COM 338-01 (13775) Documentary and Experimental Film and Video
Steven Alan Carr, Ph.D.
Course Syllabus
Fall 2008

Screenings:	NF 141 M 6-8:45 PM
Lecture/Discussion:	NF 141 TR 12-1:15 PM
Website:	http://blackboard.purdue.edu
Office:	NF 230 H
Office Hours:	MW 3-4:15 PM, and happily by appointment
Office Phone:	(260) 481-6545
Email:	carr@ipfw.edu
Personal Website:	users.ipfw.edu/carr
Required Texts:	James, David E. Allegories of Cinema: American Film in the Sixties. Princeton NJ: Princeton U P, 1988. Additional readings will be made available from within WebCT via HTML or PDF file formats. See below for more information.

 

Last updated 26 Aug 2008

 

A general set of course policies (http://users.ipfw.edu/carr/courses/policies.htm) accompanies this document. Please make sure to read it as well, as it governs both what is expected from you, and what you can expect from me.

Course Content and Goals

This course traces the historical development of documentary and experimental traditions of film and video, noting their radical opposition to Classical Hollywood film, as well as the aesthetic, political, and social implications of these differences. Special emphasis will be given this semester to the flowering of American avant-garde film during the 1960s and 70s. You will be expected to 1) know the difference between a mainstream and an avant-garde film; 2) identify and summarize major avant-garde filmmaking traditions within the United States, and explain how these traditions exist in opposition to mainstream Hollywood film; 3) know the primary concerns and debates shaping avant-garde film practice and theory; and 4) apply terms and concepts introduced in COM 251 Introduction to Electronic Mass Media to analyze avant-garde films; and communicate this analysis effectively, both in discussion as well as in written assignments.

Prerequisites and Intended Audience

COM 251 Introduction to Electronic Mass Media. The intended audience consists of junior level or higher Communication majors in the Media and Public track.

Course Requirements

The normal schedule for reading assignments will vary considerably from week to week, and may be as much as 60-80 pages in a given week. One of your primary responsibilities will be to prepare for each week's reading by completing assigned readings before Monday’s class screening.. To earn a passing grade for the course, you must attend at least 8 out of the 13 screenings and 17 out of the 28 class meetings after the first week of class. Arriving late or leaving early may affect this requirement. In addition, all of the following requirements must be met by the specified week in order to earn a passing grade for the course:

 

• By week 2, you must complete a brief survey indicating that you have read this syllabus as well as the course policies; and, you must attend at least one (1) class.
• By week 3, you must attend at least two (2) classes.
• By week 4, you must attend at least three (3) classes, and submit a paper proposal.
• By week 9, you must attend at least six (6) classes, complete at least three (3) position papers, given at least one in-class presentation, and submit an acceptable draft of your midterm exam.

 

Although there is a participation grade, you do not earn a grade just for attending class. On select dates, attendance will be taken as one measure of classroom performance and contributions to group efforts.

 

If you need to miss a class, you are expected to make appropriate arrangements in ways that minimally impact fellow students and the instructor. Although you are responsible for any announcements or material covered whether you are in class or not, neither fellow students nor the instructor are required to fulfill unreasonably open-ended requests such as “what did we cover in class?”

 

No incompletes will be given for this course, except in extreme circumstances. If an extreme circumstance does arise, however, you are urged to notify the instructor and propose a workable solution as soon as possible. A workable solution in this case, of course, would include the possibility of an incomplete. However, a request for an incomplete only will be granted only for assignments that already have been started. Under no circumstances can a student do additional work after final grades have been submitted to raise his or her final grade.

 

It is expected that all work submitted is original work prepared specifically for this course by the student whose name appears on it. It also is expected that all contributors to the original work have their names listed accurately on the assignment at the time of submission.

 

You are expected to abide by an honor code as described in the accompanying course policies document. By continuing in this course, you are promising to uphold high standards both for yourself and for others, and to take timely action if necessary should you have knowledge of academic misconduct.

