Universitat Internacional de Catalunya
Documentary
Other languages of instruction: English
Teaching staff
plagos@uic.es
Introduction
The Documentary course focuses on the study of the historical, theoretical, and aesthetic foundations of nonfiction cinema as a mode of audiovisual representation of reality. Drawing on key theoretical debates that shape documentary film practice (Nichols, Bruzzi, Renov, among others), the course invites students to reflect on concepts such as “reality” and its representation, as well as the crisis of “truth” as a narrative—one that has shifted from an initially presumed objective pursuit toward the predominance of subjectivity as a defining characteristic of contemporary documentary practice. To understand how documentary filmmaking has developed throughout film history as a fundamental tool for approaching and interpreting contemporary social realities—from a creative and artistic perspective—the course involves the analysis of a selection of films. These screenings will support a diachronic review of the main figures, movements, and trends in documentary filmmaking—primarily European, North American, and Latin American—from its origins to its contemporary hybrid and self-reflexive practices.
The course content will be distributed between sessions taught by the lecturer, aimed at providing the main historical, theoretical and conceptual frameworks of documentary cinema, and a series of group assignments carried out by the students. Some of these assignments will focus on the study of specific historical documentary movements and their most representative cases, with the aim of analysing their main contributions and identifying the ways in which they continue to influence contemporary approaches to and representations of reality. This process will culminate in the completion of practical exercises that will enable these historical references to be placed in dialogue with current issues and contexts. Likewise, and as a cross-cutting component of the course, students will be required to develop a group creative project, which must demonstrate progress throughout the semester and whose final outcome —a documentary short film— will constitute the course examination.
Pre-course requirements
No prerequisites required.
Objectives
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To introduce students to the richness of the documentary genre by exploring its main expressions from its origins to the present day. In parallel, students will be required to produce a collaborative documentary project, whose development must demonstrate consistent progress and supervision throughout the semester.
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Through the development and presentation of group research projects, students will deepen their study of certain documentary movements and their key authors, identifying their main aesthetic, theoretical, methodological, political, etc. contributions. Through the production of a video essay or a micro-documentary, they will be required to critically analyse these references in relation to their historical context and demonstrate the ability to recognise, interpret and update their legacies in contemporary documentary practices.
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To introduce students to the creative and expressive possibilities of audiovisual approaches to reality by exploring the narrative, aesthetic, and formal strategies deployed by major documentary movements and their most paradigmatic figures, through the viewing and critical analysis of a selection of key films in the genre’s development.
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To explore contemporary documentary trends, their main tensions, hybrid forms, fractures, and the blurred boundaries between fiction and nonfiction. Students will be introduced to the principal subjective, self-representational, and self-reflexive practices (essay film, autobiographical documentary, filmed diaries, letters, portraits, and self-portraits); practices of recycling and re-signification (archival footage, found footage); as well as performative and poetic approaches.
Competences/Learning outcomes of the degree programme
- 01 - The ability to adapt to varying circumstances
- 02 - The ability to understand, accept criticism and correct errors
- 03 - The ability to administer and manage human and technical resources
- 04 - The ability to work in a team and autonomously
- 05 - The ability to organise time and workspace
- 06 - The ability to develop academic rigour, responsibility, ethics and professionalism
- 07 - The ability to apply the deontology and respect for the audiovisual sector
- 08 - The ability of critical analysis, synthesis, concretion and abstraction
- 10 - The ability to confront difficulties and resolve problems
- 11 - The ability to generate debate and reflection
- 12 - The ability to meet deadlines, develop the ability to be punctual and respect for human, technical and material resources
- 13 - The ability to create spoken and written communication
- 14 - Knowledge and mastery of rhetoric and oratory to communicate own ideas
- 16 - The ability to manage, analysis and reflect on content
- 19 - The ability of informative documentation
- 21 - Knowledge and mastery of the digital culture
- 22 - Knowledge and mastery of the distinction between opinion and information / colloquial and cultured register
- 23 - The ability to prioritize newsworthy events and contrast information
- 24 - The ability to plan and organize both short term and long term projects
- 25 - The ability to maximize creative development
- 26 - The ability to develop a sense of taste and perfection in the aesthetics and finalization of projects
- 32 - The ability to confront audiovisual and film projects in all phases (pre-production, shooting, post-production, distribution)
- 33 - The ability to create and direct.
- 34 - The ability to know and respect the different roles of the artistic and technical teams
- 42 - The ability to distinguish, analyze and dominate the distinct genres and formats of television, film and radio
- 43 - the ability to create scripts for film, television and radio according to the demands of the genre
- 44 - The ability to adapt to new audiovisual formats
- 45 - The ability to know and dominate the techniques of audiovisual narrative.
