Minor in Documentary

The course traces the documentary film from its origins to the present day.  As this still-young art evolved, documentarians of different schools constantly sought new means to tell the human story. Documentary filmmaking has always been a blend of artistry and technical means and we will also explore this critical relationship.  The course explores the development of the documentary and the shifting intentions of documentary filmmakers through the evolution of narrative approach and structure paying special attention to the documentary tradition’s relationship to journalism. Students examine how different filmmakers have gone about trying to convey “reality” on screen both through the use and avoidance of narration, through interviews, editing and dramatizations. Throughout the semester, students investigate how image-driven medium attempts to report stories and the ways an emotion-driven art can be problematic for journalistic objectivity.  Finally, the ethical and journalistic responsibilities the documentary filmmaker are discussed.

This course, while not a production class, is designed to give students the opportunity to learn each stage of the documentary filmmaking process from the best working professionals in their field. Each week we will watch a documentary and meet someone who had a pivotal role in the making of that documentary. Our guests will include producers, directors, cinematographers, sound engineers, editors, writers, film composers and sound mixers. These professionals will share their experience and expertise with the class and answer questions about their work thereby providing a foundation of insight into the decisions, tools and skills that go into the making of good documentaries. Class discussions will explore the creative and technical decisions involved in the making the film.

The interview is at the heart of the documentary film and many forms of media, journalism, podcasts and theater. It is a basic tool in academic research. This course will analyze the skills required to produce a successful interview: selecting subjects; preparing and posing questions; focused listening and eliciting powerful responses. Students will be exposed to some of the finest examples of interviews across disciplines demonstrating the range of styles and contexts for the interview. Whether with a random stranger, a family member or a well-known personality, students will develop the ability to conduct meaningful interviews during the course of the semester.

Many films - both narrative and documentary - aim to present some form of “truth” and reality to the audience. This innovative course challenges students to think outside the box, inspiring a unique take on what it means to tell a true story in the cinematic artform. We will examine films that blur the line between documentary and fiction, calling into question the notion of portraying "truth" in cinema. We will deconstruct how filmmakers' selection and presentation of visual materials reveals an artful manipulation of reality in order to evoke meaning and emotion. The class will use films as texts to explore how cinematic storytelling attempts to create and subvert representations of reality. Films watched in the course include "Stories We Tell," "This is Spinal Tap," "Medium Cool," "The Act of Killing" and more. Through a close analysis of films that challenge our notion of what is “real,” students will interrogate the notion of truth in cinema, and discover a new way of thinking about film narrative. In this course, students will meet virtually to screen clips from films, participate in remote workshops, and engage in lively discussions. Student work will include written film analysis, and students will also put theory into practice through the creation of a remote video exercise based on this theme (using cellphone filming, archival material and footage taken from both real-life and fiction films). This course inspires students to see the art of cinematic storytelling not as a narrow construct, but rather one that allows the filmmaker to blend veracity and creation to produce original narratives.

This course is about the struggle between commerce and art in the worlds of film, television, theatre, music and new technologies.  It provides students with a framework for understanding the dynamics and various routes to raising funds for artistic endeavors.  The students will learn about basic financial tools and structures as well as exploring traditional and non-traditional fundraising and financing techniques.  This course will allow students to develop a general understanding of fundraising and financing the entertainment world and refining the creative skills necessary to develop proposals that allow the student to one day realize her or his creative vision, build a career, and establish themselves as an entrepreneur.

Cross-listed with CINE-UT 454

Non-Film majors may not be eligible to enroll in FMTV courses until the Open Access date, which is later than student registration times. To view Open Access dates, click the box that says "...UGFTV Open Access List" in the left margin on the enrollment procedure for non-majors page.

The enrollment procedure for non-majors can be found here.

This course will explore the blurred boundaries between documentary and fiction filmmaking.  Intended to widen the horizons of the creative filmmaker and film student, we will analyze major documentary traditions with a specific focus on the narrative techniques used in the telling of powerful stories.  Alongside, we will examine contemporary fiction filmmaking that has broken new grounds by a creative absorption and sometimes exploitation of the documentary method.  The course will consist of four components: film analysis, interviews with filmmakers, seminal readings on the subject, and a creative treatment by every student on a film of their choice or a film they would like to make.

COURSE SUBJECT TO DEPARTMENTAL FEES. 

Non-Film majors may not be eligible to enroll in FMTV courses until the Open Access date, which is later than student registration times. To view Open Access dates, click the box that says "...UGFTV Open Access List" in the left margin on the enrollment procedure for non-majors page.

