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 (Post-Truth documentary).
The first part of the course will be taught by the teacher, who will provide the theoretical frameworks necessary for understanding key concepts and debates. In the second part of the course, students will take the lead by presenting group projects focused on major historical documentary movements, supported by case studies of their most representative films.
Additionally, as a cross-cutting component of the course, students will be required to develop a collaborative creative project. Progress on this project must be demonstrated throughout the semester, culminating in the production of a short documentary film, which will serve as the final examination for the course.
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 group research presentations, students will take an active role in leading their own learning process, constructing a condensed overview that addresses the key moments, movements, and authors that have shaped the history of documentary cinema from its beginnings to the present. To achieve this, they will compare and analyze films in relation to their historical contexts and connect their legacies to contemporary manifestations of the genre.
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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.
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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.
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 demonstrated the ability to work independently in the research and analysis of case studies that enable them to understand the evolution of documentary cinema from its beginnings to the present day, and to communicate this knowledge effectively to their peers through group oral presentations.
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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 in their own presentations, 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
- 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.
- Cinéma Vérité: Jean Rouch, Pier Paolo Pasolini, etc.
- Direct Cinema: Robert Drew, Richard Leacock, D. A. Pennebaker, Albert and David Maysles.
- The New Latin American Documentary: Militant cinemas of Tomás Gutiérrez Alea, Octavio Getino, Santiago Álvarez, Fernando “Pino” Solanas, Patricio Guzmán, etc.
- Documentary and Postmemory: Second generations in the post-dictatorships of Latin America: Albertina Carri, Macarena Aguiló, etc.
- 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, 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-practical course based on lectures, student presentations of research projects developed around case studies, guided readings of relevant material, screenings and critical analysis of documentaries, as well as activities for monitoring and assessing progress in the creative processes leading to the production of a short documentary film.
- Theoretical lectures delivered by the instructor, including the screening of audiovisual excerpts, followed by group discussion.
- Group presentations of research projects prepared by students, followed by debate.
- Bibliographic and audiovisual research, as well as the drafting and preparation of group projects based on case studies.
- 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
- 25% Oral Presentation of Group Research Project on a Case Study. The final grade combines the group score with an individual assessment.
- 25% Theoretical Assessment. Based on lecture material (instructor-led sessions and student presentations) as well as required readings.
- 20% Progress Reports on the Development of the Group Short Documentary Project. The group score will be averaged with an individual grade based on attendance, participation in class discussions, attitude, initiative, teamwork, and overall involvement.
- 30% Final Examination: Submission of the Short Documentary Film. Students who achieve a grade equal to or higher than 5 in the theoretical assessment will be exempt from the theoretical component of the final exam and will pass the course by submitting a passing short documentary. Students scoring below 5 on the theoretical assessment must sit for a written theoretical exam, which will be averaged equally with the grade obtained on the short documentary.
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Achieve a minimum grade of 5 in each of the components listed above.
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Regular class attendance.
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Demonstrate a proactive attitude, active participation in class discussions, and engagement with peers’ presentations.
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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 class is not permitted. Students must take handwritten notes in a personal notebook, which may be used during the theoretical assessment before starting the questions. Photocopies or notes from other students are not allowed.
** 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.
If the short documentary received a grade below 5, an improved version must also be submitted during this period.
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.