Auteur
Project (250
pts)

You will be selecting a filmmaker from the list

provided and conducting an “auteur” study of that director,

watching at least 2 of her/his/their films, researching their life

and work, observing their characteristic themes and stylistic

choices, and presenting what you found in an online Auteur Workshop

(small group forum on Brightspace) during our final week of the

semester. Depending on the director you choose, you will be

placed into a smaller group to post/share/present/discuss your work.

Group pages will be established on our course site.

Format
& Submission: This project contains three components:

1. RESEARCH & WRITING: a 3-4 page research and analysis paper, with
   Works Cited, summarizing the results of your research and screening
   of your chosen director’s work, submitted using Turnitin AND
   posted to your assigned Auteur Workshop Group Forum.
2. PRESENTING: selecting a representative film clip to be posted/linked
   to the Auteur Workshop Group Discussion Forum AND the whole class
   forum (called Auteur Directors Extravaganza!), including a 2-3
   paragraph presentation to introduce and analyze the clip, explaining
   why it is an interesting example of the work of your chosen
   director.
3. WORKSHOPPING: reading your groupmates papers, participating in a
   “group interview,” and discussing each other’s directors in
   your Auteur Workshop Group Forum.

Your
Projects are DUE Friday, July 26th by midnight (or earlier):
your research and analysis papers are to be submitted on
Assessment/Assignments AND uploaded to your Auteur Workshop Group
Forum, along with your 2-3 paragraph presentation and clip. Your
presentation and clip are also due on the whole class forum “Auteur
Directors Extravaganza!”

Your
group’s discussion forum and interview (with Amanda and your
groupmates) will continue through Sunday, July 28^th,
to wrap up by midnight (or earlier)

While
you will be presenting and discussing your chosen director in a
group, this is NOT a group project! You will be completing your own
study of your chosen director and will be solely responsible for your
work, and only your work.

Director Selection: Take a close look at the list of directors
provided below and pull out a few directors who speak to you; spend
some time on www.imdb.com
to learn more about each one! Also check out how readily available
their films are to you – library, rental, online, etc. Then SELECT
ONE DIRECTOR – your top choice, followed by your second and third,
just in case – by filling out the attached form and copying it into
an e-mail to me.

I will accept and approve your requests on a
first-come-first-approved basis, beginning immediately! We
are aiming for a diverse selection of filmmakers to explore and a
manageable number of people in each group, so I am asking for your
back-up choices just in case. If your first choice director is
already taken we will move down your preferences. There are plenty
of filmmakers to choose from; however, this is not an exhaustive
list! So if you are interested in working on a director
not listed, please let me know on your form and I will likely okay
it!

FIRST REQUESTS ARE DUE: Wednesday, July 17^th
by midnight (or earlier!)
CORRECTIONS AND LATE REQUESTS WILL BE
ACCEPTED THROUGH: Saturday, July 20^th

Research: Use our CCC libraries – and other trusted research
resources – to do some research on your
selected director’s life and work. Be sure to find reliable
sources! (e.g. Wikipedia is NOT a reliable source!) Don’t
forget to start with our text and make use of their bibliographical
references! Search our library’s databases for academic/film
journals! You should end up with a variety of sources – books and
academic journal articles are the most trustworthy; online sources
are iffy, so you should only rely on these for immediate and/or extra
information and make sure that they are .edu, .org., or .gov with a
reputable author! Once you have found your sources, read them, taken
notes, and used them to gain a strong understanding of your director
and her/his reception in the film world. You will use this research
in your paper and provide a Works Cited page.

Screening: Use
all available sources at your disposal to locate at
least TWO film selections from your
director (the more the better, though!) Here are some suggestions:
your favorite video rental place, Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, Chicago
Public Library, HWC collection (please search our library catalog and
see me for access), Facets www.facets.org,
film collections at other colleges and universities (if you have
access), film student friends, each other! If you run into trouble
finding anything, ask for help – sooner rather than later! Once
you have the films in hand, screen them in
their entirety! Watch for
similarities in style, narrative, content, symbolism, and technique;
take notes; look for evidence of your research.

Writing:
Gather your impressions about your director’s stylistic approach,
thematic and/or narrative concerns, place in Hollywood film history
and genres, and what makes her/him/them unique. What makes this
person recognizable as an “auteur” director? When you feel
confident in your own response to the films, WRITE! You are aiming
for a 3-4 page research and analysis
paper, revolving around what you
found to be your most interesting discovery about this director. Be
sure to rely on your observations of the films themselves to support
your claims and use your research only in support of your own points.
You are NOT regurgitating a
biography of your director!!!
Bo-ring!
Instead, pick one or two things you found most interesting from your
research and from your
screening of the films
and revolve your discussion around that. Be
sure to CITE ALL OF YOUR SOURCES! If you are uncertain how to do
this, please ask! Our CCC Writing Centers are awesome resources for
this too, along with the Online Writing Lab at Purdue.edu and other
online writing resources.

Posting/Submitting: You
will be officially submitting your research and writing in TWO
locations: 1) upload your reflection
paper and works cited page as one file using the submission link
provided on the Assignments page of our Bsb site, and 2) post an
additional copy of the same on your group
forum.

Auteur Workshop: Select a short film clip from your
director (no more than 3-5 minutes) that you think serves as
an interesting example of her/his/their work. Then prepare a 2-3
paragraph introduction to your director and this clip, to set it up.
Post this clip and your introduction to: 1) the your GROUP FORUM,
and 2) our full class forum Extravaganza. (DUE 7/26). Then, check
back 2-3 times over the next 48 hours, to read and comment on
your groupmates projects and clips; you will also be participating in
a “group interview”, in which you will be asked a selection of
questions about taking an auteur approach, reflecting on what you
learned through the project. Amanda will post these questions to
you and help facilitate discussion. Responding as promptly as
possible, to give everyone else a chance to read and respond, will
mean that we can more thoroughly and more efficiently complete the
workshop and conclude no later than Sunday, July 28^th
by midnight (or earlier!)

Evaluation:
Please see the evaluation sheet below…

Auteur
Project Evaluation

______
Preparation & Research (50 pts) Loos’ Notes:

____
relevant & reliable sources

____ film
choices

____ screening
& methods

______ Reflection
Paper (100 pts.)

____ MLA format/works cited

____ length/thoroughness (3-4
pages)

____ thesis/organization

____
engagement/analysis/research/films

____ writing quality/overall
sophistication

______
Online Workshop (100 pts.)

____ clip selection

____ intro/clip setup (2-3
paragraphs)

____ interview participation
and answers

____ engagement with
colleagues and their work (2-3 discussion postings)

____ thoughtfulness/relevance

____ timeliness

TOTAL
_______/250

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