The enrollment procedure for non-majors can be found here.

14 sessions will be devoted to a history of the genre, screening essential films both inside and outside the canon, with a focus on the changes in style, technique, and subject matter which influenced the form from its earliest beginnings to the present. Undergraduates who take the course for three points are required to keep journals in which they respond to each session and compare observations with those made when viewing at least one documentary of their choice seen outside class, as well as in response to critical essays provided at each session and references in the text.

Non-Film majors may not be eligible to enroll in FMTV courses until the Open Access date, which is later than student registration times. To view Open Access dates, click the box that says "...UGFTV Open Access List" in the left margin on the enrollment procedure for non-majors page.

The enrollment procedure for non-majors can be found here.

14 contemporary and influential filmmakers will be present to show their work (often works-in-progress) and discuss the challenges they face as modes of production and distribution continually change.  Former guests have included D. A. Pennebaker, David Grubin, Les Blank, Albert Maysles, Sam Pollard, Susanne Rostock and others whose work is regularly seen on television and in theaters. Undergraduates who take the course for three points are required to keep journals in which they respond to each session and compare observations with those made when viewing at least one documentary of their choice seen outside class, as well as in response to critical essays provided at each session and references in the text.

Prerequisite: MKTG-UB 1 or permission of instructor. Fall and Spring

Provides students with a framework for understanding key marketing issues facing organizations in the entertainment industry. Establishes a basis for the formulation of marketing tactics and strategies for firms competing for consumers' discretionary spending. Covers recent developments in major sectors of the entertainment industry, including movies, television and cable, and theatre and sports. Examines issues that cut across all types of entertainment marketing, including licensing and promotion. Uses case studies and projects.

This course is offered in New York and Los Angeles. Visit NYU Los Angeles for course schedules and registration information.

Fundamentals of Documentary Filmmaking I is an intensive 14 week course combining film screenings, lectures, and creative workshops to introduce students to documentary film production, basic film production tools, and basic film grammar. Students will work both independently and in remote “crews” to research, discover, design, pre-produce, film and edit short documentary film exercises and a final short documentary film. Students are challenged to think creatively to use cellphone footage, archival material and remote interviews to capture non-fiction material. We will learn about documentary storytelling through editing, and get intensive hands-on training in professional editing software. Students will regularly screen their work for each other, and provide constructive feedback to expand one another’s abilities as filmmakers. This course serves to expand the Open Arts program’s film production course offerings by making an introductory documentary filmmaking class available. It is similar in structure and technical scope to the existing Fundamentals of Filmmaking I course - which is a narrative based course. Fundamentals of Documentary Filmmaking I will also serve as an introductory film production course for other NYU students who may have an interest in non-fiction, documentary film production courses. This course will count towards the Documentary minor. Please email Tisch Special Programs at tisch.minors@nyu.edu to ask to substitute this course for the minor. This remote practical workshop is designed to introduce students to the techniques and theory of developing and directing short film ideas that are shot on digital video using their own cell phones or cameras and edited with Adobe Premiere Pro software. The course centers on learning all the elements of visual storytelling through a spectrum of aesthetic approaches. Working in virtual crews, students learn writing, directing, producing and editing skills as they each direct three short videos (three to five minutes in length) on their own cell phones or cameras. Students are required to have a video recording device to participate in this class and will have to follow Tisch remote filming guidelines for health and safety. If you are using a smartphone, Filmic Pro is a required purchase (approx $14.99), which is compatible with iOS 11 or higher. A personal DSLR or mirrorless camera that records video may also be used. Small, cellphone stands (approx $15) are recommended and strongly suggested (we will provide link). It is also required that you purchase an external hard drive (you may find specs at https://tinyurl.com/oacompcamp). Adobe Premiere will be used for editing and students should make sure they have computers that meet the following tech requirements (https://helpx.adobe.com/premiere-pro/system-requirements.html). Other editing software may be used by permission from the instructor. Additional College Student Insurance (approx $155) is a recommended purchase to protect your personal equipment, but is not required. Please contact your professor if you have any questions about your intended camera or computer use. 

"Documenting Discovery” is an intensive 14 week course combining lectures and creative workshops to fully explore documentary film production. Students will learn advanced non-fiction filmmaking techniques, including interviewing subjects, capturing visuals from real life and documentary storytelling. Over the course of the semester, students will hone their filmmaking skills through a series of exercises, leading up to a final project that focuses on a single subject. Focusing on both content and form, student filmmakers will choose a subject to research, interview and develop a documentary film with a clear narrative arc. Students can choose to focus on a friend or family member, or else they can choose from a pool of suggested subjects to document their process of artistic discovery.

