| Papers [1-15] of 100 :: [Page 1 of 7] | | Go to page : 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 —> | Search results on "DOCUMENTARY CHILDHOOD": |
|
|
"Seven Up!" - A Documentary on Childhood, 2006.
An examination of the way in which children and childhood are presented in the documentary film "Seven Up!", directed by Peter Almond.
1,287 words (approx. 5.1 pages), 1 source, MLA, $ 43.95
»
Click here to show/hide summary
Abstract
This paper examines the documentary film "Seven Up!" directed by Peter Almond. It looks at whether the film presents the true voices of the children involved; what they actually think and feel. The paper also examines the way in which children and childhood are presented by the film and the importance of the film in terms of developing our understanding of childhood. The paper argues that the film does not present the true voices of children but rather how these voices are shaped and influenced by the children's environment and their social and economic status.
From the Paper
"Childhood is a socially constructed concept and as such hides the vast differences between children in terms of age, gender, ethnicity and social status. The film attempted to highlight these issues to some extent. The children chosen for the film were all seven year olds from Britain. Hence in some ways they all shared the same concept of childhood, the western one (as opposed to for example non-western, developing country childhood). To some extent there is a cultural chauvinism in the film, since the children are all fit into this western concept of childhood."
| |
|
Olympic Games Documentary Films, 2005.
This paper contrasts the 1936 Olympic Games documentary film by Leni Riefenstahl and the 1964 Olympic Games documentary film by Ton Ichikawa.
1,375 words (approx. 5.5 pages), 0 sources, $ 45.95
»
Click here to show/hide summary
Abstract
This paper explains that that Leni Riefenstahl's film of the 1936 Olympic documentary is propaganda, focusing more on German and German-sympathetic athletes and the ambiance of the Berlin stadium, seen in its new Nazi grandeur; whereas, in the most stunning photography, Ton Ichikawa's film of the 1964 Tokyo Olympiad is a salute of the exertion of the athletes regardless of race, nationality or ethnic background. The author points out that "Tokyo Olympiad 1964" is not a "sports documentary" in the traditional sense of showing races, winners and celebrating crowds but rather a technically and emotionally gripping documentary about the effort of preparation and the Olympic spirit. The paper concludes that, in a sense, this film is just as much a propaganda piece about Japan's new maturity as was Olympia 1936 but in a way that the glorification politics do not interfere with the presentation of the athletics.
From the Paper
"There is no real story line easy to follow, even though this nearly three-hour film opens with buildings being demolished to make way for the Olympic stadiums and arenas, and training areas as well as housing. As we see this, there is a voice-over which gives the other previous Olympic locations and dates. One of the next scenes is the obligatory Olympic documentary one of the torch reaching Japan, and the following thew various runners in the countryside, running to bring the torch to Tokyo and its new Olympic stadium. For Americans, the win of the Native American, Billy Mills, in the 10,000 meter race is a highlight. But, interestingly enough, the camera stays at the finish line until every racer has finished. There is also a somewhat poignant story line about the single athlete from Chad, who shares no common language with any other athlete, and trains alone. When he loses in the semi-final heat, Ahmed Isa is ignored by the crowd, but not Ichikawa. Here is loneliness amid the shouts of tens of thousands."
| |
|
The Documentary Film, 2008.
This paper looks at the six different modes of documentary filmmaking, with a focus on the documentaries "Out of Control: AIDS in Black America" and "Other Faces of AIDs".
2,614 words (approx. 10.5 pages), 8 sources, MLA, $ 78.95
»
Click here to show/hide summary
Abstract
The paper discusses the documentary film's six primary modes of filmmaking and illustrates some of these modes with reference to different documentaries. The paper then applies the data to two specific documentaries; "Out of Control: AIDS in Black America" and "Other Faces of AIDs," which address the growing AIDs crisis in the African-American community. The paper shows how in both films the expository mode takes over, creating a sense that the white reporters and filmmakers are lecturing, which undercuts the effectiveness of the message and separates the black community.
