Terms Review: Rhetorical Analysis of Documentary Film &

Examining of Documentary Films as ArgumentAP Language and Composition

Some initial considerations…Who is making the film?For whom in the film intended (audience)?What is the context in which the film is being

made? (Why is the film being made? What is happening societally/socially/technologically/etc. ?)

Documentary Terms: Evaluating the Argument Authenticity: The belief that the world

represented on screen is as the filmmaker discovered it and has not been modified

Demonstrative Proof: Emphasis on making evidence persuasive, albeit not necessarily accurate.

Perspective: In documentary filmmaking, the selection and arrangement of sounds and images to tacitly convey or imply the filmmaker’s point of view about a subject.

Propaganda Film: films that are made with the explicit purpose of persuading the audience of a point

Rhetorical AppealsConsider starting with which appeals feature

most prominently in your film:How does the film make you feel? (pathos)What type of logic is used to convince the

audience of the film-makers perspective? (logos) Be sure to consider your film’s use of logical fallacies, especially when critiquing the argument presented!

What credentials does the filmmaker have? (ethos) How does he/she develop credentials through interviews, use of experts, etc.?

What is a Claim?An assertion or proposition that states the

argument’s main ideaMust be arguable; different than a statement of

fact

Once you watch the film in its entirety:Try to determine what claims (plural) that the film is

making.Which of those claims seems to best encapsulate the

overarching argument (thesis) of the film? Why? Be able to explain how the more minor claims contribute to the broader thesis.

Types of ClaimsClaims of Fact -- assert something is true or not true

Pivot on what is factual; can be verified/checked

May call into question language in a claim Ex.: Zimbabwe has an unstable government.

What does “unstable” mean? New facts can call into question old ones Often challenge stereotypes of beliefs

Types of ClaimsClaims of Value -- something is good/bad, right/wrong, desirable/undesirable

May be personal judgments based on taste or more objective in nature

Must establish specific criteria by which the subject will be judged

Reviews of books, movies, albums are good examples

Types of ClaimsClaims of Policy -- when a change is proposed

Begins with definition of the problem (claim of fact)

Then explains why it is a problem (claim of value)

Finally explains what change needs to happen (claim of policy)

Reading a Text: Documentary Films“Documentaries have always contained some amount of

directorial choice and influence: even when a filmmaker simply records events, she still selects what to frame, what to edit, when to start and stop rolling the camera, and what music or other effects to add to develop the film’s overall meaning or presentation of a topic. Still, a new type of documentary has emerged in mass culture—one that is less of a factual, objective presentation of ideas and more of a visual debate—an argument relayed in images and sound.” - Jennifer Prust, AP Lang Teacher, Santa Monica High School

Expository Documentary: A nonfiction film that covers a subject by emphasizing verbal commentary and argumentative logic

Documentary Modes: ParticipatoryParticipatory Mode: film in which the emphasis is

on the interaction between the filmmaker and the film’s subjectThe acknowledged presence of the camera and crew The film-maker speaking directly to her/his subjects An emphasis on monologues and dialogues Representation of multiple viewpoints, contributing

different information Editing which maintains logical continuity Example: Michael Moore’s Bowling for Columbine

Documentary Modes: ObservationalObservational Mode: film emphasizing the filmmaker

engages in observing and documenting the subject’s life or circumstances with an unobtrusive cameraA non-interventionist or fly-on-the-wall style of

presentation Unobtrusive camera work, appearing to offer a

'window on the world' Relatively long takes connoting that nothing has been

'cut out' Zoom lenses and hand-held camera following the

action Editing which gives the impression of 'lived' or 'real'

time Speech which is overheard and not directed to

camera or audience Only diagetic sound(sound originating in the

documentary's world)

Documentary Modes: PerformativePerformative Mode: a film that emphasizes the

filmmaker’s subjective attitude or personal engagement with a subject, shown to evoke audience reaction'Voice of God' narration directly addressing the viewer Direct relationship between images and voice-over Interviews used only in support of the film's argument A conventional narrative structure A narrator who also may appear as a 'character' in the

filmExample: Werner Herzog’s Grizzly Man

Documentary Modes: PoeticPoetic Mode: a film that emphasizes the visual associations

and descriptive passages, tonal and rhythmic qualities and de-emphasizes linear or logical sequencing

Example: Look for moments of poetic mode in PressPausePlay

NOTE ABOUT MODES: While it is useful to keep all these styles in mind, many documentaries don't fit rigidly into a single category.

Ex: The film The Lottery, for example, is expository in that it includes interviews to the camera, and observational in that it has footage of each family and their children interacting in their homes. Michael Moore's films offer further examples of this hybridity as well.

Documentary Filmmaking Techniques: Visual TechniquesArchival footage: Stock footage such as file

footage, news footage etc. that is not custom shot for use in a specific film; archival footage is beneficial to filmmakers as it’s cheaper than shooting new material and often provides context/background info about the topic of a film

Intertitle: Text that appears periodically on screen to provide information such as the date, time and location of an event or identify the person on screen

Documentary Filmmaking Techniques: Visual Techniques

Establishing shot: sets up, or establishes the context for a scene by showing a shot at the beginning of a scene indicating where, and sometimes when, the remainder of the scene takes place

Mise en scene: the visual elements of a shot such as lighting, setting, costume, figure placement, etc. which contribute to the visual style of a shot and convey an impression to the viewer

Mise en scene: ActivityDiscuss how the visual elements from this

shot in The Royal Tennenbaums conveys meaning.

How about this shot from Ferris Bueller’s Day Off?

Documentary Film Techniques: Visual Techniques – Editing

What is a “shot” in filmmaking? A shot is the moment that the camera starts rolling until the

moment it stops. Editing shots (or “cutting shots” together) is what helps to

convey meaning to a viewer; it is a very subtle way to make and argument or create an impression (often subconscious)

Types of cuts:Narrative cuts: combining two shots to advance the storyEmotional cuts: combining two shots to maximize emotional

impactAssociative cuts: combining two shots to create a visual

metaphor

Editing continued ….Dissolve: an editing technique in which one image

“dissolves” into another; can create connection between images

Juxtaposition: cutting two or more shots (usually consecutively arranged) to create a meaningful relationship between them, to points out similarities/differences, or to create an emotional effect, etc.

Long take: a continuous single shot of unusually long duration which eliminates or lessens the need to edit the scene; can seem drawn out or make the viewer feel impatient

Short take: a shot that has a brief duration on screen, usually less than three seconds; the use of short takes in combination requires a lot of editing and often creates a sense of urgency in the viewer or a chaotic tone (think of action sequences)

Audio Terms Audio track: the sound heard during the film; it can

include voices, dialogue, narration, music, sound effects, etc.Diagetic sound: sound that is part of the world being

filmed (ex: birds chirping in the background, people talking on screen, music playing from speakers in the scene, etc)

Non-diagetic sound: Sounds that come from outside the space being filmed; usually added during editing (ex: soundtrack or voiceovers)

Soundtrack: the sound recorded on a film; the audio portion of a film most often added in post-production editing, usually musical

Voice Over: An off-camera narrative voice that comments about the images on screen

Documentary Filmmaking Techniques: Audio and VisualMasked Interview: An interview in which the

filmmaker is both off-camera andunheard; only the interview subject is filmed

Significant Documentary Film Elements to pay attention to ….Score/soundtrack/soundSelection of interview subjectsEditing of interviews (what is included/what is not)Editing of shotsSelection and editing of observational footageRole of voice oversNarratives told within the documentary (anecdotes,

the people who become the subject of the film, etc.)Framing of individual shots (what is included and

what is omitted outside the frame of the shot)