Veidlapa Nr. M-3 (8)

Course Description Status: Approved

Course Description Version: 24/25.P.1.00

Description Period: 2024./25 academic year pavasara semestris

Study Course Accepted: -

Study Course Description

Documentary Films

Main Study Course Information

Course Code
KSK_036
Branch of Science
Media and communications
ECTS
3.00
Target Audience
Communication Science
LQF
Level 6
Study Type And Form
Part-Time

Study Course Implementer

Course Supervisor
Dita Rietuma
Structure Unit Manager
Karina Palkova
Structural Unit
Faculty of Social Sciences
Contacts

Dzirciema street 16, Rīga, szf@rsu.lv

About Study Course

Objective

To develop the understanding of the theory, history and modern practices of documentaries. Documentary films, their means of expression are very important in communication of audiovisual media – documentary elements are used in traditional documentaries and in TV media, as well as on many internet information dissemination channels. Therefore, it is important to create the understanding of the most important stages of development of documentary films and prevailing strategies in creation of documentary films. It is important to familiarise students with the most important stylistic directions of documentary films and authors, who used means and message strategies, which were innovative for their time, in their creative work, as well as to develop students’ skills in analysing documentary works, the applied strategies and stylistics. The course gives an insight into aesthetical principles of documentary films, works of the world's most important directors of documentary films, starting from creative works of Dziga Vetrov, Robert Flaherty and others, and continuing with the analysis of works of Michael Moore and other modern directors of documentaries. The study course devotes an important place to the insight into the past and the present of Latvian documentary films, as well as their development in creative works of the most important personalities. The tasks of the study course are to familiarise students with the most important development stages and authors of documentary films, peculiarities of their creative work and signatures, as well as to develop students’ skills to orient themselves in stylistics, narrative strategies and building principles of documentaries, to understand the development of the tradition of documentary filmmaking and its effect on world film processes. The following films are discussed in the course: Dz. Vertov "Man With the Movie Camera" (1927), Robert Flaherty "Nanook of the North" (1922), "Man Aran" (1934), Jean Rouch, M.Moore.

Preliminary Knowledge

None.

Learning Outcomes

Knowledge

1.As a result of mastering the course students obtain knowledge about the concept, the beginning of the tradition and the development of documentaries, principles, strategies and types of building a message of a documentary film, which were used in documentary practices in the 20th and the 21st centuries. Students obtain knowledge about the most important authors, who are working in documentary media globally and in Latvia.

Skills

1.As a result of mastering the course students obtain skills to orient themselves in documentary development stages, documentary stylistics, narrative strategies and building principles, to understand the development of the documentary tradition and its effect in the world film process, as well as to orient themselves in works of the most important authors of documentaries.

Competences

1.As a result of mastering the course students obtain competence: • in language, stylistics and use of narrative strategies of documentaries, • in analysing documentary works, • and understanding of the concept of a documentary and its use in media, • in documentary development stages globally and in Latvia.

Assessment

Individual work

Title
% from total grade
Grade
1.
Individual work
-
-
Activity and involvement in seminars are evaluated, when performing a work assignment – an analysis of films and film excerpts. In order to evaluate the quality of the study course as a whole, the student must fill out the study course evaluation questionnaire on the Student Portal.

Examination

Title
% from total grade
Grade
1.
Examination
-
-
The size of the paper must be at least four A4 pages, not including the title page. The task is to analyze the documentary by looking at its narrative strategies, the language of cinema and its place in the context of world cinema. The type of film to be analyzed (ethnographic films, propaganda films, cinema verite, etc.) must be defined. The narrative type of the documentary (poetic, explanatory, observational, participatory, reflective, performative) should be defined and a compelling message developed.
2.
Examination
-
-
• Participation in lectures. • Participation and activity in seminars. • Diploma paper – film presentation and analysis (four A4 pages). An analysis of a documentary should be created by emphasising the film creation strategies and message types reviewed during the course, own work should also be presented. Conduct the thematic, stylistic and message type analysis of the documentary film, characterise the importance of the film in the world documentary film context. Volume – at least four A4 pages (excl. title page).

Study Course Theme Plan

PART-TIME
Part 1

  1. Concept of a documentary. What is a documentary? Birth and development of the documentary tradition in the first half of the 20th century.

EventType
Modality
Location
Contact hours
1.
Lecture
On site
Auditorium
2

  1. Establishment of the tradition of documentary films: Robert Flaherty and Dziga Vetrov. Differences in documentary language in the films of Flaherty and Vetrov.

EventType
Modality
Location
Contact hours
1.
Lecture
On site
Auditorium
2

  1. Narrative types of documentary films in global practices of documentary films.

EventType
Modality
Location
Contact hours
1.
Lecture
On site
Auditorium
2

  1. Show of the latest documentary.

EventType
Modality
Location
Contact hours
1.
Class/Seminar
On site
Auditorium
2

  1. Peculiarities of Latvian documentaries – development of the Riga Poetical School in 1960s-1970s. Creative work by Hercs Franks, Juris Podnieks, Ivars Seleckis.

EventType
Modality
Location
Contact hours
1.
Lecture
On site
Auditorium
2

  1. Synthesis of genres: in-between a documentary and a feature film. Centenary film experience. Documentaries with elements of adaptation for screen and animation (works by P. Krilov, D, Simanis, etc.).

EventType
Modality
Location
Contact hours
1.
Class/Seminar
On site
Auditorium
2

  1. Trends and authors of the US documentaries (Maysles brothers, Errol Morris, etc.). Creative works by Michael Moore and their significance in the development of documentaries.

EventType
Modality
Location
Contact hours
1.
Lecture
On site
Auditorium
2
Total ECTS (Creditpoints):
3.00
Contact hours:
16 Academic Hours
Final Examination:
Exam (Written)

Bibliography

Required Reading

1.

Nichols, Bill. Introduction to Documentary. Bloomington & Indianapolis: Indiana University Press, 2001

2.

Nichols, Bill. Representing Reality. Bloomington & Indianapolis: Indiana University Press, 1991

3.

Kristīne Matīsa, Agris Redovičs Dokumentāls logs uz Eiropu. Eiropas dokumentālā kino simpoziji. 1977-2007, Riga: Mansards, 2007.

4.

Bordwell, David, Thompson Kristin. Film Art. An introduction. New York: Mc.Graw Hill, Inc., 1993

5.

Bordvels, Deivids, Tompsone, Kristīne. Kinomāksla. Ievads. Nacionālais kino centrs, Rīga, 2018

Additional Reading

1.

Latviešu dokumentālais kino: 1960-1990. Brikše, I. (red.). Latvijas Universitātes raksti, 648. sēj. Komunikācija: Kultūra, sabiedrība, mediji. Rīga: Zinātne. 38.–53. lpp.

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