- 46 - The ability to dominate resources used for image (Photographs, lighting...) and sound.
- 48 - Knowledge and mastery of the techniques of filming, directing, producing and editing
- 49 - The ability to write fluent texts, step outlines or scripts
- 51 - Knowledge and mastery of the functioning of Corporate and Institutional Communication.
- 53 - Lingustic ability in Catalan, Spanish and English
- 54 - The ability to skillfully manage the literature, terminology and linguistic structures of the English language related to the field of communication.
Learning outcomes of the subject
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Students will have taken the lead in their own learning processes as active protagonists of their education, with the instructor serving as a facilitator and guide to ensure the achievement of the established objectives.
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They will have been able to work autonomously on the research and development of practical assignments, based on the analysis of cases that enable them to understand the evolution of documentary film from its beginnings to the present day, appropriately conveying this knowledge to their peers through group oral presentations and commented screenings of practical exercises.
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They will have developed teamwork skills, as well as a personal and creative perspective, through the autonomous production of a collaborative documentary across its different stages.
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They will have cultivated critical, analytical, and reflective capacities, both to go beyond the minimum content addressed in class, and to participate actively and constructively in the analysis of their classmates’ contributions.
Syllabus
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Introduction: The limits of representing reality.
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Modes of Documentary Representation:
• Expository Mode
• Observational Mode
• Interactive or Participatory Mode
• Reflexive and Self-Reflexive Mode
• Poetic Mode
• Performative Mode
Unit 2: Cinema Is Born as Documentary (Lectures)
- Pioneers: Origins and the staging of documentary: The Lumière Brothers.
- The Exploration of Otherness: Robert Flaherty.
- European Documentary Avant-Gardes: Dziga Vertov, John Grierson, Joris Ivens, Jean Vigo, Walter Ruttmann, Luis Buñuel, José Val del Omar, etc.
- Propaganda Documentary: Leni Riefenstahl.
- The New Latin American Documentary: Militant cinemas of Tomás Gutiérrez Alea, Octavio Getino, Santiago Álvarez, Fernando “Pino” Solanas, Patricio Guzmán, etc.
- Cinéma Vérité: Jean Rouch, Pier Paolo Pasolini, etc.
- Direct Cinema: Robert Drew, Richard Leacock, D. A. Pennebaker, Albert and David Maysles.
- From the Subjective Turn to the Affective and Performative Turns: Agnès Varda, David Perlov, Chantal Akerman, Johan van der Keuken, Barbara Lehman, Alanna Ch. Robertson, Naomi Kawase, Postmemory, etc.
- Autobiographical and Self-Representational Documentary.
- Life and Travel Diaries.
- Letters and Correspondences.
- Portraits and Self-Portraits.
- Essay Film: Chris Marker, Jean-Luc Godard, Trinh T. Minh-ha, etc.
- Other Hybrids: Fakes, Mockumentary. Recycling, Archival Practices, and Re-Signification: Found Footage.
Teaching and learning activities
In person
This course combines in-person classroom sessions with autonomous research and creative work carried out by students.
It is a theoretical and practical course based on lectures; the viewing and critical analysis of documentary works; research and creative activities carried out by students; and monitoring and progress-review activities related to the creative processes leading to the production of a documentary short film.
In-class activities:
- Theoretical lectures delivered by the instructor, including the screening of audiovisual excerpts, followed by group discussion.
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Presentation of group research/creation projects based on case studies of key movements in documentary cinema. The presentation of their main contributions to and influences on contemporary documentary practices will accompany the screening of the micro-documentaries/video essays.
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Presentation of the monitoring and progress of the production process leading to the completion of the final documentary short films.
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Bibliographic and audiovisual research, and preparation of group assignments based on case studies.
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Group production of a video essay (5’) or a micro-documentary (5’), based on the movements studied.
