Inspiring and Provocative Docs

The end of term has come; here are our picks for interesting and provocative docs!
See the Comments below; thanks to BCIT Television students, Class of 2011!
Have a great holiday.
Shannon

VIFF has come and gone: Thoughts on two themes

The VIFF has come and gone but we are following up with thoughts on two of VIFF's themes:
Ecologies of Mind (the Environment)
&
Africa Today.

In honour of the Africa theme, two weeks ago we watched some of the great documentary When We Were Kings, and our comments are in the previous blog.

On the theme of Environment, this week we are watching clips from The End of the Line documentary by Rupert Murray (UK), with amazing photography, loads of geeky but endearing Canadian fish scientists, and a mix of several key Doc styles from intense Eisensteinian montage, to Cove-like undercover investigation, to Michael Moore-like confrontational journalism, and an intense score a la Fog of War, to name a few.

Clip 1: Analyze the editing technique (very "Eisensteinian" at points); remember the machine montage in Oktober?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rp-VVcYHp0M

Clip 2: What techniques are used to contrast Mitsubishi Corp and other "corporate fishers" with the Senegalese local fishermen?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R3OZRctd9yE

Clip 3: In "Act 3" of this doc, would you describe the tone as optimistic or pessimistic? Bleak or dynamic? How is this effect achieved?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6xrtivcBKwM

What's your favourite environmental Doc?

VIFF Is Here; Long Live Docs

We are talking about Docs in our 2nd-year Comm for Television course. A couple weeks ago we discussed the difference between Docs versus Reality TV. Really, the emergence of Reality TV and also the proliferation of Web Docs has made a crash course in Documentary Literacy more useful than ever.

Topics to ponder:
1) Narrator's Voice
Consider Freeman versus Herzog in
March of the Penguins
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MB_GisVFboU
vs.
Grizzly Man
(vs. Grizzly Man Treadwell himself)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NLidFrcp5Eo

On the topic of narrators, close your eyes and notice how just a narrator's voice can summon up an era
City of Gold
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KGxHHAX1nOY
Eerie!

2) Documentary Montage
No discussion of Documentary Editing & Post choices would be complete without discussing Sergei Eisenstein.
Eisenstein's Montage is best understood watching clips from
Battleship Potemkin
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=euG1y0KtP_Q
or Oktober
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=usou1m8H1CQ

After you watch the Eisenstein clips, watch the trailer for March of the Penguins again to see the editing similarities.

The Merits of "Video Resumes" - Revisited

A few months ago we talked about the merits of video resumes. At that time, the consensus was clear that video resumes are pretty awesome. However, our discussion group consisted mainly of Television Broadcast students - who would, naturally, gravitate towards the video resume format.

Recently, BCIT and Pearson hosted our 2nd Annual Technical Writing Alumni event, and I promised the Alumni I would re-visit the idea of video resumes.

Are video resumes a good marketing tool for professionals across the board?

Sure thing, as long as you keep the following in mind:

1) Production must be professional.

(this does not mean expensive - but you've got to call in some favours with your friends and colleagues who have decent quality cameras and editing skills)

2) Content must be relevant and dynamic.

(showcase examples of *relevant* work, use captions and brief bulleted text for highlights, keep the video moving, and do NOT talk to the camera for more than 30 seconds at a time - you can narrate off camera, but, sorry, no one wants to stare at your talking head)

3) Video should be short (3 minutes) and should showcase *some* of your personality (while adhering to points 1 & 2 above).

Here're some examples:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5jnCic3RPn0

A fellow U of Waterloo grad, "G" shows how a non-broadcast professional (an Engineer) can use the genre effectively.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JS2r_6St5B0

Lauren's resume - even though it's for the broadcast industry - showcases universally desirable traits like organization in a creative way.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=laOYxkxBL30

For my Technical Writing Alumni - here's a relevant, dynamic, and professional example of a successful Tech Writing Video Resume.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fb5yAT4eyTA

OK - very basic, yet a very do-able and budget-friendly option for Tech Writers without production-savvy buddies. But she *really* needs to speed up the transitions!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rIIduMpl4gE

Back to the broadcast world - professional, fun, competent - you should also check out Jordan's SweatnSpice hot sauce review videos.