Outline:
Introduction
Six Primary Modes of Documentary Filmmaking
Conclusion
From the Paper
"The classification of documentary films into six modes was proposed and explained by Bill Nichols. As Nichols describes these six modes, he suggests that each of the six corresponded to a particular period in documentary filmmaking when that mode prevailed, though all persist and may be found in some films at any given time. The observational mode is considered by some to be the truest form, given that it involves the least direct interference or interpretation by the filmmaker. As Nichols writes, these are films that "eschew commentary and reenactment [and] observe things as they happen" (Nichols, Representing Reality: Issues and Concepts in Documentary 138). This is considered by many to be the most "documentary-like" of all the documentary forms, and perhaps the best-known practitioner of this form is Frederick Wiseman."
| |
|
Styles of Documentary Films, 2005.
This paper defines styles of documentary films as exemplified by Robert Flaherty's "Nanook of the North", Albert and David Maysles' "Grey Gardens", Errol Morris' "The Thin Blue Line" and Kidlat Tahimik's "Perfumed Nightmare" ("Mababangong Bangungot").
855 words (approx. 3.4 pages), 0 sources, $ 30.95
»
Click here to show/hide summary
Abstract
This paper explains that Robert Flaherty's "Nanook of the North" and Albert and David Maysles' "Grey Gardens" are examples of the evidential style of documentary film, a sort of cinema verite, or truth-cinema, which attempts to portray reality through the lens of the camera, objectively and truthfully, with no commentary or underlying message. The author points out that Errol Morris in his documentary "The Thin Blue Line" uses a rhetorical style, in which the filmmaker has no intention of remaining objective to the subject matter and often features the filmmaker as a primary character or narrator, and, in contrast to evidential documentaries, often employs the use of dramatization, staged scenes and direct interviews for the purpose of convincing the audience of the truth of the film's message. The paper relates that rhetorical and evidential documentary techniques are not completely mutually exclusive as presented in Kidlat Tahimik's "Perfumed Nightmare" ("Mababangong Bangungot"), which blends dramatization and filmmaker interaction with objective, removed footage of unstaged events in real life.
From the Paper
"The Maysles brothers did not feel the need to stage scenes or use interviews to glean the information they were looking for, because that information was simply a glimpse into the real lives of the two women. This was achieved nicely in the film, which used a "hands-off" technique to capture the way life really was for the Beales. "Grey Gardens" does such a successful job of portraying reality that at times in the film when one or the other of the subjects is looking or speaking directly at the camera, the audience gets the impression that she is addressing a wall."
| |
|
Flaherty and the Documentary Film, 2008.
An analysis of Robert Flaherty's influence in the documentary genre of filmmaking, through his 1922 film, "Nanook of the North."
1,345 words (approx. 5.4 pages), 5 sources, MLA, $ 45.95
»
Click here to show/hide summary
Abstract
This paper analyzes Robert Flaherty's contributions to cinema, particularly with regards to documentaries. It focuses on Flaherty's 1922 documentary film, "Nanook of the North" and how it has become inextricably associated with the development of modern documentary film. The paper analyzes Flaherty's masterful cinematic touch, from shot order to the pacing and treatment of his subjects and explains why he is widely considered one of the most influential filmmakers in the documentary genre.
From the Paper
"As Nanook declared to Flaherty before the filming of the walrus hunt, "the aggie [film] will come first." Though some modern critics have loudly proclaimed Nanook a fake by contemporary documentary standards, it is important to note that Flaherty can hardly be held accountable to the later standards of a film movement which did not, until he helped create it, exist. Though he drew heavily from historical precedent in nonfiction film and documentary-style presentations, Flaherty stands out because he was perhaps the first to fully integrate traditional ethnographic nonfiction into a satisfying and utterly engaging narrative form. Additionally, making Nanook the protagonist of his film, and portraying him in a respectful light set a precedent for future documentaries. By the time Nanook of the North had circled the globe, it had influenced and inspired filmmakers worldwide and triggered a nonfiction movement that has continued to this day. Flaherty's film contributes to the understanding of film as a whole by posing the most fundamental questions about nonfiction film, asking, what is reality? What is not? Where is the line between the two? Most importantly, Flaherty's Nanook of the North helped establish the often-unacknowledged fact that documentary film is not a newsreel but, first and foremost, art."
| |
|
Documentary Photography, 2004.
