Summary: students will map a landscape of two social documentaries studied in class.
Hale County This Morning, This Evening
Plastic Wars (PBS Frontline)
You must analyze your two films in the following ways:
1.SYNOPSIS of EACH FILM: Provide a brief (1 paragraph) synopsis of each film. Answer these questions: What is this film about? What characters do we meet? How does the film start and what happens at the end? What are the primary themes present in each film?
2.CINEMATIC ANALYSIS: Analyze and compare/contrast each film in terms of its cinematic approach, being sure to address how these approaches support the film’s themes and impact the viewer’s experience. Remember: Each cinematic choice made by the director has a purpose. Your job is to describe the specific technique used and then analyze the purpose behind that creative decision and how it affects the viewer. Include an analysis of the following:
a.What type of documentary is this and why? (refer to the five types of documentaries learned in class)
“poetic, expository, reflexive, observational, performative, and participatory”
b.What is at stake in this film? What is at risk for the characters? How does this make the viewer invested in the film?
c.Describe the filmmaker’s use of (3) of the following cinematic elements and what impact they wanted that choice to have on the viewer:
1.Cinematography
2.Editing
3.Music
4.Graphics
5.Archival footage
6.Motion Graphics
Remember to GIVE SPECIFICS. For example: “The director composed many of her shots using a wide-angle frame which situated the protagonist within an empty frame, emphasizing the loneliness of the scene.”
3.SOCIAL IMPACT: Write one paragraph on each film’s social impact and how it was achieved. Use the Four Impact Dynamics as a way to frame and describe the impact or outcomes.
4.MAKE A CASE: In your opinion, which film was the most effective? Give specifics as to why.
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