Of the above, hopefully at least one provides the exemplar you need to get rolling on your own video resume.

Happy Bloomsday, or, Education is an Experience - Part Two

On the eve of Bloomsday and one week before my 2010 students walk across the stage for Convocation, I am inspired by the thought of tens of thousands celebrating an "imaginary" day in 1904 when an "imaginary" person walked through Dublin in a stream of consciousness...

I am extremely proud of my students (as always) and hope they have gained the "book knowledge" + the gift of experience which will help them reach their goals long into the future.

From Leopold Bloom aka James Joyce:

"In spite of careful and repeated reading of certain classical passages, aided by a glossary, he had derived imperfect conviction from the text, the answers not bearing in all points."

Indeed, book learning can only take us so far... but it sure helps - that, and a little help from our friends.

Happy Bloomsday.

Education Is An "Experience", Not A "Product"

As a Program Head here at BCIT, I find sometimes a student will approach me to complain "This course is not what I thought it would be; this is not what I was expecting." Occasionally the complainant may even demand a refund. Of course, if it is confusion based on the course title or description or prerequisites, I completely understand. But sometimes a student is actually railing against a different teaching style, or an alien set of ideas, or a new paradigm - a new way of thinking or approaching the world or interacting with others.

At such moments I want to remind students (and us all) that higher education is not a "product" that we pull off the shelf and then return when it doesn't quite fit right, when it doesn't look or feel exactly as we expected. Higher education is an experience. Its sum is greater than the ingredients listed on the label. When we interact in a learning and teaching environment, we gain much more than a set list of "course ingredients" to be easily and predictably digested.

In fact, hopefully we get much more than what we bargained for, more than what we expected. And this "more" is not always predictable, not always comfortable or easy at first. But if we have faith in the experience, and faith in each other, we will come away with a much richer experience than we could have imagined.

Are We More Enlightened Citizens Now?

Now that we have all been using LinkedIn for awhile, and most of us are already familiar with FaceBook, some with Twitter, etc., I pose the "Deep Question":

"Does all this social networking stuff make us More Enlightened Citizens, or not?"

I will be approaching not only my BCIT Television Grads, but also my wider network for their answers to this Deep Question.

The Merits of "Video Resumes"

This week, my BCIT Television students are completing their video resumes. So I pose the following questions.

Since you are just going through the process of completing your video resume,

- Do you think the video format offers advantages a "traditional" resume does not?

- Do you think there are any disadvantages to posting a video resume?

- What was the most interesting aspect of this project for you?

Finally, overall, would you recommend the video resume to other job seekers? Any job seekers? Or just those in TV/ film/ entertainment like you.

**Please include a link to your video resume in your reply!

Post-Olympic Thoughts

To my BCIT Television students (and anyone else who cares to comment constructively) I pose the following question.

Now that you have been on the "front lines" of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games, would you say that the Games were overall a positive thing (for citizens of Vancouver, First Nations, Canada, and the world), neutral, or negative thing?

Reflect on your experiences with insight and professional tone - and without revealing any trade secrets of course.

welcome to bcit comm topics blog

This blog has been created for my students, fellow instructors, colleagues, peers, and potential employers to participate in discussions about the relevance of professional communication skills for career success and more enlightened citizenship.

The first guests to this blog will be my BCIT Television Diploma students, about to graduate in a few short months and currently engaged in a multi-faceted approach to their career goals - combining technical proof of their talents through production of excellent short films, and the showcasing of their value-adding "soft" skills through LinkedIn profiles, YouTube video resumes, and design of their own blogs on artistic, technical, and ideological topics.

All of my BCIT Television students are currently involved in the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics as camera operators, assistant producers, videographers, and liaisons - and we look forward to their insightful commentary and insiders' perspectives on the 2010 Olympics over the next few weeks.