Assessments and Assignments

Exams (1000 possible points): You will take a midterm (ME) and a non-comprehensive final (FE). Both the midterm and final will build upon readings, in-class discussions, and online activity. Both exams will consist of written essays. Both the midterm and the final each will count 500 possible points toward your final grade. The midterm must be completed outside of scheduled classtime.

 

Response Papers (1000 possible points): At least ten (10) times throughout the semester on scheduled dates, you will be required to post a brief (250-500 word) response paper (RP) on WebCT that responds to the week’s assigned reading. Each paper counts 100 possible points toward your final grade. These are due no later than 4 PM on the Tuesday before a scheduled class meeting. Each response paper offers a critical response to the films screened on Monday. These papers should show engagement with both the screening and the assigned reading by presenting evidence of careful notes taken during the screening referring to specific parts of films, by employing specific terminology used in the reading to discuss the films screened, and by paraphrasing and quoting from significant passages in the week’s reading. Please refer to the attached worksheet for examples of questions you can use when responding to these films. You will not receive written feedback from the instructor on these submissions, unless specifically requested in writing.

 

Forum Reports (1000 possible points): At least ten (10) times throughout the semester on scheduled dates, teams of 5-7 will collaborate in synthesizing the responses of the position papers into a brief (250-500 word) forum report (FR). Team members are expected to bring a hard copy of the response paper to class. Each team will have approximately 30 minutes of in-class time to identify a significant question or issue raised in the response papers that directly pertains to the screening and assigned reading for the week. The forum report will list all members of the group who directly contributed to it; state the question or issue raised by the group; explain how the question directly relates to the screening and reading; and offer a synthesis of the position papers represented in that group. Each team will designate a facilitator to be responsible for collating and submitting this report on WebCT within 24 hours after the scheduled class meeting. Attendance and the initial quality of the position paper submitted will be used as an index to help assess an individual grade for this assignment. You will not receive written feedback from the instructor on these submissions, unless specifically requested in writing.

 

Forum Discussions (200 possible points): At the end of 30 minutes time, the instructor will solicit one team to present and model their forum discussion (FD) to the entire class. Teams are encouraged to prepare materials before class. The team will write their question on the chalkboard, and then sit in a circle in the center of the room. Each team member will briefly (no more than 3 minutes) summarize his or her position paper in relation to the group’s question. After all team members have summarized their position papers, other students will be invited to respond to the group’s initial question. Throughout the semester, each student will be responsible for participating in two (2) of these team presentations to the entire class on an assigned date and worth an additional 100 possible points per presentation. Presentations will be made only on the assigned date of a forum. You cannot redo or make up this assignment, and you will not receive written feedback unless specifically requested immediately after the presentation. Individual grades for team members will be assessed on the basis of participation in leading class discussion, as well as on how well the presentation communicates the following: the substantiality of the question or issue itself, its relevance to the reading, and how well it extends a concept or concepts from the reading. Due to variations in team memberships, you may present more than once as part of a different team. In that case, only the highest grades for the in-class presentation will be counted.

 

Analysis Paper (800 possible points): You must write a final, argument-driven analysis paper (AP). This paper will be submitted in parts - including a proposal and abstract (AP1 - 100 points), a shot-by-shot breakdown of a selected experimental film (SP2 - 200 points), a sample paragraph from the body of the paper (SP3 - 100 points), and a final draft (SP4 - 400 points) - at various intervals throughout the semester. Written feedback will not be offered on SP3 and SP4 unless specifically requested and submitted 2 weeks in advance of the due date. The analysis paper will conduct a close analysis of a short film existing within the avant-garde tradition. There is no page or source minimum requirement. The successful final draft will include, all in the same file, the following: an introduction that states a problem, explains its significance, and clearly states a central thesis; an explanation of each theory or concept covered in the paper, with appropriate citations; three to five (3-5) paragraphs (paragraph=key statement, plus 3-5 additional sentences) with each paragraph advancing and developing the central thesis; a conclusion that reconsiders (as opposed to restating) the central thesis in light of the body of the paper; and a works cited page that demonstrates the breadth and diversity of sources used in the paper. The final paper will be evaluated on the basis of its relevance to a topic concerning semiotics; the substance and significance of the thesis; how well the paper engages the theories and concepts discussed; the thoughtfulness and originality with which the paper synthesizes these concepts; the overall structure, readability, clarity, and effectiveness of how well the paper advances its argument; and the ability of the paper to draw from multiple theoretical perspectives. With regard to the last criteria, make sure you can demonstrate that your list of sources used in the paper can demonstrate how you were able to engage with multiple perspectives.

