VSA2710

Alternatives in documentary film - an Australian focus

Deane Williams

8 points
* 4 hours per week
* Second semester
* Clayton
* Prerequisite: At least one of VSA1040, VSA1050, VSA2190 or VSA2220 or VSA2240

Objectives By the completion of this subject students are expected to demonstrate an understanding of the styles, strategies and structures of documentary film; a knowledge of the major `schools' in the international history of documentary film; an understanding of the various modes of documentary film; an ability to engage with written and filmic texts in a clear and confident manner.

Synopsis The subject will investigate a range of key issues in documentary and `non-fiction' film production, from the inception of the cinema to the present day, with a major focus on Australian documentary. Australian films examined include feminist films, television documentaries, deconstructive `essay' films, documentary-fiction mix experiments, ethnographic films and films made collectively by minority groups. The theoretical and practical issues discussed in relation to the Australian films will provide a framework for the examination of a number of important phases in the historical development of documentary. These will be studied in the context of political, technological and institutional change in the twentieth century. The subject is constructed to examine, wherever possible, the works of Australian documentary filmmakers in relation to the shifts in documentary theory and practice in the international arena. Topics for consideration include the influence of the British documentary movement of the 1930s on Australian documentary film culture, the efforts made by leftwing Australian filmmakers in the immediate postwar years, and the flowering of independent and radical documentary film practices in the late 1970s and 1980s. The subject will also consider the various ways Aboriginal filmmakers have chosen to represent their own communities, the debates around postcolonialism and postmodernism in relation to documentary film, and the ways the technological innovation has influenced the field of documentary.

Assessment First essay (2000 words): 35%
* Second essay (3000 words): 45%
* Visual test (1 hour): 20%

Preliminary reading

Barnouw E Documentary: A history of the non-fiction film rev. edn, OUP, 1983

Prescribed texts

Aitken I Film and reform: John Grierson and the documentary film movement Routledge, 1990
Nichols B Representing reality: Issues and concepts in documentary Indiana U P, 1991
Nichols B Blurred boundaries: Questions of meaning in contemporary culture Indiana U P, 1994
Renov M (ed.) Theorizing documentary Routledge, 1993
Trinh M Woman/native/other Indiana U P, 1989