Documentary Films (KSK_036)

To develop the understanding of the theory, history and modern practices of documentaries. Documentary films, their means of expression are very important in communication of audiovisual media – documentary elements are used in traditional documentaries and in TV media, as well as on many internet information dissemination channels. Therefore, it is important to create the understanding of the most important stages of development of documentary films and prevailing strategies in creation of documentary films. It is important to familiarise students with the most important stylistic directions of documentary films and authors, who used means and message strategies, which were innovative for their time, in their creative work, as well as to develop students’ skills in analysing documentary works, the applied strategies and stylistics. The course gives an insight into aesthetical principles of documentary films, works of the world's most important directors of documentary films, starting from creative works of Dziga Vetrov, Robert Flaherty and others, and continuing with the analysis of works of Michael Moore and other modern directors of documentaries. The study course devotes an important place to the insight into the past and the present of Latvian documentary films, as well as their development in creative works of the most important personalities.
The tasks of the study course are to familiarise students with the most important development stages and authors of documentary films, peculiarities of their creative work and signatures, as well as to develop students’ skills to orient themselves in stylistics, narrative strategies and building principles of documentaries, to understand the development of the tradition of documentary filmmaking and its effect on world film processes. The following films are discussed in the course: Dz. Vertov "Man With the Movie Camera" (1927), Robert Flaherty "Nanook of the North" (1922), "Man Aran" (1934), Jean Rouch, M.Moore.