Formerly Fundamentals of Film: A Digital Workshop

This practical workshop is designed to introduce students to the techniques and theory of developing and producing short film ideas that are shot on digital video and edited digitally on computer using Adobe Premiere Pro Software. The course centers on learning elements of visual storytelling through a spectrum of aesthetic approaches. Working in crews of four, students learn directing, shooting, and editing skills as they each direct three short videos (three to five minutes in length).  This course is specifically designed to fulfill the major requirements in production of students not majoring in film and therefore, students who need to fulfill this requirement are given registration priority. For this course, the University Bursar assesses a lab fee.

Impact Producing is an emerging field in the film industry that uses issue-driven films as catalysts to create social, political, or cultural change through advocacy and engagement. Just as films have producers to manage the creative and financial process from script to screen, they also increasingly need Impact Producers to take the film campaign from production to impact. This hands-on class will guide participants through the essentials for becoming an Impact Producer by identifying key skills and goals. Participants will learn the scope of work necessary for building allies and partnerships, creating and measuring successful campaigns, and transforming passion for social change into a viable career path. Each semester the class will work in groups to create an actual impact strategy for a film in current release as a final project.

This course introduces students to the study of contemporary forms of mediated communication. The course surveys the main topics in the field and introduces students to a variety of analytical perspectives. Issues include the economics of media production; the impact of media on individual attitudes, values, and behaviors; the role of media professionals, and the impact of new media technologies.

SPRING SEMESTERS ONLY

Prerequisites: Foundations

This course is designed to acquaint students with the basic protections and restrictions of the law as they apply to the media, as well as the ethical problems and dilemmas journalists face. First Amendment rights and legal and ethical responsibilities and limitations will be examined and discussed. The course will look at these questions from five viewpoints: from (i) the practical view of a journalist doing his job with (ii) heavy consideration of ethical imperatives, and (iii) from a legal prospective, all the while (iv) considering the rules in a public policy context -- are they fair and appropriate in our society? -- while (v) noting the historical context in which they arise. Significant court cases and fundamental legal rules as well as past ethical scandals and issues will be explored in the context of political and historical realities, and in terms of journalistic standards and practices; contemporary media law issues and ethical problems and guidelines will also be focused on. Among the basic First Amendment issues which will be examined are libel, invasion of privacy, prior restraints, newsgathering and newsgathering torts, and the reporter's privilege; some of the ethical issues to be explored include objectivity in reporting, bias and transparency, conflicts of interest, and fair dealings with subjects, sources and advertisers.

This course consists of one lecture per week and one recitation section. Students must register for both the lecture AND a specific recitation section and attend the lecture and that section each week.

Prerequisites: None

This is a multi-topic course. Check Albert to see which topic is being offered in a given semester. Examples of topics under this course banner are below.

Minorities and the Media 
Why do we think that way? What do we mean by "women" and "men"? If you were a visiting anthropologist from Mars, how could you use our culture's media to understand our ideas about gender? Women & the Media is a collaborative seminar that examines the complex relationship (or different contradictory relationships) between those humans we call "women" and those forms of discourse we call "media." We will consider women both as subjects and objects, as artists and models, as creators of "media" in its many forms and as media's creations. What does our culture's "media" tell us about how we read gender? What, if anything, does our gender tell us about our readings of "media"? Student participation in this seminar is key: students are expected to attend all sessions, to complete all the reading (there's lots of reading!), to participate actively in discussion, and to lead one of the class sessions themselves. Leading a class means opening the day's conversation with a presentation, critiquing and elaborating on the assigned reading, bringing in additional relevant material, and suggesting questions or issues that seem particularly interesting or troublesome. The purpose of the course is to develop our critical and self-critical faculties as journalists, media critics, consumers of media, and women or men; to think clearly, challenge our pet assumptions, and have fun.

Women in the Media
A collaborative seminar designed to examine the complex relationship (or different, contradictory relationships) between those humans we call “women” and those forms of discourse we call “media.” We will consider women both as subjects and objects, as artists and models, as creators of “media” in its many forms and as media’s creations. What does our culture’s “media” tell us about its ideas of gender?      

What, if anything, does our gender tell us about our readings of “media?"

