BLS 347 (LN 8313):

History of American Documentary Films

Winter 2002

Tuesday/Thursday, 1:15-3:20 p.m., Rm. UW1-010 (subject to change)

David Goldstein-Shirley, Ph.D.

Documentary Film Proposal

 

The Goldstein-Shirley Foundation

Loot for your shoot.™

c/o Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences
18115 Campus Way NE
Box 358530
Bothell, WA 98011-8246

 

January 8, 2002

Dear Sir or Madam:

We understand that you are on your way to earning a bachelor's degree at the University of Washington, Bothell. We know that the graduates of that institution are consistently bright, well-rounded, thoughtful, perceptive, and creative (perhaps partly as a result of the outstanding professors there). We therefore believe that you have all the makings of an excellent documentary filmmaker. We are prepared to offer you $100,000 to make a fifty-minute documentary film on a topic of your choice if we select a proposal that you submit. Please carefully review the attached documentation. We look forward to reading your proposal.

Sincerely,

David Goldstein-Shirley

Founder and President

The Goldstein-Shirley Foundation

INSTRUCTIONS FOR PROPOSALS

  1. Download the application from the BLS 347 Blackboard area at <http://bb.bothell.washington.edu>. (If you need instructions for enrolling in the BLS 347 Blackboard area, please contact the Goldstein-Shirley Foundation at <http://depts.washington.edu/ctlt/catalyst/umail/mail.cgi?user=davidgs&form=5>.) With the document open in Microsoft Word, please type each response immediately below its corresponding question. When finished, save the document in the proper format for electronic submission. (See below for submission instructions.)
  2. All proposals will be evaluated and rated on a scale of points as follows:

    Completeness (responds appropriately to the requirements)

    20 percent

    Depth of response (quality of detail and support; sophistication of ideas and argument)

    65 percent

    Quality of writing (organization; spelling, grammar, diction, punctuation)

    15 percent

    TOTAL

    45 pts.

  3. Submit the application responses by 1:15 p.m. on Tuesday, February 26. Late applications will be accepted only until 1:15 p.m. on Thursday, February 28; they will lose five rating points and will be ineligible for revision. Keep a copy of the completed application.

    To submit your paper online, carefully follow these instructions:

    1. You must have an electronic copy of your paper on the computer you use to submit the paper electronically. That means the paper needs to be a Microsoft Word document located on your computer's hard drive (if you have Internet access at home or work) or on a floppy disk or Zip disk that can be inserted into a computer on campus. Allow time for that. (If you do not own Microsoft Word, you sometimes can purchase a deeply discounted copy through ASUWB <http://depts.washington.edu/asuwb/> or else use one of the campus computer labs.)
    2. Name your Word file exactly in this format: LastnameFirstinitialProp. For example, if you name were Susan Husky, your filename would be "HuskySProp" (but without quotation marks). Note that there is no space between the last name and the first initial or between the first initial and the "Prop" (which stands for "Proposal").
    3. Log onto the BLS 347 Blackboard area at <http://bb.bothell.washington.edu>.
    4. Click on the "Tools" button.
    5. In the "Tools" area, click on the "Digital Drop Box" button.
    6. Click on the "Send File" button (not the "Add File" button).
    7. In the box labeled "Title," type your last name (with only the first letter capitalized), then a space, then your first initial (capitalized), then a space, and then the word "Proposal" (capitalized but without the quotation marks). For example: "Husky S Proposal" (but without the quotation marks). Note that for this title, you need to use spaces, unlike the name of your Word document, which cannot have spaces in it.
    8. Use the "Browse" button to find your computer file that contains your paper. Leave the "Comments" box blank (unless, for some reason, you need to tell me something about your document).
    9. Press the "Submit" button. You should then arrive at "digital receipt" page. I recommend that you print and save this receipt page.
    10. After your document is submitted, log out of Blackboard and close the browser window to protect your Blackboard account.

      Note: A five-point penalty will apply for electronic copies submitted late (after 1:15 p.m. on Feb. 26) , and no late papers will be accepted after 1:15 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 28. I recommend tricking yourself into believing that your paper is due on Feb. 24 rather than Feb. 26 so you have some time cushion for unforeseen problems. Please see the course syllabus for general information about submitting late work.

      Be sure to allow some time for unforeseen problems with the electronic submission. I recommend trying to submit it at least a day or two early. I use electronic copies of papers for four reasons: (1) If I misplace your paper copy, I always have access to the electronic copy; (2) I can keep a copy of your paper after I return the graded version in case I need to refer to it or want to compare it to other papers in the future; (3) I can more easily put the papers online; and (4) I can use plagiarism-detecting software if necessary to make sure that all of your classmates are being as honest as you are. (I believe in the "trust, but verify" principle.)

  4. All of the ideas and writing must be your own, except when you cite the contributions of others (e.g., using the ideas or words of a published author). You may--and are encouraged to--use the Writing Center at your institution.
  5. You may, if you wish, revise your proposal and re-submit it no later than 1:15 p.m. on Thursday, March 14. To re-submit your proposal, follow the electronic submission instructions above, except that, in the "Title" box, you should type your last name (with only the first letter capitalized), then a space, then your first initial (capitalized), then a space, and then the abbreviations "Prop Rev" (with a capital P and capital R but without the quotation marks). For example: "Husky S Prop Rev" (but without the quotation marks). Note that for this title, you need to use spaces, unlike the name of your Word document, which cannot have spaces in it. You also must submit, in class, no later than 1:15 p.m. on Thursday, March 14, THE GRADED ORIGINAL (i.e., the paper copy) of your proposal. No late revisions will be accepted. The revised proposal will be graded by the same criteria above, and the new grade will be averaged with the original grade.

Thank you for preparing this application. We look forward to eviscerating evaluating your proposal. Our Department of Application Viability and Importance Determination (a.k.a. DAVID) will return its evaluation of your proposal, with carefully considered comments, about a week or so after you submit it. If your application is approved, a check for $100,000 will be attached to the returned proposal. In the event that no check accompanies the returned application, we hope that the chance to think about why a film should be made and what its purpose would be, in the context of American documentary tradition, has been a worthwhile exercise anyway.

This page last updated February 23, 2002.

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