CATFISH

So what did everyone think of Catfish? I thought this was a suitable movie especially because social networking is such a huge part of our everyday lives. The story that they capture on film is almost unbelievable (and there are some skeptics who believe this movie is actually fake, but the creators swear it is 100% true).

TARNATION "sequel"

Hey everyone! In case some of you are interested, I found this "sequel" to Jonathan Caouette's Tarnation while I was working on my documentary paper. The film is called Walk Away Renee, and it tells the story of Caouette's cross country trip with his mother Renee. In the film Renee is off to enter an assisted living complex because she is diagnosed with acute bipolar disorder. And so Caouette documents his experience with her. This is a trailer/clip of the film. I hope you all like what you see. (Justin Blau Edelstein)

Trollhunter, Winged Migration, American Mystic, etc.

I'd like to hear any responses or thoughts you have regarding some of the film clips we watched in class this week. We should have a chance to watch more clips on the male-up day (May 9th) since we will have to have the exam on May 16th as originally scheduled. I'm hoping to show clips from Sweetgrass, Exit through the Gift Shop, Wasteland, and some others.

Tarnation

We didn't have time to discuss the film after viewing, so I'd like to hear your reactions and thoughts. Did you enjoy the film? Was it upsetting or hard to watch? What about the unusual techniques used by the filmmaker?

Second Essay Assignment

The topic is more or less open. But some guidelines:

1. Focus on ONE documentary film. I'd prefer it to be one we've watched in class, or talked about in class, or perhaps one made by one of the filmmakers we've studied. Other acceptable titles include:
Breathing Lessons
Sweetgrass
Wasteland
Exit Through the Gift Shop
Winged Migration
Man on Wire
Project Nim
Food, Inc.
Supersize Me
The Class
Capturing the Friedmans
anything by Errol Morris
anything by Frederick Wiseman
anything by Michael Moore
anything by D. A Pennebaker
anything by Bruce Sinofsky/Joe Berlinger

To help guide your choice: ask yourself if you could legitimately defend this film as a milestone in documentary...

Everyone MUST at the very least let me know beforehand what film you're writing about! Better to send me a thesis statement (see #5).

2. You can discuss the film in general, or choose a specific element (such as the positioning of the camera, or the function of location). But try not to focus too much on the content alone, i.e., what the film is "about." Of course all films tell a story, but the focus of this paper should go beyond that. Consider instead how the film approaches its topic, what kind of documentary it is (does it correspond to any of the five modes?), what its impact or influence has been, what may be unique about its origins, why/how its subject matter is unique, what may be unusual about its production values, etc. Perhaps you want to consider the film's aesthetics, entertainment value, or other factors related to its audience appeal. Make sure your topic is focused and specific.

3. Length: 1200-1500 words. Use double space or 1.5 spacing.

4. Citations/research. Please use at least TWO outside sources in writing your essay. Be sure you properly cite your sources for any quotes or any paraphrased ideas not original to you. You may use internal footnotes or endnotes, or a Works Cited page if you credit the author.source within your essay itself.

5. Have a solid topic or thesis before you begin. You can bring in or email me a two sentence topic or thesis statement (no more than 200 words) and I'd be happy to weigh in.

6. Essays are due in class May 2. I prefer printed essays, not emailed assignments. Don't miss class just because your essay is not ready; let me know the situation.

The Blair Witch Project: more thoughts?

There is a great deal of information online about this film, if you're interested in finding out more. The original official website has evolved in recent years but still looks much the same as it it did in 1999. There are a number of scholarly articles (and at least one scholarly anthology) about it as well. The one I mentioned in class, on the film's influence on aesthetics in contemporary horror cinema, can be found here. For an interesting feminist analysis, this essay by Linda Badley is very interesting. The DVD contains yet another "fake documentary" which explores the folklore of the Blair Witch, in "Curse of the Blair Witch."

How does this film hold up as a milestone in documentary? Is it possible to see it as a groundbreaking film both for the horror and documentary genres?

Living for 32

Hey guys!

This Monday is the 5 year anniversary of the Virginia Tech shooting. Schools all across the United States, including SUNY New Paltz, are going to honor those whose lives were lost by screening the documentary, Living for 32. This film follows one survivor of the shooting, Colin Goddard, as he takes his blessing of being alive to honor those who didn't make it.
The screening begins at 8PM this Monday in LC104. After the screening, there will be a live Q&A with Colin Goddard with remarks by the producer, Maria Cuomo Cole. Students across America will be able to ask questions by either submitting them at the event or by tweeting them with the hashtag, #livefor32.
It would be great if you all could come. At the very least, come for the pizza which will be given out after the film and before the Q&A.
Watch the trailer below!