A review of the history of documentary photography and Dorothea Lange, the photographer.
1,980 words (approx. 7.9 pages), 5 sources, MLA, $ 62.95
»
Click here to show/hide summary
Abstract
This paper presents the background history of photography, in general, and the evolution of documentary photography. Documentary photography is described in the paper, illustrating its important role in documenting history. A biographical history of the photographer, Dorothea Lange, is provided in the paper. Some of her works are introduced and analyzed.
From the Paper
"Life is documented daily, whether in newspaper photographs of world events, in feature magazines of faraway places and in photo albums of family snapshots. Essentially, all photography is a documentary of whatever is being photographed for whatever reason. However, traditionally, the mention of documentary photography brings up familiar images from a few twentieth century photographers, such as Ansel Adams, Walker Evans, Roy Stryker, Arthur Rothstein and Dorothy Lange, whose photographs have not only documented culture but has become a part of the culture itself."
| |
|
Documentary Expression, 2001.
This paper studies documentary expression and its cultural and governmental influences.
1,395 words (approx. 5.6 pages), 3 sources, MLA, $ 46.95
»
Click here to show/hide summary
Abstract
This paper discusses documentaries as a form of expression which were introduced in the New Deal era and the Depression era. These were times when the nation needed hope and needed to understand the tragedy and stress they were going through. Documentaries were also a mode of transcribing history and revealing realistic the situation to gain a future understanding of the time. The documentary mode of expression was as much for the people as it was for the government. This paper studies this matter in-depth and concludes that the documentaries and history at the time were stated clearly from the governmental point of view.
From the Paper
"When we view the media forms of the times we realize the strength the people had in that era. As the generation of the future we realize that while the generation of the past was termed as the "Greatest generation" it can also be called and at times is termed as the "Lost Generation." Today, the youth are shown as disgruntled and violent but though the nationalism prominent in the past may overshadow the turbulence, the fact remains that a thorough analysis of the documentaries will show that the past too had its share of problems. It is said that the media of every era will portray the society and culture of its times. A study of the 1930s media reports shows that the Depression era was not as 'great' for the people living in it. ''(A) generation, numbering in the millions, has gone so far in decay that it acts without thought of social responsibility,'' historians George Leighton and Richard Hellman proclaimed in a much-quoted Harper' s Monthly article in 1936. ''High-school kids are armed, out for what they can get . . . . The Lost Generation is even now rotting before our eyes.'' In 1935, Columbia University President Nicholas Butler summed up the grave ''youth problem'': ''Day by day the newspapers report one grave crime after another, one moral delinquency after another, and one dereliction of duty after another.'' "
| |
|
Documentary Films, 2004.
Discusses documentary films by analyzing the film "Capturing the Friedmans".
1,800 words (approx. 7.2 pages), 5 sources, APA, $ 63.95
»
Click here to show/hide summary
Abstract
This paper use the documentary film, "Capturing the Friedmans", to define and examine the documentary film genre. The paper analyzes "Capturing the Friedmans", and discusses what the family's home movies reveal about contemporary American family life and the dynamics of the family relationships.
From the Paper
"According to Bill Nichols, every film is essentially a documentary, but true documentaries, as opposed to wish-fulfillment fictions, represent a unique genre of film that engages with the world as it exists in reality. Nichols says that the documentary engages with the world by representing it in one of three ways. First, documentaries offer a likeness or depiction of the world that bears a recognizable familiarity. Secondly, these films stand for or represent the interests of others. Third, some documentaries may represent the world..."
| |
|
Truth and the Documentary Film, 2005.
This paper discusses the subject of truth and the documentary film, making use of the beliefs of film director Errol Morris.
