essay 3 due tonight

Essay #3: Documentary Film Analysis

Assignment Overview: Everywhere, all the time, you are being manipulated to take sides in some argument. Film is no exception. Our realities are being warped constantly. Documentary film is probably one of the first mediums that come to mind when we think about “documenting reality,” yet it is also one of the most complex formats for recording aspects of our world. Documentary films use a variety of methods (e.g., images, words, sounds, and various film techniques) in order to present an argument. This prompt asks you to view a documentary film and to analyze the rhetorical and persuasive strategies employed by the filmmaker in the construction of the film’s argument. Your essay should not be a summary of the film, nor should it be a review based on your personal reaction to it. The aim of the assignment is to identify the filmmaker’s thesis (argument/position – yes, they all have one) and to analyze the rhetorical strategies and persuasive devices and film techniques used in order to develop/prove that thesis. Assignment Outcomes: Your essay should do all of the following:

1. Identify the main argument and / or purpose of the film (this is somewhat subject to interpretation).

2. Provide a brief summary of the film for context. 3. Examine the ways in which the thesis or aim of the film’s argument is supported through

rhetorical and persuasive strategies (e.g., presentation of facts, dismissing credibility of counterfactual information, not addressing certain related issues, etc.). What is the filmmaker’s purpose? What is the argument/thesis of the film? What assertions/claims are made? To what extent does the argument have validity? Are there fallacies, contradictions, or inconsistencies in the argument? What is the attitude or viewpoint of the filmmaker? Tone?

4. What cinematic techniques does the filmmaker use to make their point (e.g., consider the diction and syntax of the film)? How does the structure of the film help achieve its purpose?

5. To focus your ideas, make sure to represent the best the evidence or claims for the film’s purpose. Explain why these seem to the most truthful or persuasive and analyze how the filmmaker uses them to present the film’s argument.

Requirements:

• Length: 4-6 full pages. • Format: Follow MLA guidelines. • Source Usage: Two research sources beyond the primary text (documentary film) are required. Ideally

these sources should enhance your knowledge of the documentary’s focus/topic and/or provide context or a varying perspective on it.

• The paper must include a properly formatted works cited page with all source’s citations. • Submission: • See rubric for specifics

Films: You will choose ONE of the following films to analyze in your essay: Mammoth

The Internet Warriors First Ladyland Five Star Quadrangle The Super Salmon Welcome to Canada Upstate Purgatory Frame 394 The Queen

All of the films are accessible here: https://www.shortoftheweek.com/channels/documentary?p=1 You will have to page through or search to find the ones I am allowing. There is much variety in the films you can choose from; I suggest you read the descriptions for all of them and look at several before settling on one.

Documentary Film Analysis – Helpful Steps (Optional) Step 1. Pre-viewing

• Title of Documentary: • Date Released: • Principle documentary maker(s) • Why did you select this particular documentary for this assignment?

What do you think you will see in this documentary? List three concepts or ideas that you might expect to see based on the title of the documentary or list what you already know about this documentary: Step 2. Viewing Determine type of documentary:

__________ Advocacy for social concerns __________ Biography __________ Career Profile __________ Community History __________ Research/Factual __________ “How To” __________ Training/Orientation __________ Investigative __________ News/Special Events ___________Skits & Spoofs __________ Travel/tourism __________ Nature

Physical qualities of the film: Describe all that apply.

• Music • Live action • Narration/voice Over: • Background noise/Special effects • Animation • Color/Black and white • Interviews (Who did the filmmaker interview and for what purpose?) • Dramatizations or reinactments • Note how camera angles, lighting, music, narration, and/or editing contribute to creating

an atmosphere in this documentary. • What is the mood or tone of the documentary? What emotions does the documentary

evoke in its viewers? Step 3. Post-viewing (or repeated viewing) Answer the following:

• What is/are the central message(s) of this documentary? Be specific. Use examples from the documentary to support your choice.

• Discuss the bias in the documentary (point of view of the filmmakers).

• Consider the effectiveness of the film in communicating its message. As a tool of

communication, what are its strengths and weaknesses?

• How do you think the filmmakers wanted the audience to respond? What evidence is there that the filmmaker was looking for this response?

• Does this film appeal to the viewer's reason? What about emotion? How does it build

credibility? Explain the role of each rhetorical appeal in this documentary.

• Write a question to the filmmaker that is left unanswered by his/her documentary. Do you believe the question was left unanswered purposefully? Why or why not?

Once you have answered / brainstormed through these steps you are ready to start working on your essay. Remember that rhetorical analysis is thinking about the structure of someone else’s argument in an effort to evaluate the effectiveness of the choices the creator of the text has made.