Juan Monroy — Assignment: Prewar Documentary Film and National Identity

In the pre–World War II period, there were several schools of documentary filmmakers whose primary goal was to foster nationalism. This was especially true throughout the 1930s and 1940s in the Soviet Union, United Kingdom, the United States, and Germany.

In this writing assignment, discuss how one film we’ve studied in class articulates a sense of nationalism through its use of one or more of the 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.

I recommend selecting two or more scenes from your chosen film and analyzing at least one of the formal elements listed above.

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 essay. Upload a double-spaced PDF document to Canvas to the assignment named “Essay 1: Prewar Doc and National Identity.”