2,250 words (approx. 9.0 pages), 2 sources, $ 89.95
»
Click here to show/hide summary
Abstract
This essay examines the question of the presentation of film and looks at the topic of truth within the documentary film. The writer considers the words of Errol Morris, the director of 'The Thin Blue Line', who believes that documentaries can be as personal as fiction film making. The writer discusses that Morris challenges the concept that objective truth may be captured through film.
From the Paper
"Errol Morris, director of 'The Thin Blue Line', has criticized the cinema verite style of documentary, arguing that: "There is no reason why documentaries can't be as personal as fiction filmmaking and bear the imprint of those who made them. Truth isn't guaranteed by style or expression. It isn't guaranteed by anything". In making this argument, Morris is not only challenging the idea that objective truth can be captured through film, but that the generic line between fictional film and documentary film can often be extraordinarily blurred."
| |
|
Political Documentary Films, 2002.
Examines four documentary films (televison and movies) related to war, politics and the media.
2,250 words (approx. 9.0 pages), 9 sources, $ 79.95
»
Click here to show/hide summary
Abstract
Examines four documentary television films related to war, politics and the media. The the 1988 "Coverup: Behind the Iran-Contra Affair, the 1992 "Panama Deception," the 1991 "Desert Storm: The War Begins," and the 1993 "Manufacturing Consent: Noam Chomsky and the Media." Central concerns of the films. Role of news gathering organizations.
From the Paper
"Political documentary films have addressed a wide range of topics and have frequently seemed to produce action where the impact of the written word was far more limited. Indeed, filmed (or videotaped) news reports have even been credited with turning the American people against the war in Vietnam. But the responses of the military, the government, and the mainstream media to this presumed potential have concentrated on reducing the perceived threat of reporting by a number of means. Once it is clear, or seems to be clear, that a medium is capable of exposing activities to the public the leaders of the American executive and military often seem to think the logical response is simply to hide it better rather than, as it once seemed, to correct the problems.
The 1971 CBs television documentary, The Selling of the ..."
| |
|
Documentary Film: "The Corporation", 2005.
This paper analyzes the Canadian documentary film "The Corporation", based on the book by Joel Bakan.
1,800 words (approx. 7.2 pages), 2 sources, $ 71.95
»
Click here to show/hide summary
Abstract
This paper explains that the documentary film "The Corporation" demonstrates the way the ideologies of corporations impact society and the public good. The author points out that, in this film, the corporation is analyzed and treated as if it were a person with a personality of a textbook psychopath. The paper relates that corporations manipulate the mass media and the consumers by ignoring social accountability, moral rules and sometimes even direct laws.
From the Paper
"The corporation is probably the most dominant institution in our society today. It is the most wealthy, powerful, pervasive, and influential institution on earth today. The principal goal of a corporation is to make as much legal monetary profit as possible, regardless of the consequences. It is also an institution legally not concerned with the well being of the society at large. This essay will argue that the limited liability of corporations makes them all-powerful and that it is this status quo that the corporations want to maintain, using propaganda and consumerism in order to do so."
| |
|
Documentary on Tupac Shakur, 2005.
An analysis of a documentary on the life of Tupac Shakur.
2,025 words (approx. 8.1 pages), 5 sources, $ 80.95
»
Click here to show/hide summary
Abstract
The paper looks at the African American rapper, Tupac Shakur. It gives a critique of the 2003 MTV documentary of his life and premature death and also examines the themes that run through this programme.
From the Paper
"Tupac Resurrection is an MTV funded 2003 documentary in a long line of posthumous examinations of rapper Tupac Shakur, murdered at age 25 in 1996. The documentary is distinctive in that having its subject as the narrator, it provides surprising depth on the topics of Tupac's childhood his upbringing his celebrity his run-ins with the law and his opinions on every topic under the sun."
| |
|
Multiculturalism and the Canadian Documentary, 2007.
This paper discusses the issue of multiculturalism in Canadian film.