- Production of a collaborative short documentary film.
| TRAINING ACTIVITY | ECTS CREDITS |
| Coaching. Monitoring how students learn the content of the subject, either individually or in groups. In the coaching sessions, mistakes will be corrected, queries answered, and exercises and activities to achieve the established objectives will be suggested. | 1.2 |
| Meeting Point. Meetings will be organised with notable people from the professional and scientific fields or the international field, and students. These sessions will take the form of conferences, work sessions, discussions, or interviews, etc. | 0.2 |
| Practical workshop. A highly practical working activity, where students can acquire skills that are practical or also theoretical (intellectual skills, logical skills, critical skills, intellectual learning skills, study skills, quoting skills, etc). | 0.4 |
| Lectures. In lectures, lecturers/professors not only transmit content or knowledge, but also, and above all else, attitudes, motivation, skills and values, etc. They also ensure that participants can express their opinions and arguments to the other students. | 0.8 |
| Mentoring programme. Ensuring a review of and in-depth look at competences and knowledge, as well as the development of habits involving social commitment and responsibility, with the strongest students providing guidance for students from lower years, particularly if they have any type of disability (physical, etc). | 0.4 |
Evaluation systems and criteria
In person
40% Practical Research Assignment (Video Essay or Micro-Documentary)***. The grade for this activity will correspond to the average of:
• 30% Video Essay or Micro-Documentary. Group grade.
• 10% Oral presentation of the group research on the case study, which will accompany the screening of the video essay or micro-documentary. Individual grade.
20% Average of the group progress reviews for the development of the final documentary short-film project. This will be averaged with an individual grade based on attendance, class participation, attitude, initiative, teamwork, etc.
40% Final examination: submission of a documentary short film.
***About the Research Assignment: History and Movements of Documentary Cinema
The assignment will be carried out in groups and will aim to investigate a fundamental movement, school or author in the history of documentary cinema, identifying their main contributions and their influence on contemporary documentary practices. Each group must choose one of the following formats:
—Option A. Video Essay (5 minutes)
Production of a video essay constructed through the analysis and editing of film excerpts belonging to a representative author or movement. The assignment must identify and explain their main contributions to the development of documentary cinema, as well as their continuing relevance today.
—Option B. Micro-Documentary (5 minutes)
Production of an original micro-documentary that takes as its starting point the main questions, issues or concerns developed by the movement or author studied and transfers them to a contemporary reality. The aim is not to formally imitate the works analysed, but to understand and update their main documentary concerns.
***In both cases, the submission must be accompanied by an oral presentation in which the group presents the historical context of the movement or author studied, as well as their main characteristics, contributions and influences on the evolution of documentary cinema. They must also explain how the completed work relates to the concepts and issues identified during the research.
** Requirements to Pass the Course
-Achieve a minimum grade of 5 in each of the components listed above.
-Regular class attendance.
-Demonstrate a proactive attitude, active participation in class discussions, and engagement with peers’ presentations.
-Show autonomy and rigor in meeting deadlines and following work guidelines.
** Except for activities where explicitly required, the use of laptops, tablets, or mobile phones during the masterclasses is not permitted.
** The instructor reserves the right to invalidate a student’s audiovisual project if they fail to meet the minimum requirements regarding attendance, initiative, and participation throughout the process.
** Faculty regulations regarding spelling accuracy, plagiarism, AI-generated work, and other academic infractions will be strictly enforced.
Second Examination PeriodThe retake examination will account for 100% of the final grade and will cover all course content: theoretical sessions, group presentations, in-class screenings, and mandatory readings. Only if the documentary short film has received a grade below 5 must an improved version also be submitted at this stage; it will be weighted equally with the content examination.
Other Examination Periods
From the third examination period onward, students must retake the entire course.
Bibliography and resources
Mandatory bibliography
ADAMS SITNEY, P. (1978). “Autobiography in Avant-Garde Film”. En: The Avant-Garde Film: A Reader of Theory and Criticism. Nueva York: University Press.
ARDÉVOL, Elisenda y PÉREZ TOLÓN, Luis (1995). Imagen y cultura. Perspectivas del cine etnográfico. Granada: Diputación Provincial de Granada.
BARON, Jaimie (2013). The Archive effect. Found Footage and the Audiovisual Experience of History. London: Routledge.
BRUZZI, Stella (2006). New Documentary. London: Routledge.
CAMPO, Javier et.al. (Ed.) (2020). El cine documental: una encrucijada estética y política. Buenos Aires: Prometeo libros.
LAGOS, Paola. «Poéticas de la Autorrepresemtación» en LAGOS, P., David Perlov. La imagen bisagra como pensamiento cinematográfico intersticial. Valencia: Shangrila, 2024. Pp. 32-108.
LEDO, Margarita (2004). Del Cine-Ojo a Dogma 95. Barcelona: Paidós.
MARTÍN GUTIÉRREZ, Gregorio (2008). Cineastas Frente al Espejo. Madrid: T&B Ediciones.
NICHOLS, Bill (2001). Introduction to documentary. Bloomington, Indianapolis: Indiana University Press.
