MAJOR PROJECT 2: Research Memo

Research Memo

Your next major project is the Research Memo. As this project is simply a compilation of information and planning, you will only receive a credit/no credit score. Each group needs to submit each entry only once.




Step One: Group Contract
The first element of the Research Memo is the Group Contract. The Group Contract identifies the major roles each group member will play during the project. I want to stress here that every group member is responsible for every step of the project; the contract simply outlines who is in charge of each section. I will leave it to you to determine which responsibilities you wish to set upon which group members; however, each member must be responsible for at least one section. You can also determine which sections require a leader. Some suggestions:
Filming Scheduler/Coordinator
Interview Coordinator
Group Meeting Coordinator
Editing Coordinator
File Storage/Uploading Coordinator
Email/Communication Coordinator
Citations Coordinator
Story/Script Coordinator
These are simply suggestions. You can come up with your own sections, or simply use the ones I've outlined here.

The Group Contract will be due before class on Thursday, October 16

Step Two: Annotated Bibliography
The second element of the Research Memo is the Annotated Bibliography. Since you will be relying on outside sources for a huge chunk of your information, it is important that you credit and cite those sources. The Annotated Bibliography has two functions: it allows you to work on your citations and have them compiled before you work on your project, and it allows you to think about how you might use your sources before you begin filming.

Each entry in the Annotated Bibliography has two components: (1) The citation, and (2) the annotation. The citation is simply the complete and accurate citation for the entry (please use the Purdue OWL for help with citations). You may use MLA or APA, as long as the citations are consistent. The annotation begins by describing what information this citation contains. Next, it articulates how you will use this citation in your video. Below are two sample annotations from an essay on Quentin Tarantino's film Inglorious Basterds.

Goldberg, Jane G. “Fantasies of Revenge and the Stabilization of the Ego: Acts of Revenge and the Ascension of Thanatos.” Modern Psychoanalysis 29:1 (2004): 3-21. Print.

• Goldberg’s essay is a Psychoanalytic take on the positive effects of revenge fantasies. As a practicing analyst, she looks at several cases of revenge (including her own fantasies  about her husband and daughter). This will be useful for in the ways in which it describes revenge fantasies as constructive, necessary, and natural. Later in her essay, she also references a patient’s fascination with history. Although she doesn’t make a strong connection here, she leaves enough of a trail that I can connect it to what Tarantino does in his film.

Winter, Jay. Remembering War: The Great War Between Memory and History in Twentieth Century. New Haven: Yale UP, 2006. Print. 

• I will be using Winter specifically for his chapter on Collective Memory. In it, he has a section where he talks about multiple voices. Memory, he argues, tends toward a harmony of voices—in essence, it is a naturalizing discourse. Winter seems interested (and I am very interested) in the possibility for multiple voices to instead be cacophonous—to present divergent and different narratives.

The first stage of your Annotated Bibliography should be a brainstorming session: what do you need to know? Why do you need to know it? Where you can you find that information?

The Annotated Bibliography should contain at least four sources. It will be due before class on Thursday, October 23.

Step Three: Storyboarding
The final step in your Research Memo is the storyboard. The storyboard is an outline (it can be visual, but does not have to be) of your documentary's story. Although projects are always subject to change, it is helpful to plan ahead before you begin filming. Your story board should address several factors:

• What is the story of your documentary?
• What scenes do you need to have?
• How does that story play out? How to you want to open? To close? What is the order of your story?

The storyboard will be due before class on Thursday, October 30.