2,435 words (approx. 9.7 pages), 6 sources, MLA, $ 74.95
»
Click here to show/hide summary
Abstract
In this article, the writer points out that Canadian documentary directors have used the genre to effectively illustrate facets of multiculturalism and style that would be lost in the non-documentary film-making world. The writer discusses and compares three films in this paper. The writer describes that Simcha Jacobovici and Roger Pyke present a striking memorandum that illustrates the pain and struggle of religious persecution in the film 'Expulsion & Memory: Descendants of the Hidden Jews'. Similarly, the writer looks at Alanis Obomsawin's 'Richard Cardinal: Cry from the Diary of a Metis Child'. The writer also discusses 'Shooting Indians: A Journey with Jeffery Thomas' by Ali Kazimi that quietly illustrates one man's struggle to change the stereotypical image of Native cultures and people in North America, while also reflecting on the relationship of culture as the director shares his cultural background. The writer concludes that through different uses of the documentary genre, all three films effectively use the factual background to establish strong views of multicultural identity.
From the Paper
"As a film style, documentaries are tied to stricter guidelines than other films because they must adhere to fact to some respect. While many filmmakers might see this as a problem or hurtle, well-made documentaries take advantage of this factor as strength. American director St. Clair Bourne explains that the making of a fictional movie is much more demanding because the background and context must all be created from scratch; he finds documentaries to be more about interpretation and bringing out the real story that already exists within a context. This is the case with the three films discussed here, though each film faced different challenges in creation, and succeeded in different aspects. Each of these films takes the raw material of the history involved and shapes it to create a story with whatever intentions exist from the directors."
| |
|
Hoop Dreams Documentary, 2000.
765 words (approx. 3.1 pages), 1 source, $ 27.95
»
Click here to show/hide summary
Abstract
This paper describes the disadvantaged position of young African Americans who are discriminated against and live in a reality of restricted options, making growing up and moving beyond their youthful condition an incredible feat. The writer describes the documentary "Hoop Dreams" that provides young African American males with some hope and opportunities through the game of basketball.
From the Paper
"In the documentary "Hoop Dreams", our society gives a promising hope of social mobility, while maintaining a very difficult barrier to overcome. It is highly encouraged, and rarely done. Basketball was seemingly the way to rise above that barrier by providing the chance to become something greater. For most, the hope was out of reach, while others held onto their dreams."
| |
|
Documentary Photography, 2002.
An in-depth look at how American history was portrayed through the lenses of photographers such as Jacob Riis, Dorothea Lange and Walker Evans.
4,166 words (approx. 16.7 pages), 18 sources, MLA, $ 111.95
»
Click here to show/hide summary
Abstract
When the camera was invented, photographers learned that they no longer needed oil paint and brushes to capture a scene or a person. On film, they could now record the life and times of the period in which they lived, either from a sense of mission or simply to leave an accurate version of their life and times for others. This paper provides an in-depth look at the lives, times and works of several photographers who captured America's history on photographic film. The paper discusses Matthew Brady who documented the realities of the American Civil War, Jacob Riis who condemned the deplorable conditions in New York City at the end of the 19th Century and the unobtrusive Dorothea Lange who photographed the plight of the American people during the Great Depression and went on to become the first woman awarded a Guggenheim fellowship. The paper also discusses the works of Walker Evans who was hired by the Resettlement Administration to photograph the Depression and Lewis Hine who educated the American public on the plight of children working under deplorable conditions.
From the Paper
"The most poignant and moving photographs from Lange's trip convey a mood rather than describing circumstances or activities: a man squatting at the edge of the field, a mother and child in the tent opening, a group of men staring at the photographers. The photographs are character studies showing the textures of skin and clothing with an artist's eye and depicting posture, gesture and gaze with an ethnologist's.
When the Depression came to an end with World War II, Lange changed subjects rather than give up her documentary photography. Three months after Pearl Harbor, President Franklin Roosevelt ordered the relocation of Japanese-Americans into armed camps in the West. Soon after, the War Relocation Authority hired Lange to photograph Japanese neighborhoods, processing centers and camp facilities.
However, now Lange's feelings about what the government was doing gave her much discontent. She was not prepared to witness the disturbing racial and civil rights issues raised by Japanese internment. Lange quickly found herself at odds with her employer, the United States government."
|
|
|
