Working With 'the Real': Documentary Film History, Theory and Practice

Course code: 739G31 (basic) Course code: 739A39 (advanced)

Why make fiction when the ‘world out there’ can be so much more interesting and rewarding?! And what do we mean by ‘the real’ anyway? (Come and find out…)

Since the advent of a ‘low-budget alternative’ (before the so-called digital revolution) there has been an explosion of documentary film production, and we are moving into an age where there will be more and more interest in documentary movies, where more people have access to the tools to make and the ability to tell stories about their own lives and those around them. Take a camera out into that world, or investigate a world that is completely new to you, and see what happens! Take risks, learn something new!

 The aim of this course is to introduce students to the history of documentary cinema, and to as many of the films that have contributed to that history as possible, and to do so from a perspective that accounts for the cinematic art produced in that tradition or practice. It is my opinion that a maker should know as much as they can about ‘where they come from’ in their discipline, and good films themselves are often the best teacher. The simultaneous viewing and making (not to exclude ‘theorizing about’) is intended to feed each other, and work toward producing an informed and more knowledgeable person, whether or not you are or hope to become a documentary filmmaker. You will learn not only about ‘the world out there,’ but also about yourselves. That knowledge should be useful no matter what your life’s vocation may be or become. The camera, here, is another tool for exploring ideas and testing who you are in relation to those ideas-cinema, as a form of writing, filmmaking as intellectual work.

 Course meetings take place on one weekend a month, that is, 6-9pm on Friday evening, Saturday all day, and Sunday morning. So if you work or study full time during the week, or are coming from a distant location, etc., you can participate in this course! Attendance and participation in these meetings are essential, as is work completed between class times. Two nights in Norrköping, and documentary film immersion!

Come along, don’t miss the ride!

Ansvarig lärare: Mike Jarmon

Ort: Norrköping                            30hp halvfart

Tid: Höst & vårtermin                    Språk: Engelska

Kursplan grundkurs                      Kursplan avancerad kurs

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