 

Your participation is worth 1000 points or 20% toward your final grade. This participation will be assessed primarily, though not exclusively, on the basis of what you do during our scheduled class meetings. You will not receive feedback on your participation unless specifically requested. The burden of proof is on you to maintain detailed, accurate, and clearly presented records of your contributions to the success of the class. Although you are not required to do so, you are strongly encouraged to maintain evidence of these contributions throughout the semester. This data can include evidence of preparation (such as detailed, original notes), letters of support from other students, written self-evaluations of your performance, etc. Should a difference of opinion arise with regard to the level of your performance, you will be asked to produce these records upon request. Failure to participate in class, regardless of attendance, will directly impact this portion of your grade. Questions regarding participation raised earlier in the semester will receive far greater consideration than questions raised later in the semester.

Grading

Your final grade will be determined based on the following criteria:

Ten (10) Response Papers (RP) @ 100 pts ea.	1000 points (20%)	24 hrs before scheduled W class
Ten (10) Forum Reports (FR) @ 100 pts ea	1000 points (20%)	within 24 hrs following end of F class
Two (2) Forum Discussion Presentations (FD)	200 points (04%)	in class, as marked with FR
Midterm Exam (ME)	500 points (10%)	M 12 Mar
Argument-Driven Analysis Paper(AP1,AP2,AP3,AP4)	800 points (16%)	2 Feb; 2 Mar; 30 Mar; 27 Apr
Final Exam (FE)	500 points (10%)	F 4 May 1-3 PM
Participation (P)	1000 points (20%)	Ongoing
TOTAL POSSIBLE POINTS	5000 points (100%)

 

A (Outstanding)	B (Above Average)	C (Average)	D (Below Average, But Passable)	F (Fail)
4500-5000	4000-4499	3500-3999	3000-3499	0 - 2999

 

