Assignment 1 instructions film
Dakota Amos
Grade points: 150
INSTRUCTIONS
This midterm assignment aims to prepare you for your final project, which is a documentary
proposal for a mock African-American documentary film. In preparation for your final (which
is a completed documentary proposal project), you will start your research on real-world
documentary ideas that focus on African-American subjects — just as all of the films you’ve
learned about so far this semester have done. Once you find an idea and we validate it
through this midterm assignment, you will begin to flesh it out into the documentary mock
proposal for the FINAL, which includes a pitch to your classmates as a part of your final
project grade (and a shot at extra credit points—more on this later). Although this is a mock
proposal and pitch, the subjects and stories must be real and verifiable.
For your research outline, you must look for and submit an idea for a documentary with
African-American subjects. We’re looking for character-driven stories with an overarching
theme. It doesn’t matter if it’s a national, regional or local subject, but your characters and
overarching issues must directly affect people in a Black community. Don’t worry about
having access to your subjects — this is a mock proposal! But the issues, characters and
subjects must be real so I can fact-check. Think about personal stories that can help start
the conversation on a deeper issue in the Black community.
You should look at news stories, current documentary topics that could be expanded or
further explored, articles, books, think pieces, or whatever source for REAL STORIES you
can think of. I don’t want to hear about Tiger Woods or Oprah; that’s been done. I also avoid
the prison system and Black-on-Black crime–we’ve got that! No pitches about Black Panther
— think fresh ideas! Look for real, intimate stories. There may even be some on our campus,
so make sure you look around!
NOTE: PLEASE DO NOT CONFUSE THIS ASSIGNMENT FOR A MOCKUMENTARY IDEA
– WHAT I MEAN IS YOU WILL WRITE AN OUTLINE AND PITCH YOUR STORY IDEA AS
IF I HAVE $20,000 I COULD GIVE YOU LIKE TOMORROW TO PRODUCE THIS FILM
IDEA IN REAL LIFE.
______________
EXAMPLE TOPICS AND STORY IDEAS:
– Maybe you read about an event for Black entrepreneurs in Northwest Arkansas. Follow up
with those who attended and pitch an idea to tell a story about being a minority-owned
business in a predominately white area such as NWA.
– A previous student in this course was a Wiccan, so she researched and found a Black
Wiccan society (not in Arkansas, but that was ok because the group actually exists). She
pitched a great mock proposal for this story idea.
– Another former student pitched a story idea to cover the community remembrance project
happening here in Northwest Arkansas, which is a collective of individuals working with the
Equal Justice Initiative to memorialize three Black men who were lynched in Fayetteville in
the mid-1800s.
______________
If in doubt, feel free to run your project idea past me to make sure it meets the requirements
for the project. Do not pick a film idea already completed or in development, especially for a
mass audience.
The outline you submit can be in any format you choose, but should include the
following:
1. 600 words or more. You should be comfortable with the subject to discuss it at length. Do
your research and read!
2. Tell me where you found the story or how you learned about the topic. What are your
sources of information?
3. Include at least one image related to the subject/topic.
4. Include a descriptive list of characters and how their storylines tie into the subject. I don’t
want to hear any broad subject story ideas. You’re not Ken Burns…yet!
5. Tell me why this story matters — what value would a documentary on this subject/topic
bring to audiences and/or solve some problem? (If applicable) What is at stake?
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