Home Movies and American History

Home Movies and American History / UCR Osher/OLLI, Winter, 2022                                                                                                                      

Instructors: Co-taught by

Melissa Dollman, Ph.D. (Media Archivist and American Studies scholar) UCR Osher instructor since 2022 (and one guest lecture for Duke’s Osher back in 2017).
Devin Orgeron, Ph.D (Film Studies professor and author) UCR Osher instructor since 2019.

II. Course Description
16mm, 8mm, Super 8. Before video and digital technologies, these analogue, small-gauge film formats were how we preserved our memories. This course traces the history of the home movie, from the 1890s (it’s true!) to the early 1980s (when video began to take its place). Our aim will be twofold: 1) we will learn to appreciate the relevance of these important historical artifacts and 2) we will examine how they have been used, sometimes to great effect, by contemporary documentary filmmakers, advertisers, music video producers, TV producers, etc. What can home movies tell us about ourselves? Sign up and find out! Enrollees will also learn about and have an opportunity to participate in HOME MOVIE DAY, Palm Springs (part of Modernism Week).

III. Text/Readings:
Our primary “texts” will be the films we screen in class. We will occasionally provide brief readings

Week I

Jan. 24
The basics
Our first day will be a sort of “show and tell.” We will bring in some analogue, mechanical equipment (cameras, projectors, splicers, screens) and original home movies, talk a little bit about the history, and give folks a sense of the difference between formats. We will then watch some films and discuss them and get a sense of what kinds of things amateur filmmakers were interested in recording. We will also discuss an international event called Home Movie Day (we have a version in Palm Springs during Modernism Week in February).

“Virtual Home Movie Day” for 2021 Modernism Week [password = wutpassword?]

Home Movie Day official page https://www.centerforhomemovies.org/events/

Manuel Reyes in Conversation with Jennifer Jenkins on  Reyes Family Home Movies

Week II

Jan. 31
The “special event” the “everyday” and “accidental content”
A close look at birthdays, holidays, graduations, news events, etc. How are these events recorded? What do these recordings tell us about our culture and its priorities? How has our recording of ourselves changed since the advent of video and digital technologies? We will screen a variety of films in class and discuss these issues, but we are also keen to detect the ways in which these films sometimes contain information beyond their original intent.

“Dave Tatsuno: Movies and Memories”

If you don’t have time to watch the whole thing, Tatsuno begins talking about his home movies at about timecode 17:30.

Home movie: Dobeckmun’s 7th Annual company Picnic (1937) — FULL FILM

Week III

Feb. 7
Travel
A special event in itself, travel deserves its own category as it is likely the most “filmed” activity. We will look at a variety of travel home movies from our own collections and elsewhere and note patterns and consistencies in how we document our journeys, how experts advised we do so, etc.

To see selection of produced travelogues by Burton Holmes that verge on the home movie aesthetic.

No More Road Trips? (Rick Prelinger, 2013)

Week IV

Feb. 14
Home Movies as Mood / Home Movies as Evidence
We will discuss the use of home movies in a variety of recent works and try to get a sense of their utility to contemporary storytellers and artists. We will also look at a feature documentary about a legal case that uses home movie and video footage to tell its story.
Screening (please view before class): Capturing the Friedmans (2003) Andrew Jarecki (NOTE: This film deals with disturbing subject matter [the sort you might encounter on a particularly grim episode of Dateline, if that gives you an idea].  You might want to read about the film a bit prior to viewing it for class if you are a sensitive viewer).

Available on Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/Capturing-Friedmans-Andrew-Jarecki/dp/B07DCZ2Q22

For free here (in two parts):
https://watchdocumentaries.com/capturing-the-friedmans/

Hulu:
https://www.hulu.com/movie/capturing-the-friedmans-fb70dd51-08f5-42a1-9cae-13872913fe23?entity_id=fb70dd51-08f5-42a1-9cae-13872913fe23

HBO Max:
https://play.hbomax.com/page/urn:hbo:page:GWwWvBAiC1YK_qQEAAAB_:type:feature

OTHER FILMS

Links to other films to be discussed:

Our Nixon (2013)

Vudu:

https://www.vudu.com/content/movies/details/Our-Nixon/482795

Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/Our-Nixon-Richard/dp/B07DMQKMBF

Magic Trip (2011)

Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/Magic-Trip-Alex-Gibney/dp/B0058ZZHXC

Vudu:

https://www.vudu.com/content/movies/details/Magic-Trip/197283

NO CLASS FEB. 21

Week V

Feb. 28
The “Produced” home movie
Some amateur filmmakers aspired to be Hollywood filmmakers or otherwise took their craft VERY seriously. And there was a culture (books, magazines, clubs and special events) built around their pursuits. We will look at a variety of amateur films made by masters of the craft and examine some of the magazines, brochures, and advertisements that educated, celebrated, and sold to them.

Story-telling Home Movies

Background Music And Sound Effects For Your Home Movies

Raiders of the Lost Ark: The Adaptation (1989)

 

Hollywood Without Make-Up (1966 — not 1963)

Week VI

March 7
Collections, Collectors, Scholars, and your films
It’s not just us. The value of home movies is recognized worldwide and they have become the center of much scholarly work. We will provide a user-friendly introduction to some of this work and introduce students to some of the guardians of home movies. We also invite enrollee’s to bring in a roll of motion picture film from their own or their family’s collections. We will also give information on how to preserve these films and make access copies.

“Hollywood Home Movies: Treasures from the Academy Film Archive”

 

Rick Prelinger’s many collections and media works made from home movies

Devin Orgeron’s article, Mobile Home Movies: Travel and Le Politique des Amateurs

Melissa Dollman’s video essay, Gone Estray