Tentative Course Schedule

M 8 Jan	Screening: "Duck Amuck" (Warner Bros., 1953); "Uncle Josh at the Moving Picture Show" (Edison, 1902); "Motion Painting No. 1" (Fischinger, 1947); "Mothlight" (Brakhage, 1963); "Un Chien Andalou" (Bunuel,Dali, 1929); "Fireworks" (Canyon, 1947); "Meshes of the Afternoon" (Deren, 1943); "Ten Second Film" (Canyon, 1965)
Images and Looking
W 10 Jan	Course Introduction and Overview
F 12 Jan	Introduction to the Avant-Garde Tradition
M 15 Jan	MLK Holiday: NO SCREENING
W 17 Jan	Looking at Avant-Garde Films Differently	Sitney Sturken and Cartwright
F 19 Jan	Viewing and Writing About Avant-Garde Films	Acton and Corrigan
M 22 Jan	Screening: Easy Rider (Columbia, 1969)	James ch 1 Due: RP1 (T 1/23 @ 4 PM); FP1 (Sa 1/27 @ 4:30 PM)
W 24 Jan	TBA
F 26 Jan	Avant-Garde Film As Alternative Practice
Authorship and the Avant-Garde
M 29 Jan	Screening: Brakhage films	James ch 2 Due: RP2, FP2; AP1 (2/2)
W 31 Jan	Brakhage and the Art Film
F 2 Feb
M 5 Feb	Screening: Warhol films	James ch 3 Due: RP3, FP3
W 7 Feb	Warhol and the Industrial Art Film
F 9 Feb
Underground Film
M 12 Feb	Screening: Shadows (Lion, 1959); Pull My Daisy (Frank, Leslie 1960)	James ch 4 to 100 Due: RP4, FP4
W 14 Feb	Beat Film
F 16 Feb
M 19 Feb	Screening: The Brig (White Line, 1964); Reminiscences of a Journey to Lithuania (Vaughan, 1971)	James ch 4 to 119 Due: RP5, FP5
W 21 Feb	Jonas Mekas and Profilmic Reality
F 23 Feb
M 26 Feb	Screening: Queen of Sheba Meets the Atom Man (Rice, 1963); Blonde Cobra (Jacobs, 1963); "Samadhi" (Belson, 1967)	James ch 4 to 140 Due: RP6, FP6; AP2 (3/2)
W 28 Feb	Underground Film as Radical Practice
F 2 Mar
M 5 Mar	SPRING BREAK: NO SCREENING / CLASS
W 7 Mar
F 9 Mar
M 12 Mar	Screening: "Hold Me While I'm Naked" (Canyon, 1966); "Scorpio Rising" (Canyon, 1964); "A Movie" (Canyon, 1957); Quixote (Canyon, 1964)	James ch 4 to 165 Due: Midterm (4/12)
W 14 Mar	Underground Reflexivity and Intertextuality
F 16 Mar
Radical Politics
M 19 Mar	Screening: Black Panthers: A Report (American Newsreel, 1968); Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song (Cinemation, 1971)	James ch 5 to 190 Due: RP7, FP7
W 21 Mar	Black Liberation Film
F 23 Mar
M 26 Mar	Screening: In the Year of the Pig (Pathe, 1968)	James ch 5 to 213 Due: RP8, FP8; AP3 (3/30)
W 28 Mar	Radical Documentary and the Vietnam War
F 30 Mar
M 2 Apr	Screening: Teach Our Children (Newsreel, 1973); Columbia Revolt (Newsreel, 1968); Summer of 68 (Newsreel, 1969)	James ch 5 to 236 Due: RP9, FP9
W 4 Apr	Third World Newsreel and Collective Practice
F 6 Apr
Radical Aesthetics
M 9 Apr	Screening: "Film in Which There Appear Sprocket Holes, Edge Lettering, Dirt Particles, Etc." (Landow, 1968); Tom, Tom, The Piper's Son (Jacobs, 1969); Zorn's Lemma (Frampton, 1970)	James ch 6 Due: RP10, FP10
W 11 Apr	Structural Film
F 13 Apr
M 16 Apr	Screening: Medium Cool (Paramount, 1969)	James ch 7 Due: RP11, FP11
W 18 Apr	Hollywood and the American Art Film
F 20 Apr
M 23 Apr	Screening: "Fuses" (Schneeman, 1967); Film about a Woman Who … (First Run, 1974)	James ch 8 and Epilogue Due: AP4; all revise and resubmits (4/27)
W 25 Apr	Feminist Film
F 27 Apr	Conclusion and Evaluations
F 4 May	Scheduled Final Exam 1-3 PM	Due: Final

Some Differences Between Avant-Garde and Mainstream Media

	Avant-Garde	Mainstream
Authorship	Individual or Collective Personalized	Corporate
Primary Intent/Motive	Self-Expression Not For Profit	For Profit
Subjects	Non-Narrative Fractured Liminal Visual	Narrative Character-Oriented Centrist
Causality/Logic	Open-Ended Dream-Like	Closed Rational Explanations
Enjoyment	Conceptual Challenging	Pleasurable Easy to Watch
Regulation	Unregulated	Self-Regulated
Textual Units	Shorter or Feature-Length Individual Work	Feature-Length Genres Series Remakes and Sequels
Audiences and Distribution	Limited Specialized	Mass
Style	Belonging to Artistic Tradition Unpredictable Individualistic	Corporatized Consistent Differentiated by Genre
Format	8mm, 16mm, video Camera or Camera-less	35mm or Digital Camera
Production	Low-Budget Unregulated	Millions Highly Regulated
Availability	Hard to See	Relatively Easy