NICHOLS, Bill (1997). La representación de la realidad. Cuestiones y conceptos sobre el documental. Barcelona: Paidós.
NICHOLS, Bill (1994). Blurred Boundaries. Question of meaning in contemporary culture. Bloomington, Indianapolis: Indiana University Press,
PRIVIDERA, Nicolás (2022). Cine documental: la pasión de lo real. Buenos Aires: la marca editorial.
RABINOWITZ, Paula (1994). They must be represented: The Politics of Documentary. New York: Verso Books.
RENOV, Michael (2004). The subject of Documentary. Minnesota: University of Minnesota Press.
RENOV, Michael (1993). Theorizing documentary. New York: Routdlege.
ROUCH, Jean (1979) «La camera et les hommes» en FRANCE, C. de, Pour une anthropologie visuelle.
SÁNCHEZ NAVARRO, Jordi (2001). Imágenes para la sospecha. Falsos documentales y otras piruetas de la no ficción. Barcelona: Glenat.
SCHEFER, Raquel (2008). El autorretrato en el cine documental: figuras, máquinas, imágenes. Buenos Aires: Catálogos.
TORREIRO, Casimiro y CERDÁN, Josetxo (2005). Documental y Vanguardia. Madrid: Cátedra.
TORREIRO, Casimiro, ALVARADO, Alejandro (2023). El documental en España. Historia, ética e identidad. Madrid: Cátedra.
WEES, Willliam (1993). Recycled Images. The arts and politics of found footage films. New York: Anthology films Archives.
WEINRICHTER, Antonio (Ed). (2007). La forma que piensa. Tentativas en torno al cine-ensayo. Pamplona: Gobierno de Navarra.
WEINRICHTER, Antonio (2004). Desvíos de lo real. El cine de no ficción. Madrid: T&B Editores.
ZUNZUNEGUI, Santos, ZUMALDE, Imanol (2019). Ver para creer. Avatares de la verdad cinematográfica. Madrid: Cátedra.
Supplementary Bibliography
AUMONT, Jaques y otros (1995). Estética del cine. Espacio fílmico, montaje, narración, lenguaje. Barcelona: Paidós.
BALLÓ, Jordi y PÉREZ, Xavier (1997). La semilla inmortal. Los argumentos universales en el cine. Barcelona, Anagrama.
BARNOW, Erik (1996). El documental. Historia y Estilo. Gedisa: Barcelona.
BAZIN, André (1991). ¿Qué es el cine? Madrid: Rialp.
BELLOUR, Raymond (2009). Entre Imágenes. Foto, cine, video. Buenos Aires. Colihue.
BRAKHAGE, Stan (1995). “Défense de l’amateur”. En Le Je filmé. Paris: Editions du Centre Pompidou.
BRESCHAND, Jean (2004). El documental. La otra cara del cine. Barcelona: Paidós.
CARRERA, Pilar (2015). El Relato documental: efectos de sentido y modos de recepción. Madrid: Cátedra.
CHION, Michel (2004) La voz en el cine. Madrid: Cátedra.
CUEVAS, Efrén (2010). La casa abierta. El cine doméstico y sus reciclajes contemporáneos. Madrid: Ocho y medio.
GARCÍA, Sonia (Ed.) (2009). Piedra, papel y tijera. El collage en el cine documental. Madrid: Ocho y medio.
GRANGE, Marie-Françoise (2015), L’autoportrait en cinéma. Rennes: Presses Universitaires de Rennes.
JAMES, David E. (1992). To free Cinema. Jonas Mekas and the New York Underground. Princeton: Princeton University Press.
LANE, Jim (2002). The autobiographical documentary in America. Wisconsin: University of Wisconsin Press.
LEJEUNE, Philippe. (2008). “Cine y Autobiografía, problemas de vocabulario”. En: Cineastas frente al espejo. MARTÍN GUTIERREZ, G. (Ed). Madrid: T&B Ediciones.
ORTEGA, Mª Luisa (2007). Espejos rotos. Aproximaciones al documental Norteamericano contemporáneo”. Madrid: Ocho y Medio.
PARANAGUA, Paulo (Ed) (2003). Cine Documental en América Latina. Madrid: Cátedra.
PLANTINGA, Carl (1997). Rhetoric and representation in nonfiction film. Cambridge, Massachussetts: Cambridge University Press.
VERTOV, Dziga (1974). El cine ojo. Madrid: Fundamentos.
ZIMMERMAN, Patricia (1995). Reel families: A social history of amateur film. Bloomington: Indiana University Press.