We will review five (5) documentary-style storytelling programs on Canvas during the semester:
Ken Burn’s Empire of the Air (1992)
A Decade Under The Influence (2003)
Soundbreaking: Sound and Vision (2016)
Crisis: Behind a Presidential Commitment (1963)
Anthony Bourdain’s Parts Unknown: Iran (2014)
You will choose ONE of these programs and write a 2-3 page analysis paper on your observations of that program’s production and storytelling elements including: story structure and tone, interviewing technique, editing, cinematography, sound and music design.
Submit written assignment typed and double-spaced to Canvas (Word, PDF, Pages).
Please use Times New Roman, 12-point font size.
Questions to discuss in your analysis paper:
What is the documentary about?
What format does the documentary use?
Talking heads
Voice-over narration
Do you find this format effective or not? Why?
Who is the audience for this documentary?
What idea or points are the filmmakers trying to get across to the audience?
Does the documentary employ any of the following interview techniques, and if so, describe how these techniques help to tell the documentary story:
Direct interview: we see both interviewer and subject.
Indirect interview: we only see the subject.
Direct narration: the subject describes what we are seeing or relates a story over visual imagery.
Discuss some of the aesthetic elements that the documentary employs. Some examples to look for when viewing:
Visualization: close-ups, wide shots, camera panning, zoom-in, zoom-outs, point of view
Lighting: lighting can help intensify or de-intensify a scene
Editing technique: quick cuts or slow dissolves
Sound design: ambient sounds, sound effects, natural sound
Music: how does the music set the mood?
Do you find any of these aesthetic elements effective or not? Why?
NOTE: This is an essay style analysis paper. Do not submit a numbered list of answers. Please review my grading rubric for this assignment regarding grading points breakdown.

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