Television and Documentaries

• 1958 – 2008 part 1

• The Narrated Documentary
• Current Affairs Units and Docs
• The limits of freedom, independence
and experimentation at networks
• The rebellion against conventional films
• TV and the Independent film maker
 Assignments
• The film critique
• The film list – see weblog.
• # 1 a single film – due February 15th
• # 2 a compare and contrast – 2 films
• # 3 a compare and contrast – 2 films
• Details on #’s 2 and 3 on Feb 22nd.
 Assignment
• First film critique should be no more
than 1000 words or four pages double
spaced
• Identify name of film and film maker at
the top and where you got the film
• Draw from list on line or e-mail me if
you want to review a film not on list
• You may also find some docs on LINE
 Assignment
• The film critique
• Describe the film briefly
• Analyze its style and content
• Why is it effective or not?
• What visual or creative or experimental
devices does it employ
• Draw from Barnouw or Nichols in your
analysis. Reference sources
Documentaries on Television
• In the early days of television – the
news division’s of television networks in
America and Britain saw current affairs
and long form documentary
programming as part of their
responsibility
• Serious programming
• Serious issues
• Commercial pressures; abandoned
form
 Early TV Documentaries
• In the 1950s - 1960’s CBS, NBC and
ABC set up Documentary units
• Producing in house between 12 and 24
Docs a year
• At CBS – Fred W. Friendly established
“See it Now” and “CBS Reports”
• With famous broadcaster Edward R.
Murrow
 Early TV Documentaries
• At NBC – a unit called NBC White
Paper was set up and investigative
documentaries were introduced
• Cultural Documentaries were also
encouraged ex: 1973 – The Forbidden
City of Beijing produced by Lucy Jarvis
• Robert Drew produced political docs
(more later)
 Early TV Documentaries
• At American ABC News – the “ABC
Close-up” Unit was founded under
Executive Producer Pamela Hill
• Encouraged independents as well as in-
house documentaries –
• usually in a traditional conservative,
narrative style
 In Britain
• At the BBC in the 1950’s the network
launched Panorama – a weekly single
subject current affairs program
• The BBC invested in expensive cultural
documentaries
• Independent British TV launched a
cutting edge single topic current affairs
program called World in Action
An early film at American CBS
• Taught at J-Schools and Film schools
around the world esp America
• “Harvest of Shame” 1960
• See 2006 article on the film
• http://www.populist.com/06.12.krebs.html

• An interesting footnote in 1961

• http://www.vcdh.virginia.edu/HIUS316/mbase/docs/harvest.html
 A modern comparison
• “When the Levees Broke - A Requiem
in Four Acts” (2006)
• Hurricane Katrina
• Director: Spike Lee
• http://video.barnesandnoble.com/search/product.asp?ean=26359397325&z=y

• Assignment: check to see if this film is

available in Hong Kong?
 Harvest of Shame (1960)
• Produced by Fred W. Friendly
• Reported by David Lowe
• Written & anchored by Edward Murrow
• CBS Reports
• Was striking for its images
• For its subject matter
• And its timing Thanksgiving 1960
The BBC 1969:“Civilisation”
• Started in 1966. The most ambitious,
most expensive documentary series
shot in 13 countries, 100 locations
• Written by “Lord” Kenneth Clark
• Produced by Michael Gill
• In Colour
• Show film excerpt
 Civilisation (1969)
• The personal view of history by
• Kenneth Clark
• http://www.tvfactual.co.uk/civilisation.htm
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenneth_Clark

• Very stodgy by modern standards

• But the first of many BIG documentaries
for television at the BBC
 BBC Panorama
• BBC’s first current affairs effort
• Single subject for 50 minutes – weekly
• “World’s longest running investigative
TV show”
• 1953
• See: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/panorama/default.stm
• See:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/panorama/about_panorama/default.stm
 BBC Panorama
• Often Controversial
• Sometimes for the wrong reason
• Allowing a reporter/film maker to go too far –
personal involvement is part of doc film
making but the actions of this doc reporter
• Was out of control
• Panorama May 2007 - Scientology
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v
=Md0zPchNeQ0
The American Network Doc
• Born at CBS, NBC, ABC
• The style of CBS Reports remained at
the networks through the early 1990’s
• A personal experience
• Creativity lost to corporate film making
• 1979-1980
This Shattered Land (1980)
• A film about the Cambodian Famine
• Shooting began in 1979
• Written and produced by Phil Lewis and Jim
Laurie
• Approval by a committee of 12 people
• Graphic nature, scheduling problems
• A deeply flawed film about a worthy subject.
• Impact less than desired (show film = 2 pts)
 Another film by contrast

• John Pilger
• 1980
• The Silent Death of Cambodia
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V2dLjaB83
Myths Behind the Miracle (1981)
• A film about Japan
• Directed by Malcolm Clarke
• Written by Jim Laurie
• Again the dreaded
• Committee of 12
• Limiting POV and Limiting expression
• ( excerpt )
 Smaller cameras changed the
style and form
• From the mid 1950’s onward
• First in film and then later (1980’s) in
video tape
• Cameras became smaller & smaller
• Less obtrusive
• More flexibility for the documentary film
maker
• Film making followed technology
 Early Influential Films &
Filmmakers
• Some film makers experimented
• Robert Drew producing films for NBC,
ABC and Time Magazine moved away
from narrative story telling. In early 60’s
broke convention.
• An experiment that lasted a short time
to be revived only much later
 Un-narrated Docs on
Television
• Cinema Verite
• Direct Cinema
• Observational
• “Candid Drama” [Drew]
• No narration
• Resistance by traditional television
 Un-narrated Docs on TV
• On Drew -- Susan Hamovitch writes of
“ambivalence of the television industry …”
[toward the un-narrated form]
• “difficulty attracting sponsors for the projects;”
• and most importantly
• “the networks' unshakable preference for
correspondent-hosted or narrated reporting.
…Predictable, containable, effects of a regular
news anchor have prevailed, with exceptions,
over more poetic candid documentary.”
Early NON narrative film making
• Robert Drew
• http://www.drewassociates.net/Main/About.htm
• http://www.museum.tv/archives/etv/D/htmlD/drewrobert/drewrobert.htm

• “Primary” (1960)
• http://www.sugarpictures.com/News/News_Item10_JFK.html

• Influential in making “War Room” in

1993 About 1st Clinton Campaign
• Show excerpt from “War Room”
Early NON narrative film making
• Show Clip re Robert Drew – [from CV @ 1530]
• Footnote:
• “Primary” was not shown on prime time
network television
• Without national network TV -
• Distribution on smaller TV channels,
• Theatrical or film festival or DVD or
internet (in the 2000’s) release
 Next Time
• Continue Documentary and Television
• American PBS – Frontline
• Britain Channel 4
• Getting money from TV to make films
• HBO, Discovery, and NGC
• Docs on TV – 1998 to 2008
 Remember
• Critique one film
• E-mail by February 15th
• Check out film list on WEBLOG
• See you February 15th
• Cong Xi Fa Cai
• Kung Hei Fat Choi