Department
of Cinema and Comparative Literature, University of Iowa
NONFICTION
VIDEO SCHEDULE
(this schedule is subject to change as
needed; it is your responsibility to keep up with adjustments).
WEEK 1: WHAT IS NONFICTION?
Tues. 1/17 Course
introduction
Assign Project # 1: ISSUE PIECE
Screening
excerpts:
Roger
& Me, Michael Moore,
1989
The Life & Times of Rosie the Riveter,
Connie Fields, 1980
The Thin Blue Line, Errol Morris, 1988
Thurs. 1/19 Reading: Introduction to Documentary (coursepack)
Chapter 1
Screening excerpts:
Land
without Bread (Luis
Buñuel, 1932)
Bowling
for Columbine (Michael Moore, 2002)
“The Great
Cheesesteak Debate,” Full Frame III Documentary Film Festival (2005)
Pitch Project # 1
WEEK
2: WORKING WITH EQUIPMENT
Tues. 1/24 Reading
& Discussion: Introduction to
Documentary (coursepack) Chapter 2
Screening
excerpt: Hoop Dreams (Steve
James, 1994)
Introduction
to cameras
Thurs. 1/26 Reading and discussion: Directing the Documentary, Chapter 24 –
The Interview
In class
shoot: Introduction to lighting and
microphones
Reading response #1 due
WEEK 3:
FINAL CUT PRO
Tues. 1/31 Reading: Directing
the Documentary, Ch. 15 & 16 – Research & the Proposal
Intro to edit room and Final Cut Pro
Thurs. 2/2 Reading &
Discussion: Directing the Documentary, Ch. 29 & 30—Editing
In-class
edit and intro to lighting tools available in checkout
WEEK 4:
PORTRAITS
Tues. 2/7 ASSIGN Project #2:
PORTRAIT PIECE
Analysis of a Scene DUE
Screening: Les Blank “Gap-toothed Women”
Errol Morris
First Person – “Stairway to Heaven”
Thurs. 2/9 Camera/Final
Cut Pro quiz
Screening: Caesar’s
Park (Sarah Price, 2000)
The
Ties That Bind (Su
Friedrich, 1984) (excerpt)
The Cruise (Bennett Miller, 1998) (excerpt)
WEEK 5:
AUTOBIOGRAPHY
Tues. 2/14 Pitch Project #2
Reading: Directing the Documentary, Ch 5 & 6
– Development & Authorship
Screen: Saddle Sores (Vanalyne
Green, 1996)
Roswell
(Bill Brown, 1994)
Thurs. 2/16 WORKSHOP ISSUE PIECE ROUGH
CUTS
WEEK 6:
REFLEXIVITY
Tues. 2/21 Screening: Six O’Clock News
(Ross McElwee, 1996) (excerpt)
Discussion: Reflexivity and the role of the filmmaker
Thurs. 2/23 Project
# 1 ISSUE piece DUE – screen & discuss
Individual
analysis of Project #1 learning experience DUE
WEEK
7: MEMORIALS
Tues. 2/28 Reading: Introduction to Documentary (coursepack)
Ch. 7
Screening: Tongues Untied (Marlon Riggs, 1990)
Reading response #2 due
Thurs. 3/2 Assign Self-Inventory Writing & Final
Project
(“Self-Inventory”
is Project 10-1, p. 122-123 in Directing the Documentary)
Reading: Directing the Documentary, Ch 10 &
11
Screening:
TBA
WEEK
8: WORKSHOPPING AND ADVANCED EDITING
Tues. 3/7 Project #2 Portrait –
WORKSHOP ROUGH CUTS IN-CLASS
Thurs. 3/9 Reading: Directing the Documentary Ch. 31 &
32—more on editing
In-class advanced FCP workshop as needed
WEEK 9 –
SPRING BREAK
WEEK
10 ESSAYS
Tues. 3/21 Pitch Final Project
Self-Inventory
DUE (to instructor only, not presented in class)
Screening:
The Subconscious Art of
Graffiti Removal (Matt
McCormick, 2001)
Thurs. 3/23 Project
#2 Portrait DUE – screen & discuss
WEEK
11: EVIDENCE & ARGUMENTS
Tues. 3/28 Reading: Representing Reality, Ch. 4,
(coursepack)
Screening excerpts: The
Civil War (Ken Burns, 1990)
The Old Negro Space Program (Andy
Bobrow, 2005)
Thurs. 3/30 Discussion—Shooting
Strategies
Final Project budget & schedule due
WEEK
12: EVOCATIONS OF PLACE
Tues. 4/4 Reading: Representing Reality, Ch 6 (coursepack)
Screening: O
Dreamland (Lindsay Anderson, 1953)
The Back Steps (Leighton Pierce, 2001)
The Planets (Francesca Talenti, 2001)
Marathon
(Aaron Valdez, 1995)
Thurs. 4/6 Troubleshoot final projects
and/or screen raw footage
WEEK 13:
IMAGINED BIOGRAPHIES, IOWA CITY DOCUMENTARY FESTIVAL
Tues. 4/11 Reading: Feminism & Documentary, “Fleeing
from Documentary” by Michelle Citron (coursepack)
ASSIGN: Iowa City Documentary Film Festival
Thurs. 4/13 In-class Video Race shoot
WEEK
14: FILM FESTIVALS AND WORKSHOPPING
Tues. 4/18 Iowa City International
Documentary Film Festival discussion
Reading Response #3 DUE
Thurs. 4/20 Documentary Film Festivals
WEEK 15
Tues. 4/25 Workshop Final Project Rough Cuts
Thurs. 4/27 Workshop Final Project Rough Cuts
WEEK 16
Tues. 5/2 In-class Work
Day/individual meetings, tech troubleshooting as needed
Thurs. 5/4 In-class Work Day/individual
meetings
FINAL PROJECTS
DUE FOR SCREENING DURING THE FINAL EXAM PERIOD –
TUESDAY, MAY 9TH AT
9:45am.
Original course design by Sasha
Waters Freyer
Modified by Jennifer Proctor