This course is an examination of the great debate concerning the effects of mass media and mass communication on our society. Analysis and application of major perspectives and approaches used in formulating modern theories of mass communication.

Please follow the steps below to obtain an internship through Tisch Film and Television:

1. Tisch students should sign up for an account with Tisch College Central, the online portal that is offered by Tisch Student Affairs which houses information on internship and job opportunities. Non-Tisch students, should sign up for an NYU Handshake account with NYU Wasserman. If you are not a Tisch student and would like temporary access to Tisch College Central, you must enroll in FMTV-UT 1039 first and you will be given temporary access while you search for an internship. Please see step #4 and email ugftv.internships@nyu.edu for more information. 
   
   
2. You can also obtain an internship on your own. For the Documentary Minor, keep in mind, that an internship does not have to be Film/TV focused, as the minor also covers producing for theater or music or new media. Non-Film and TV majors should consult with their home departments regarding the nature of the internship.
   
   
3. Each 1 credit of internship is equivalent to approximately 50 hours of work. Students may earn 1 credit (50 hours) to 6 credits (300 hours) per semester. Students may intern during any semester, including J-Term and Summer.
   
   

4. Once you have obtained an internship, please contact ugftv.internships@nyu.edu with your full name and N# to receive a permission code to enroll in Media Internship for Non-Majors (FMTV-UT 1039). Students cannot self-enroll in Media Internship.
   
   

5. Once enrolled in Media Internship, please visit the NYU Classes site for Media Internship (usually activated 1-2 weeks prior to the start of the semester). Navigate to the "Assignments" tab to download the Internship Agreement packet for your supervisor to complete, along with other assignments needed for the course. Once you and your supervisor complete and sign the Internship Agreement Packet, please upload the completed version back to NYU Classes.
   
   
6. Questions? Please visit our Media Internship FAQs and email ugftv.internships@nyu.edu with additional questions. Be sure to include your full name, whether you are a Producing or Documentary Minor, and N#.

Tisch Drama majors: Please contact Rachel Friedman at rf90@nyu.edu.

Today, many documentarians consider themselves working within a well-defined human rights framework where images and film are used to raise awareness about social injustice. On the far edge of this movement, however, there are writers, photographers and filmmakers whose work calls attention to the traditional documentary ethics of bearing witness but whose modes of representation blur the lines between fact and fiction. This body of work is more open-ended to interpretation and multiple readings, which also include more personal themes such as loss and melancholy, the ephemeral nature of time and memory, nostalgia and change. We will study several different kinds of visual poetics such as combining documentary photos with literature, artists working with archives and found images, the personal essay film, ethnographic poetics, photo reportage and new media visual storytelling, mixed media and public projections. Some of the writers and artists we will study include Alfredo Jaar, W.G. Sebald, Chris Marker, Christian Boltanski, Forough Farrokhzad, Susan Sontag, Marcelo Brodsky, Roland Barthes, Miguel Rio Branco, Alexander Sokurov, Lorna Simpson, Jean Rouch, Susan Meiselas, Jonas Mekas.

Non-Film majors may not be eligible to enroll in FMTV courses until the Open Access date, which is later than student registration times. To view Open Access dates, click the box that says "...UGFTV Open Access List" in the left margin on the enrollment procedure for non-majors page.

The enrollment procedure for non-majors can be found here.

This course will examine the moral and ethical problems of documentary making; logistics and planning; research techniques and sources; choice of media and style. Each student will be expected to develop at least one idea into a project.  COURSE SUBJECT TO DEPARTMENTAL FEES.  

NOTE: ONLY AVAILABLE DURING SUMMER TERM

The course teaches students to look at their world and to develop the ability to create compelling and dramatic stories in which real people are the characters and real life is the plot. Through close study and analysis of feature length and short documentaries, as well as hands on directing, shooting, sound-recording and editing, students rigorously explore the possibilities and the power of non-fiction storytelling for video. The course is a dynamic combination of individual and group production work in which each student will be expected to complete five projects.  Open to NYU non-majors only during SUMMER term. REQUIRED PURCHASE: All students must purchase at least 1 Firewire Hard Drive of 500 GB  or more. An additional drive for backup is strongly recommended. Drive requirements: Min speed 7200 RPM, preferably with an 8 MB buffer, Firewire 800 and USB3 required. Formatted as Mac OS extended; NO small-form factor drives, they should be full-sized and have a separate power source; have a manufacturer warranty of at least 1 year.  In addition to lab and insurance fees charged by the university, all students must also purchase a supplemental insurance policy at a cost of $155.