The Blair Witch Project Response

Is it bad that after watching this film I wanted to go camping? Well, at least up until the very end. Not that I was scared or anything...

I really enjoyed "The Blair Witch Project;" I've been wanting to see it for a while but it was one of those movies that I could never find time to sit down and watch it on my own so I'm glad we got to watch it in class. My reaction to the film was that it was an incredible and new approach (at the time of its release) to a horror-categorized film. What made it feel so real was the dynamics of each character and especially the camera work. I found it really interesting that the actors were the ones making the movie especially since they didn't exactly know what the movie was about or where the story was taking them. And the fact that they didn't know where the story line was going made their reactions to certain events more believable because they were genuine reactions (more or less). However, the one thing that I found frustrating and would criticize would be some of the interactions between the three characters. After the first couple of nights they were stuck in the woods, they started to turn on each other, which could be understandable under the conditions they were in. However, I feel like if I were in their position, I would have stopped bickering and pointing blame some time before they did because there would be no chance for them to escape unless they started working together. I understand they were terrified, hungry, cold and angry at each other, but I feel that I would have tried to keep the peace between all the campers in order to get out of there as a team. Other than that, I thoroughly enjoyed the film.

Documentary films changing the world

This article lists nine documentary films that "changed the world" and include a number of the films discussed in your textbook Milestones in Documentary. Certainly there is no denying that films which lead to the release of wrongly-incarcerated individuals, like The Thin Blue Line and Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills are life-changing on many levels. Have you seen any of these films and would you agree they're significant?

MARWENCOL

Here is the place for any comments or questions about Marwencol.

There is a website displaying many of Mark Hogancamp's photos here, with a detailed storyline of the ongoing events in the village of Marwencol. The film won a great many awards and so there are also many reviews and articles to be found online.

Little Edie's Diary

This article from New York Magazine details the discovery (or perhaps rediscovery) of the diary of Edie Beale, in the wake of a new Broadway musical based on the eponymous documentary Grey Gardens, released in 1976.

Grey Gardens

Having seen Grey Gardens numerous times I have to stay that not only is it by far one of my favorite documentaries but it is one of those films that gets better every time you watch it. The Edies are eccentric people who have fallen out of the limelight and live in squalor in their East Hampton home. If you are looking for a documentary that follows real people in their real lives then this is it. The grittiness of the situation that the Edies are living in is truly shocking. Little Edie feeds the cats and the raccoons who inhabit their home as if there is no risk of catching disease. This documentary has gained a cult following and has lead to the creation of a Broadway musical of the same name and storyline as well as an HBO Docudrama which recreates much of the documentary but also adds in new scenes about the Edies in their younger years. These two women are truly staunch women. And although Little Edie mocks the idea of a staunch woman, she and her mother are the epitome of just that. Living in recluse and unsanitary situations seems to take over the minds of the Edies as they constantly hold on to the past and their fondest memories. David and Albert Maysles (the filmmakers) are two of very few people who were offered a voyeuristic look into the lives of these two fascinating women. When on camera Little Edie enjoys boasting about her younger years as a debutante to which her mother Big Edie comically chimes in to slap her daughter back into reality and out of her fantastical memories. Things such as Little Edie's revolutionary costume and her odd relationship with her mother show the audience that she is longing for more in her life but is afraid to leave her mother and the familiar life she has lived for years now. Perhaps some of the most heartfelt lines spoken by Little Edie comment on her life in Grey Gardens. "We better check on mother and the cats. She's a lot of fun, I hope she doesn't die. I hate to spend another winter here though. Oh God, another winter" I could watch this film over and over again and always find something new and interesting about the Edies. What do you think about these two infamous women? 

Roger and Me

Yesterday we discussed the four different types of documentary modes: Expository, Observational, Interactive and Reflexive. What kinds of modes are apparent in Michael Moore's film Roger and Me? Do you see any of these modes in other Michael Moore films? Does Moore tend to use more than one mode?

What aspects of filmmaking stand out in this film? What is the filmmaker's approach to the subject matter? Is it effective?

Bob Dylan

The film Don't Look Back has had an enduring impact on the world of music documentary, just as Bob Dylan's music has had an enduring impact on folk and popular music. But Dylan himself was enamored of traditional songs and often reworked them. This clip from last night's episode of The Colbert Report features a discussion of music folklorist Alan Lomax featuring Elvis Costello and Emmylou Harris and the song recording by Jean Ritchie (of "Nottamun Town") that inspired Dylan to write "Masters of War."

What sense did you have of Dylan's impact on music from the film? How does Pennebaker allow music to help tell some of Dylan's story?

Spinal Tap?

