Docufiction: A Hybrid Film Practice

We have been seeing more and more hybrid cinema forms since the 1980s. Is it true that classical cinema is dead as Godard announced? Or are we moving into the merged space between theatrical narrative and radical journalism? The underground filmmaking in China, in the Arabic world and in other non-western countries have suggested a more political and radical cinematic language, yet, the west and especially Hollywood is still refining the expensive studio and superstar-oriented production. We might need new terms to replace the word ‘documentary’ or ‘fiction’ in the current world of film practice. But we can never change the essence of storytelling in cinema. What is the particularity of docu-fiction narrative? What are the ways of dealing with facts, archives, documentary real people in their environments, and dramatization? And how should we direct reenactment and performative scenes? In this class, we will examine these issues. We will study and discuss the clips from key films, and will have short film exercises to explore various cinematic languages. Outcome: Through discussion and short film exercises, students will learn different modes of visual narrative. In particular, students will acquire a sophisticated sense of hybrid storytelling that will assist them in forging a cinematic language and a visual narrative of their own. This course is divided into two parts.

Part 1 (wks 1-5): study of the hybrid form and essential skills for hybrid cinema.

Part 2 (wks 6- end of term): hybrid storytelling workshop: reenactment, performative, dramatization, improvisation from the scripted or non scripted projects, and other modes of narrative.