Overview
An advanced study of the politics and aesthetics of representing reality through documentary, reality television and social media.
What does it mean to ‘be real’ in contemporary media? This paper considers how film-makers, content-creators and media workers construct and document real life in cinema, online, in the news and in streamed media. We consider documentaries, influencers, reality TV and other ‘true’ media forms.
About this paper
| Paper title | Documentary and Reality Media |
|---|---|
| Subject | Media, Film and Communication |
| EFTS | 0.1500 |
| Points | 18 points |
| Teaching period | Semester 1 (On campus) |
| Domestic Tuition Fees ( NZD ) | $1,040.70 |
| International Tuition Fees | Tuition Fees for international students are elsewhere on this website. |
- Prerequisite
- 54 200-level points
- Restriction
- MFCO 223
- Schedule C
- Arts and Music
- Contact
- Teaching staff
Dr Rosemary Overell
- Paper Structure
This paper is divided into three blocks:
Block One: Looks Real considers the how ‘reality’ is mediated and its formal elements.
Block Two: Feels Real focuses on the emotions or affects that reality media generates.
Block Three: Too Real asks: how do we mediate and represent real trauma such as terror events, sexual violence and true crime ethically?
- Teaching Arrangements
This is a fully on-campus paper supported by BlackBoard. Students are expected to attend weekly lectures, screenings and tutorials.
- Textbooks
Reading materials will be provided in PDF format to students via BlackBoard.
- Graduate Attributes Emphasised
- Global perspective, Communication, Critical Thinking, Research, Scholarship, Interdisciplinary perspective.
View more information about Otago's graduate attributes. - Learning Outcomes
Students who successfully complete the paper will:
- Communicate complex ideas regarding documentary theory and practice in written, visual and verbal formats, anchored in extended scholarly research.
- Critically evaluate arguments and positions drawn from research material regarding the functions and effects of documentary and reality media.
- Demonstrate a sophisticated cultural understanding of the expression of identity and difference (ethnic, racial, gendered) through documentary and reality media with an emphasis on the bicultural context of Aotearoa New Zealand.
- Grasp the ethical issues embedded in the various modes of documentary and reality media practice, drawing on extended research material.
- Demonstrate environmental and general information literacy regarding claims around the presentation of factual data on issues such as climate change and social justice within documentary and reality media drawing on extended scholarly research.