I'm pretty sure we had to post in addition to the 500 word writing assignment if not my mistake. Anyway I found Spinal Tap very interesting seeing how it could have been viewed as a real documentary but was really poking fun at the heavy metal aspect of rock and roll. Prior to the film if I hadn't been made aware that it was fake I probably would have believed it until perhaps the first interview about the bands past drummers that all seem to die in unbelievable ways like the freak gardening accident or choking on another persons vomit and to top it all off one of their drummers spontaneously combusted thats where its becomes completely unbelievable and you know it's not real. Other things that stuck out in my mind was their sexist new album cover and how they really didn't understand why the cover was that bad even going so far as to state whats wrong with being sexy when mishearing the word sexist, yet another example of their hyper masculinity. Overall, I could see where this film would be under appreciated if viewed as a real documentary but once you get past that it makes for an excellent comedic satire I found myself suppressing laughs throughout the film.

Assignment for February 29

500 word-writing assignment:

Choose three points discussed in Plantinga's article on This is Spinal Tap that address the film's portrayal of "hypermasculinity," and choose three specific examples from the film that illustrate them.

First Short Essay Assignment, due March 14

This essay of 1000 words should address three of the films we have watched in class so far. After briefly introducing your choices in the first paragraph, you will analyze ONE aspect of the three films to compare and contrast. This aspect may be a theme OR a production element.

Themes may include political ideas, aesthetic approaches, social controversies, critical theories, etc. (for example, propaganda, biography, social commentary, or theories such as feminism, post-colonialism, Marxism, post-modernism, etc.) You may choose only ONE theme.

Production elements may include cinematography, use of sound, positioning/presence of filmmaker, camera technique, use of sets or locations, lighting, editing, visual design, music, etc. You may choose only ONE production element.

I suggest that you run your basic essay thesis by me first (i,e. the three films you wish to write about, and your chosen theme or production element) via email. Choose an interesting title for your essay. You may use outside research source material if you wish, but that is not a requirement for this paper.

The films you may choose from include: Bill Cunningham New York, Nanook of the North, Man with a Movie Camera, This is Britain, Triumph of the Will, Don't Look Back, Glastonbury, This is Spinal Tap, Night and Fog, and Grey Gardens.

Essays must be typed, and can be either double spaced or 1.5 spaced. Please place the word count on the front under your name and other identifying information. A cover page is not necessary. Make sure your paper is proofread (not just spell-checked) and all errors corrected before it is handed in. I recommend giving this some time and thought, and making at least two revisions of your essay during your process.

Please post any questions here, or feel free to email me or come see me at office hours (Wednesdays 3-4:15, outside Jazzman's in the library) or make an appointment.

Glastonbury

Feel free to post any comments, questions or insights pertaining to Julien Temple's documentary Glastonbury here.

What kind of film is this? Does it provide a typical documentary experience? Why or why not?

Don't Look Back: on reserve now!

If you want to take a look at the Pennebaker film Don't Look Back, it is now on reserve in the library. We should have time to look at a bit of it in class next week, but won't have time to view the whole thing.

We will continue with our plan to view This is Spinal Tap next week; please read the accompanying chapter in the textbook for next week also.

The Spinal Tap film, like many other "mockumentary" films about the music industry, pays homage to and references Don't Look Back, so it may well prove useful to view the Pennebaker film before we see the Reiner film.

Triumph of the Will.

Referring to the essay in the textbook by Tomasulo, consider the imagery of the film and the emotions invoked. Does the religion symbolism enhance the film? Are there moments when a kind of mysticism takes over? How do the elaborate production values affect the audience's potential reception of the film?

Does the film transcend simple documentary? How so?

How does the film contrast with Listen to Britain?

Feel free to bring up any other points or responses you wish.

Nanook of the North: Authenticity versus Artificiality

We only had time for a brief discussion in class today, but we started to touch on some issues brought up in William Rothman's article "The Filmmaker as Hunter" regarding the film's relative authenticity and accuracy. For example, one student mentioned the portrayal of some of the hunting scenes being "staged" to reflect a method of hunting that had largely fallen out of use at the time of filming.

As well, the idea of ways in which Nanook and his family were portrayed in overly-sentimental or even childlike ways are present in Rothman's critique.

While I find I do not agree with many of Rothman's main points regarding the film in this essay (I find some of his assumptions to be fairly conjectured), certainly these criticisms have been applied to the film by other scholars.(One example is here) Do you agree that the question of the representation of reality is of paramount importance here? Do the staged segments weaken the film's overall impact? What about the motivations or cultural assumptions behind such "staging" efforts?

Feel free to respond to any of these points or bring up your own...or other ideas from Rothman's essay.