LAVC Rhetorical Analysis Using Documentary Film Essay

Essay 2: Rhetorical Analysis Using Documentary Film

The film will be on

Purpose Overview:
Everywhere, all the time, you are being persuaded to take sides in some argument. Film is no exception. 

Our realities are being shaped constantly by what we see within them. Documentary film is probably one of the first mediums that come to mind when we think about “recording reality,” yet it is also one of the most complex formats for chronicling aspects of our world.

For this essay we will be closely reading a short documentary film in order to better understand how that shaping takes place.

Task:
Documentary films use a variety of methods (e.g., images, words, sounds, and various film techniques) in order to present an argument.

 This prompt asks you to view a documentary film and to analyze the rhetorical and persuasive strategies employed by the filmmaker in the construction of the film’s argument.

Your essay should not be a summary of the film, nor should it be a review based on your personal opinions on the topic of it. 

The aim of the assignment is to identify the filmmaker’s thesis (argument/position – yes, they all have one) and to analyze the rhetorical strategies, persuasive devices, and film/visual techniques used in order to develop its idea(s)/achieve its purpose.

Steps:
1. Identify the main argument and / or purpose of the film (this is somewhat subject to interpretation).
2. Provide a brief summary of the film for context.
3. Examine the ways in which the aim of the film’s argument is supported through rhetorical and persuasive strategies (e.g., presentation of facts, dismissing credibility of counterfactual information, not addressing certain related issues, etc.). 

What is the filmmaker’s purpose? What is the argument/thesis of the film (which might be implicit or explicit)? 

What assertions/claims are made?

 Are there fallacies, contradictions, or inconsistencies? What is the attitude or viewpoint of the filmmaker? 

What is the tone of the piece?
4. What rhetorical strategies and cinematic techniques does the filmmaker use to make their point?

 How does the structure and the detail elements of the film help achieve its purpose?
5. To focus your ideas, make sure to represent the best evidence or claims the film is using to achieve its purpose. 

Explain why these seem to be the most persuasive and analyze how the filmmaker uses them to convince an audience.

Required Sources:

You will choose ONE of the following short documentary films to analyze in your essay

(these are the only films that you may use):
? Shelter in Place

Readings from this unit (you need to use at least three in your essay):
? Carroll: Backpacks vs Briefcases: Steps Toward Rhetorical Analysis
? Nichols: The Question of Evidence, the Power of Rhetoric, and Documentary Film
? Schmidt: Where the Truth Lies – or Not
? Smith and Rock: Documentary as Statement: Defining an Old Genre in a New Age

Criteria for Success (Your Minimum Requirements):
? Length: 3 full pages minimum to 5 full pages maximum
? Format: Follow MLA guidelines
? You must use on of the short films listed on this prompt
? Source Usage: Three sources beyond the primary text (which is the documentary film) are required. These need to be from the sources you have read during this block/unit about film and rhetoric (they are listed above and linked on Canvas). If you wish, you can do additional research on your own, but it is not required.
? The paper must include a properly formatted works cited page