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Course: Writing 2-3
Instructor: Prof. Doug Moody
Assignment: Multimedia Research Project
Write a brief description of what you hope to do for your multimedia research project and who you might like to work with in your group.
For the Multimedia Research Project, you will be assigned to small groups of three or four. The topic for the assignment is to explore some aspect of one particular group of Americans -- their history, culture, and experiences. Using general resources in the library, special collections, interviews, and other sources, you will research your topic, looking not only for textual information but also for visual and perhaps audio resources. Your assignment is to create and then present an 8-10 minute multimedia "composition" in the form of a short documentary film in a digital video format.
The group of people that you and your partners choose to explore will represent a particular history which illuminates a piece of our diverse national mosaic. You may choose to focus on the story of a particular family, or you may decide that you would like to present a broader project which considers the experiences of a larger group of people. For example, you might investigate one African American family's experiences as their son or daughter goes off to college. Perhaps your group is interested in an immigrant group from a European, Asian, or Latin American country and the challenges they faced as they came to the United States and their reasons for emmigrating. Perhaps you wish to focus on a Native American nation or group and a story from their perspective.
We have spent some time considering how documentaries are assembled and the many editorial and aesthetic decisions that need to be made in order to tell a compelling story. As we have discussed and observed, a documentary weaves narration (probably the most important part!) with still and moving images, and can include interviews (both videotaped and audiotaped), recordings of speeches, music, and sound effects. You may also use some previously recorded short excerpts from films, television, and other sources of electronic media. You may decide that you would like to speak with some people at Dartmouth and conduct some interviews on campus with professors, students, staff members, or administrators. Or you may decide that you want to interview people beyond the Dartmouth community. The possibilities are vast and are only limited by time, resources, technology, and your imaginations.
The proposal you submit today is a preliminary one, but it should state your prospective topic and what you think your role might be in the group.
[Part 2] Multimedia Research Project Progress Report
Write a brief summary of what you and your partners have managed to accomplish, as well as any obstacles you have encountered thus far. Your progress report should also point to questions that you hope to answer. It is my hope that you will all begin to find the answers to these questions over the Christams break or very soon after you return in January.
The progress report you submit today should clarify your topic and then discuss how your group intends to focus and illustrate your subject. Some questions that you do not need to answer definitively today, but which you should be able to answer by the beginning of the winter term are: Do you intend to conduct interviews? With whom? Will you need to film something on campus? Do you expect to film something or some people off campus during the Christmas break? How will you record those interviews or location shots? Do you intend to make use of special collections in the Rauner Library? What images do you foresee needing to present your history? What sounds, voices, and music will you use?