C.A.T.
Movie Making
Project
As a project for Contemporary American Texts, you will be completing a 5-10 minute movie,
utilizing techniques and ideas that you have learned in class. We will then be having a CAT film
festival at the end of the year. Your final film will count as your final exam second semester.

The project will be worth in excess of 500 points and be graded on the following criteria:

• Main idea: How well does the film express the original intent of the project? Does the
theme address an important philosophical question?
• Film Techniques: How well does the project utilize the techniques of film in terms of
angles, lighting, sound, color, etc.
• Aesthetics, Creativity and Quality
• Schedule: Don’t turn in the various components of the project late!

Each component of the project will be worth the following:

Treatment: 100 points

Script: 200 points
First Cut/Final film: 200 points (goes in as a test and as your final exam)
Peer Evaluation: 50 points

The purpose of this project is to explore, through the medium of film/video, a major philosophical
question---like we will be doing all year. The theme you choose is up to you and can be taken
from the following:

POLITICS: elections, purpose of government, rights, war, citizenship

SOCIO-ECONOMIC ISSUES: poverty, racism, segregation, education
PHILOSOPHY: What is the good life? What makes and educated citizen? Purpose of life?
Meaning of life? Think about all of the thinkers we have discussed---what issues did they
address?
ECONOMICS: Class, stratification, wealth, power
MEDIA CRITIQUE/LITERACY: advertisement, body image, role of media in everyday life,
purpose of media, bias in media, etc.

Your film MUST address some issue. Think of it like an ARGUMENT. That does not mean that
your film needs to be serious. Comedy and satire can be effective ways to transport meaning.
But the question that you are addressing needs to be clearly identified early on in the project.

 
 
Your film can be of any genre: drama, comedy, documentary, mockumentary, western, film noir,
romantic comedy, mystery, science fiction, etc.

You will need to complete this project in groups of up to FOUR.

IMPORTANT NOTE: When choosing groups, it will be a good idea to include at least one
person who has a video camera. Also, choose carefully, because you will be working with these
people for the entire year and you will be getting a group grade.

SCHEDULE AND DUE DATES:  
CAT FILM PROJECT 2009­10 
 
1. Group assignment sheet:   OCTOBER 8, 2009 
2. Treatment:  NOVEMBER 3, 2009 
3. Script:    NARRATIVE: DECEMBER 1, 2009 
DOCUMENTARY:  JANUARY 15, 2010 
4. Rough Cut:  MONDAY, MARCH 1, 2010 
5. Final film:  FRIDAY, MAY 21, 2010