Both Law and Order and Cops: Shots Fired use an observational style to document the workings of law enforcement. You will write a five-page argumentative essay contrasting these films along some dimension of documentary theory. Please use one of the following:
You are free to use another idea if you email me and get approval before starting your paper. I will respond to emails quickly. Do not start writing before getting approval in case I do not approve your idea.
Do not focus your paper on superficial differences that do not have significant implications on the way these films function. Differences that I suspect will not pay off well are: black and white vs. color, film vs. video, feature length vs. tv length, and 1960s crimes and techniques vs. 2000 crimes and techniques.
You can think of this paper as a solo version of the activities we regularly engage in as a class: discussing how the formal and thematic elements of a film function. The first step in your argument will be to identify some difference(s) between the films (narrative, structural, stylistic). Then, you will analyze in detail some implications of those differences. Your observations should support a general claim about how the films relate to a theoretical concept or some function or effect of the differences on the viewer. It is not enough to describe some differences between the films. You will make an argument about the films. Your argument will employ some theoretical ideas. You will use specific details from the films to support your argument.
This paper will be graded on the quality, clarity, and insight of your argument. The best papers will have a thesis that makes a non-obvious claim which brings out interesting differences between the movies. They will support their claims with detailed examples from the movies. They will employ theoretical ideas in their discussion. They will explain the implications of their observations rather than merely making observations.
I do not expect you to make an argument that illuminates the concept of documentary in general. I do expect you to make an argument that helps a viewer to better understand how these films function as works of art. Make your claim broad enough to be interesting, but limited enough that you can support it in five pages. Again, the thesis should specific to these films.
It is essential that this paper be well-organized. It is impossible to clearly convey and support an argument without clear organization. For this reason, you should not turn in a first draft effort. As before, this paper will not be graded for spelling, grammar, or punctuation.
I will make these films available in the Media Center. It closes at 4:30pm and is not open on the weekend. Law and Order is not available anywhere on video except the Media Center. Take good notes on the films.
Papers must be stapled and pages numbered.