Assignment Task:
Propose a topic for your ethnographic film. This does not have to be your final choice. You are welcome to change your topic later, although it may ultimately be easier to stick with your initial idea.
You do not already need to know anything about your chosen topic. You will likely be learning about the topic as you start the process of filming it. It may however be easier for you to start with something you already have some familiarity with.
You should follow the following format for your proposal.
What is the topic, movement, group, idea, or issue that you want to explore through film? Try to give as much detail as you can here. This will also help you understand what you will need to learn about the topic in order to make your film. Who are the people, things, or animals involved? What sort of things do they do?
While some of you might be tempted to focus on highly visible issues or issues with current political importance, I would instead encourage you to focus on less known and less visible topics. It is usually more interesting and informative to focus on something uneventful and every day. Something that most people never think about. A sports group, a student club, a bakery, a homeless shelter, a recycling center, a veterinarian's office, and so on.
Why is your topic significant? Why should someone else care, be interested, or be concerned about this topic? Why might someone be interested in watching your film?
What is your relationship to the topic? Are you a part of it? Is it something you are interested in? Something you are critical of? Something you want to learn more about? Something you want to share with others?
What types of activities or events will you need to film in order to capture this significance? Will your film be scripted or non-scripted? Will you capture people in everyday setting? Will you need to film interviews with people? And so on.
What sort of access will you need in order to film? How will you gain permission from people to film them while being clear and transparent about your intentions? What exactly will you say to people when asking their permission?