TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS Students write a script for a documentary film on a topic of film history or theory Externally Assesed Worth 25% of IB MArk

TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS Students write a script for a documentary film on a topic of film history or theory  HL: page script  SL: 8-10 page script

TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS Students write a script for a documentary film on a topic of film history or theory  HL: page script  SL: 8-10 page script  US letter size paper  12 pt. Courier font, single spaced

TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS  Rationale – a brief, reasoned explanation of the concerns of the topic in no more than 100 words

TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS  Rationale – a brief, reasoned explanation of the concerns of the topic in no more than 100 words  Annotated list of sources – as an appendix, including the main source films

TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS  At HL, the script must draw on a minimum of 4 films from at least 2 countries

TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS  At HL, the script must draw on a minimum of 4 films from at least 2 countries  At SL, the script must draw on a minimum of 2 films from at least 2 countries

TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS  The target audience for the documentary is film students years old

TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS  The target audience for the documentary is film students years old  The “voice” of the documentary must be that of the student, who will also act as the narrator and on screen host

TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS  Scripts must employ an established documentary script format such as “side by side” or “split page” with columns for audio and video (video left, audio right)

TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS  Scripts must employ an established documentary script format such as “side by side” or “split page” with columns for audio and video (video left, audio right)  Descriptions of audio and video elements must be detailed and specific

TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS  The script must clearly indicate the relationship between the audio and video elements. Audio and Video columns must be “proficiently linked.”

TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS  The script must clearly indicate the relationship between the audio and video elements. Audio and Video columns must be directly aligned to establish the “link”  Use of time code can support the video description but cannot stand alone

TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS  Sources listed in the bibliography must be annotated to indicate how they were used in the script. Students must ensure that any comments or ideas coming from others are fully supported by detailed references in the annotated bibliography.

TOPIC CHOICE  Students are required to engage in an unfamiliar cinematic tradition (artistic method, style, movement, genre)

TOPIC CHOICE  Students are required to engage in an unfamiliar cinematic tradition (artistic method, style, movement, genre)  Students must research this tradition and incorporate the research into the script

TOPIC CHOICE Film History or Theory  Film History – topics relating to the chronological development of film

TOPIC CHOICE Film History or Theory  Film History – topics relating to the chronological development of film  Film Theory – topics focusing on what makes film work as a medium and art form

TOPIC CHOICE  Some topics might include aspects of both, such as the development of “movements” like Expressionism or Neo-Realism

TOPIC CHOICE  Some topics might include aspects of both, such as the development of “movements” like Expressionism or Neo-Realism  Film theory includes concepts like narrative, genre, use of light, editing, auteur film theory, feminist film theory, etc.

TOPIC CHOICE  Start with a big, general idea such as “Editing”

TOPIC CHOICE  Start with a big, general idea such as “Editing”  Decide on some arguments or points relating to the general idea – fast cutting enhances excitement, cutting compresses time and space, cutting shows reactions

TOPIC CHOICE  Find resources (other than the main films) that will support the general idea – web sites, texts, critical writing, etc.

TOPIC CHOICE  Find resources (other than the main films) that will support the general idea – web sites, texts, critical writing, etc.  Search data bases, web, library for key words – editing, montage, Eisenstein…

TOPIC CHOICE  Create a list of films that would connect to the general idea: Battleship Potemkin, Psycho, Kill Bill Vol. I, Crash…

TOPIC CHOICE  Create a list of films that would connect to the general idea: Battleship Potemkin, Psycho, Kill Bill Vol. I, Crash…  Select extracts from the films that illustrate the general idea – Odessa steps, shower scene, opening sequence in Crash…

TOPIC CHOICE  Develop a title, making sure it deals with some aspect of film history of theory – “How Russian Editing Theories Influenced Filmmakers in America”

TOPIC CHOICE  Develop a title, making sure it deals with some aspect of film history of theory – “How Russian Editing Theories Influenced Filmmakers in America”  If necessary, limit the topic – “How Editing, as seen in the Odessa Steps Sequence, Influenced 1960s American Filmmakers”

TOPIC CHOICE  Select the best primary films – Battleship Potemkin and Psycho

TOPIC CHOICE  Select the best primary films – Battleship Potemkin and Psycho  Select the “clips” and the “voice over” video to be used from these films

TOPIC CHOICE  Select the quotations or paraphrases to be used as “interviews” or voice over

TOPIC CHOICE  Select the quotations or paraphrases to be used as “interviews” or voice over  Audio can be clips, voice over, “interviews,” music  Video can be clips from films, video from films, other appropriate video

TOPIC CHOICE  Topic must be “discussed primarily in cinematic terms”

TOPIC CHOICE  Topic must be “discussed primarily in cinematic terms”  Go beyond plot, character and setting. Discuss camera, light, sound, editing, color, movement, composition, etc.

TOPIC CHOICE Instead of tell who shoots whom in a gun fight, talk about…  How tension is supported by the score  How rapid cutting increases suspense  How use of slow motion draws the viewer into the scene

COMMON PITFALLS  Choosing a topic better suited to a literary, social or political discussion

COMMON PITFALLS  Choosing a topic better suited to a literary, social or political discussion  Not discussing the topic in cinematic terms

COMMON PITFALLS  Choosing a topic better suited to a literary, social or political discussion  Not discussing the topic in cinematic terms  Using celebrities or imaginary characters as narrator or host

COMMON PITFALLS  Choosing a topic better suited to a literary, social or political discussion  Not discussing the topic in cinematic terms  Using celebrities or imaginary characters as narrator or host  Scripts over or under length

COMMON PITFALLS  Topics that do not represent an unfamiliar cinematic tradition – comparing Casino Royale and Mission Impossible

COMMON PITFALLS  Topics that do not represent an unfamiliar cinematic tradition – comparing Casino Royale and Mission Impossible  Limited use of sources, depending on Wikepedia, IMDB, “special features” on DVDs

COMMON PITFALLS  Topics that do not represent an unfamiliar cinematic tradition – comparing Casino Royale and Mission Impossible  Limited use of sources, depending on Wikepedia, IMDB, “special features” on DVDs  Scripts “padded” by creative spacing and margins

My Role  Give advice on a first draft, although do not heavily edit. The next version must be the final one.

My Role  Give advice on a first draft, although do not heavily edit. The next version must be the final one.  Go over the exemplars on the OCC