BELOW IS INFORMATION REGARDING FORMAT AND CONTENT REQUIREMENTS (FROM IBO website--link at bottom of this blog entry):
General guidance
The independent study is worth 25% of the final mark. This
component is based on part 2 of the course (film theory and history),
but will also draw to some extent on part 1 (textual analysis). The aim
of the independent study is to encourage students to engage in some
depth with a cinematic tradition that is unfamiliar to their own
culture.
Students must produce a script for a complete short documentary
production exploring an aspect of film theory or film history, based on
the study of films from more than one country.
The documentary should be
targeted at an audience of film students in the 14 to 18 years age
range. Among the topics students may choose to investigate are:
-
genre
-
theme
-
direction
-
use of sound
-
colour
-
editing
-
lighting.
The topic should be discussed primarily in cinematic terms.
The prime voice of the documentary must clearly be that of the
student, who is represented as the narrator, on-screen host and/or
voice-over. Students must ensure that any comments or ideas they
attribute to celebrities or others, such as experts, are fully supported
by detailed references in the annotated list of sources.
Students at SL must make reference to a minimum of two films while students at HL must make reference to a minimum of four films from different countries. The chosen films must originate from more than one country.
The independent study must be presented in the form of a written dossier composed of the following three items.
-
Rationale
-
Script
-
Annotated list of sources.
The
rationale must offer a brief, reasoned explanation of the concerns explored by the topic in
no more than 100 words.
The
script must clearly indicate the
relationship between the audio and visual elements of the documentary,
employing an established documentary format such as “side-by-side”
columns for video and audio components.
All descriptions of video and
audio elements must be both detailed and specific. Scripts must be 8–10 pages long at SL or 12–15 pages long at HL, using an accepted size of paper (for example, A4 or US letter) and must use
12-point Courier font (not in block capitals) and single spacing. It is
important that the student treats a topic of film history/film theory
in cinematic rather than literary terms.
The
annotated list of sources should
refer to all materials used in researching the topic and all materials
used in the documentary itself, including films from which extracts will
be shown in the documentary and quotations from experts or academics.
Annotations should give the source and/or location of the reference. A
comment on the relevance of the source must be included.
Assessment of this component is based solely on the written
script and the rationale. Actual films or film sequences are not
acceptable.
The materials produced for this component must not be submitted
for internal assessment as part of the production portfolio.
As part of
the learning process, teachers can give advice to students on a first
draft of the independent study. Advice on improving the work can be
given, but this first draft must not be heavily annotated or edited by
the teacher. Constant drafting and redrafting is not allowed, and the
next version handed to the teacher after the first draft must be the
final one.
Here are some important dates and corresponding tasks for your Independent Study:
1/7-8 Rationale Due (typed, under 100 words, and titled).
See exemplars for template/suggestions.
1/16-17 Rough Draft due (typed, 12pt font, SL=8-10pg, HL=12-15pg).
This will be assessed for your semester final.
1/30-31 Final Draft due.
Ensure that you have adhered to all requirements (see exemplars, checklists)
Cover Sheet, Rationale and Script will be submitted on the last class in January.
1/7 thru 1/24 we will watch "The Story of Film" examining not only how cinema has evolved over the years, but also note how the documentary series combines narration, interviews, sound and film clips. This will work as a model for all of you as you write your IS documentary scripts.
Other documentaries to view to help get a sense of how to put your ideas/images/sounds together:
Man on Wire
When We Were Kings
One Day in September
The Fog of War
Roger and Me
Murderball
Hoop Dreams
Hearts of Darkness: A filmmaker's Apocalypse
Here are some good top lists that will serve as a good starting point.
Rotten Tomatoes: Top 100 Documentary Movies
The Guardian: Top 10 Documentaries
Time Out: The Best 50 Documentaries
IBO EXEMPLAR PAGE: Look at examples 5-8. Note that there are exemplars AND examiner's notes.
Template, checklist and other guidelines
Enjoy!
