Your research paper presentation is a big grade, so it is a big presentation. The purpose is to educate your classmates on the issue you have researched, introduce them to your film, and to practice good presentation skills. Attendance for all presentation days is graded.
For the presentation, you will:
1. Screen your film in class. You may have to cut some of the film out-- total time spent on the movie should be 1 hr 30 min.
[Let me know if you can play the film in class. If not, I will bring my DVD copy. You will be in charge of deciding which scenes to cut from the film in order for it to play in the allotted time.]
2. Provide a Power Point or Prezi on the film, covering the ISSUE it highlights, history of the issue, history of the film, people involved (educate us on who these people are), purpose of the film, critical acceptance of the film, rhetorical devices, most effective scenes/points, latest updates on the issue, etc. Discuss each slide. 10 slide topics minimum must be covered.
3. Provide visual props that convey the message of your film (3 minimum). Discuss.
4. Provide a handout with visuals, information, and links to further research. Discuss.
** Images
** Basic info. about the film
** Basic info. about the issue
** Links to further research
5. Q & A Period
Additional Info.:
Bibliography (or Works Cited) Page:
List your sources in ABC order.
Follow MLA format.
We will NOT ANNOTATE this semester. However, you will be asked to indicate the PARAGRAPH # from the paper in which you made use of the particular source on the citation page.
Example:
Ebert, Roger. "Twilight". Rev. of Twilight dir. by Catherine Hardwicke. Chicago-Sun Times online. Chicago Sun-Times,
20 October 2008. Web. 02 November 2012. Cited in Paragraphs 3 and 4.
SIX KEY TERMS TO KNOW AND WATCH FOR IN DOCUMENTARIES
- Music (to create or change a mood, enhance an idea, add meaning to visual material)
- Voiceover and narration (to tell the story more effectively, to comment, to make things more clear)
- Montage (the edited sequence of shots. Done to compress time, transition from one mood to another, create emotions in the viewer)
- Graphics and visuals (to help illustrate ideas, to make things clear)
- Experts (to add credibility, to make ideas solid, to support arguments)
- Camera angles and strategic camera use. (close-ups, long medium and wide shots, zooming, panning, tracking, dolly shots, tilts)
Typically, documentaries:
- present compelling issues
- inform the viewer of key, relevant facts
- aim to leave a lasting impact
- might use interviews
- might set a scene
- might use a narrator
- might use voice-overs
- might include people
- might use text on screen
- might use music or sound effects
- might use visual effects (like black and white, fade, speed adjustment, vignette)
- may use transitions/editing to enhance the video
*Present tense
*No “I” statements
*Watch those vague pronouns!!
*5-7 sentences= 1 paragraph
*Title of film goes in italics
*Films cannot DO anything….directors do
*The claim (thesis) statement is your map. The claim statement should include the documentary’s title and should be a statement of purpose and argument. Ask yourself, what are you trying to analyze? What sticks out?
*For example, if I am viewing Super Size Me, I may want to analyze Spurlock’s message to America and whether his message affected audiences or McDonalds.
*I may say something like:
In Super Size Me, Morgan Spurlock effectively examines the impact eating McDonalds has on the body in order to inspire change in the way Americans eat.
*The claim statements should be the last sentence of the intro
* Topic statements are maps for your body paragraphs.
* A sample topic statement for the above essay might be:
Spurlock uses ethos to persuade audiences that eating fast food is harmful to a person's health.
A sample follow-up might be:
Many of the shots are of Spurlock in a doctor's office, and he uses the physicians to build the credibility for his claims. For example, ... (discuss a specific part of the film)