So, here's what to do before 9 AM Tuesday!
- Start off by going here, to a search I set up for A&E Biography videos. Pick one, and watch the first ten minutes of it. I want you to think about how that film attempts to present a person's life . . . How does the piece begin? Why are they talking about the person you chose, anyway? What kind of info do we get so far?
- The thing I need you to watch in its entirety is a short film by Errol Morris (he's one of the most significant filmmakers of our time, and I LOVE HIM OKAY). Morris is a documentary filmmaker, and he did a tv series called First Person, where he PROFILES people. You're going to watch his profile of Joan Dougherty called "Soaking in It." View the film below; it's in three parts. I will warn you that Joan's job, which is a focal point, is pretty gruesome (she's a crime scene cleaner, so she deals with death). But she's an amazing and interesting person, and my students usually really, really like the video. As you watch, think about how different the piece is from the BIOGRAPHY example you saw.
- As always, I've got a survey for you. It's short, and mostly I want to make sure you're seeing the differences between these two ways of documenting people's lives!
Please note that if there's something going on right now with you that makes the idea of watching a video about a crime scene cleaner particularly challenging, e-mail me (just don't wait too long). We can try to find another vid for you. But honestly, my students really like learning about Joan's life.
