Juan Monroy — Assignment: Documentary and The Archive

One persistent connection in documentary film production in the post–World War II era has been the use of archival footage to show how the past is a part of the present.

In this writing assignment, describe and analyze how one of the films in this Letterboxd list uses archival footage to show how the past is alive in the present day (i.e., the time when the documentary was produced or released). You may consider how the film either edits archival footage together from a variety of different sources—or how it blends archival footage with original footage, such as interviews—to revive the past.

Now (Santiago Alvarez, Cuba, 1965) available on Vimeo
In the Year of the Pig (Emile de Antonio, USA, 1968) available on Google Drive
Millhouse: A White Comedy (Emile de Antonio, USA, 1971) available on iTunes
History and Memory (for Akiko and Takashige) (Rea Tajiri, USA, 1991) available from Pratt Library on Pratt Talks
The Celluloid Closet (Rob Epstein Jeffrey Friedman, USA, 1995) available from Pratt Library and on Google Drive
The Female Closet (Barbara Hammer, USA, 1996) available from Pratt Library, on Pratt Talks, and on Google Drive
The Fog of War (Errol Morris, USA, 2003) available from Pratt Library and on Google Drive
Intimate Stranger (Alan Berliner, USA, 2009) available from Pratt Library and find where to stream on Just Watch
Granito: How to Nail a Dictator (Pamela Yates, USA, 2011) find where to stream on Just Watch
LA 92 (T.J. Martin and Daniel Lindsay, USA, 2017) find where to stream on Just Watch
Totally Under Control (Alex Gibney, Ophelia Harutyunyan, and Suzanne Hillinger; USA, 2020) find where to stream on Just Watch

What Do You Mean By "Archival Footage?"

It might help to think of the differences between what historians call a primary source and a secondary source. A primary source is any artifact generated by the event. A secondary source is an "after-the-fact" account of the event. By "after-the-fact," it helps to ask whether there is historical distance between the account and the event.

Archival footage would be like a primary source—something generated by the event. The documentary itself would be a kind of secondary source that examines the event using primary and other secondary sources. Primary sources would include archival footage, while secondary sources would include new footage shot by the filmmakers, current interviews with witnesses and participants, and newly created explanatory titles and voiceover narration.

Your analysis should focus on specific sequences in the documentary film, referencing at least one of following formal elements:

mise-en-scène, the process of placing props, costumes, performances, and settings in a scene. Some key terms include profilmic space, location filming, shadows, lighting, aperture framing, and gestures.
cinematography, the process of using a camera and applying optical and chemical effects to create an photographic image. Some key terms include framing, shallow focus, contrast, slow motion, and angle of framing.
editing, the process of selecting, cutting, and stitching together camera footage. Some key terms include cut, fade, flashbacks, elliptical editing, shot-reverse-shot.
sound design, the sonic elements that complement or undermine the image. Some key terms include diegetic sound, voiceover narration, and offscreen sound.

Be sure to describe the sequences you’re analyzing in detail. Do not use timecode: it doesn’t help me visualize the scene you’re discussing in your paper. Feel free to include a few screen captures from the film in your paper to illustrate your description of the sequence. Do not analyze the entire film, and do not summarize the plot. Also, do not use the word “successful” (or a synonym) anywhere in your essay.

You don’t need to do any outside research for this assignment, but if you do use any bibliographic sources, you will need to cite those. Please remember to italicize the title of the films—don’t put the title in quotes.

Your paper should be about 1,200 words in length and is due in class on the date specified on the syllabus. Please do not email me your paper. Upload a double-spaced PDF document to Canvas to the assignment named “Essay 2: Documentary and The Archive.”