We have spent a lot of time this year
looking at documentary films and how they are used to
tell stories about the past. We have examined
documentary
techniques and in this earlier
activity on the Reformation, we compared and
contrasted history and documentary film making.
In this activity, you are going to
make your own short documentary film about the life of
Napoleon Bonaparte. At the very beginning of this unit
you were divided into pairs. Consequently you will be
producing a film that either portrays Napoleon in a
positive light as a hero, or in a negative light as a
villain.
This activity is designed to focus
on one of the main characteristics of history
documentary, that distinguishes it from the study of
history. History documentary tends to present a
simplified, one-sided interpretation of the past, that
does not allow for competing, alternative viewpoints. In
contrast, history does not provide single stories about
the past, but rather, recognises that the past can be
interpreted in lots of different ways.
In this activity you are not going to
produce good history. You are not to produce a balanced
account. You are going to produce an account that is
deliberately one-sided.
The activity
1. You begin by
planning the four sections of your film. For each of
these sections you must find good, accurate historical
evidence that will support your positive or negative
view of Napoleon. It is very important that your film is
historically accurate; that nothing is made up or
untrue.
2. Next, consider how the following
four sources will be used in your film. You can use as
many additional sources as you like, but you must use
the following four: a painting and three short film
clips.
