviews alone will not produce a compelling video documentary!). Note approximately how long each video-recording session will take),

• that you will make an appointment to conduct these video recording sessions at the subject's convenience.

• how to contact both you and me,

• that the video project will be seen by other students and teachers,

• that your video project may be published in a public venue when it is finished.

Keep all signed forms and hand them in when you hand in your final project. Do not interview or record anyone who has not signed such a form.

Please be sensitive about people's privacy and do not intrude on them for an interview if they are reluctant about any aspect of this project. See me if you encounter any situations on which you need advice in this regard.

If you are video recording in a public place, you must contact the person/authority responsible for that location and receive their permission to do so ("Recording in Public Places" on the Course CD). You must also post visible notices about the recording so that anyone who enters the public place is notified of what is going on.

Read the "Interviewing Tips" handout (Course CD).

View (and re-view) the video documentaries that you have encountered in the class.

Tell a story about an issue topic, but focus on a compelling person (who is doing something), a place (where several people are doing something interesting), or an event (at which compelling action is happening) —the story must be placed within a larger social context to make it engaging to a broader audience. It has to have a beginning, a middle, and an end.

the grading

You will be given formal feedback during studio sessions.

I will use the following criteria and grading sheet to grade your video documentary:

To hand in your final video essay:

Put a compressed Quicktime version of your documentary on a DVD (Share--> Quicktime--> CD Size. Be sure to burn the DVD. Ask the lab consultant if you need help!

Write your name on this DVD, and put it in a secure case or sleeve.

Hand in all signed, Informed Consent/Permission forms and copies of Creative Commons licenses).

Please be sure to include a blank grading sheet.

Put everything into a neat folder with your name on it--so that everything stays together!