Assignment Instructions/ Description
ANT101: Ethnographic Film Critique Assignment
Ethnography, the product of anthropological observation and participation with a group of people, often comes in the form of books and/or articles. However, it can also be in the form of video. Just as we must critically analyze written forms, so also we must critically examine video ethnography. Why you may ask? Well…
All ethnography is created by individuals with their own theoretical perspectives and agenda(s).
Behind every ethnographic documentary, there are researchers and a film crew hoping to convey certain aspects and ideas about a group of people. Various films styles and techniques used can impact what viewers understand and “see.”
Also, film length constraints mean that some scenes are edited out, and certain people’s comments are included while others are not. Film, as a construction, is not ‘pure, representations of culture.’
Thus, it is important that we critically analyze these film-based ethnographies. This assignment will help you learn how to critically analyze these video-based forms of ethnography.
Use the elements and questions below to form your analysis of the film you choose. To the best of your ability address seven of the nine questions and the final question.
In the heading of your paper, indicate the name of the film, the year it was produced, your name, the course and section number, and instructor name (Prof. Harms).
Your paper needs to be typed, double-spaced, 12-point font, and between 2 and 4 pages in length.
Late submissions will be reduced 50%.
Elements and questions needed for your analysis:
First, briefly, explain what the film is about. Next, address at least 7 of the 9 questions, and the final question.
Does the film use the emic (native point of view) or etic narration (disembodied narrator who portrays people as exotics), or both? Provide two specific examples of this portrayal.
Is the film’s “voice” (recall that film is a form of communication) that of someone who is a distant observer or expert, or is it that of someone who is an active participant in what is going on? Do the filmmakers appear in the documentary or not?
Is the film concerned with making generalizations about a group of people (showing general cultural patterns) or with portraying internal differences (heterogeneity) within a group of people?
If the film shows variation, what type is it exactly? (For example, is it in connection to gender, age, or class lines, or social position? In other words, are both men’s and women’s lives shown, the young and old, those with high social positions and those without?) How do they show this in the film?
Does the film convey individual personalities; does it use personal names and an individual’s actions or does it display only the interactions of groups of people? Does this affect viewer understanding?
How may have the film crew influenced the behavior of those being filmed? Do certain scenes feel staged, or rather do they feel natural, unscripted?
How visual is the film? How verbal is the film? Are the visual and the verbal elements complementary, contradictory, or unconnected?
Are there technical aspects of the film (i.e. light, angle, close-up shots) that seem to be used to portray a particular feeling, or a character/scene, or to arouse a particular feeling in the viewer?
Are there film and editing techniques (wide shots or close-ups, juxtaposition of images, overlaid music, etc.) used to make the viewer feel or perceive the content in a certain way?
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