Questions to Ask When Looking at Avant-Garde Moving Images

The following questions have been adapted from other introductory guides to aesthetic analysis. Almost all of these concepts were covered in COM 251 Introduction to Electronic Mass Media. Since COM 251 is a prerequisite for this course, throughout COM 338 you will be expected - as often as you can - to demonstrate your facility with these questions when discussing or writing about avant-garde works. You need not like all of the films screened in order to earn an A in this course, but even if you like none of the films in this course, how well you use these questions to show engagement with the screenings will determine a passing grade. If you are not up to the task of using the questions below to analyze avant-garde works, you must notify the instructor no later than the end of the first week of class so that alternate arrangements can be made.

 

1. When was the film or video made? (Corrigan) Does it belong to a particular artistic tradition, or a particular moment in time, or both?

 

2. What is the title, and what does it mean in relation to the work? (Corrigan)

 

3. What was your initial response? Do you like the work? Does it make you think or does it encourage you to look? Does it do both? After watching the complete work, did your response change during the screening? If so, how? (Acton)

 

4. How does the film or video start, and what is its relation to the rest of the work? (Corrigan)

 

5. On what image does the film or video conclude, and what is its relation to the beginning and rest of the work? (Corrigan)

 

6. Which elements of the film or video strike you as unfamiliar or perplexing (Corrigan)? If you find the entire experience unfamiliar or perplexing, identify and describe as many aspects unique to the film or video as possible, using the following categories as a guide: (Bordwell and Thompson)

 

Form and Structure of the Whole

Similarity and Repetition; Difference and Variation; Development; Unity and Disunity; Narrative or Non-Narrative Elements

 

Mise-en-Scene

Setting; Costume and Makeup; Lighting; Staging of Action

 

Camerawork

Tonality of Image; Speed of Motion; Perspective; Framing (Dimensions; Shape; Onscreen and Offscreen Space; Angle, Level, Height, and Distance of Camera; Mobility); Duration of Shot

 

Editing

Graphic, Rhythmic, Spatial, and Temporal Relations Between Shots

 

Sound

Rhythm, Fidelity, and Space

 

7. How is this work similar to or different from other films or videos you have seen, including Hollywood and foreign films? (Corrigan)

 

8. What type of art does the work most closely resemble? A painting, sculpture, collage, performance art, architecture, or something else? (Acton)

 

9. Can you see any aesthetic or pictorial qualities to the work, such as composition, space, form, tone, or color? (Acton)

 

10. Does the work have a subject? If so, what kind of subject? Is the subject a story? Or is it a figure or object depicted? Or is the subject about you and your reaction as a viewer to the work? Is thinking about the work more important than the meaning of the work, or the ostensible subject depicted? (Acton)

 

11. Are there any striking patterns in the work, such as a camera movement, long take, or abrupt transition? Which three or four patterns are the most important ones? (Corrigan)

 

12. What is your role as a spectator? How active was your involvement with the work? How active do you think your involvement was supposed to be? (Acton)

 

Works Cited

Acton, Mary. Learning to Look at Modern Art. New York NY: Routledge – Taylor, Francis, 2004.

 

Bordwell, David, and Kristin Thompson.. Film Art: An Introduction. 8^th ed. Boston MA: McGraw-Hill, 2008.

 

Corrigan, Timothy J. A Short Guide to Writing About Film. 6^th ed. New York NY: Pearson, Longman, 2007.

 

Metz, Walter. "'What Went Wrong?': The American Avant-Garde Cinema of the 1960s." The Sixties: 1960-1969. Paul Monaco, ed. History of the American Cinema Series. New York: Scribner's, 2001. 231-60.