Writing Assignment:
Vimo Video- An Analysis of RithyPanh's (and MangSarith) film, The Missing Picture (2014):
Directions and Guidelines
This writing assignment asks you to write a short paper analyzing RithyPanh's film, The Missing Picture (2014) by answering ONE of the following prompt questions below. In addition, please draw upon materials from class lectures and in-class discussion. For this assignment, you must write a three-page (maximum four-page) essay answering one of the prompt questions below. Your essay should be neatly typed and doubled spaced (with one-inch margins, and be sure to number, collate, and staple your pages). More important, please structure your essay around a thesis statement, and organize your visual analysis and discussion of two specific scenes from the film into a cohesive argument.
Note: Please be sure to choose two specific scenes from the film that enable you to substantiate your argument.
The film will be screened in class on Wednesday, November 15, 2017. There is only one copy of a dvd of this film on reserve at the Media Center at the McHenry Library so please be sure to attend the in-class screening of the film and in-class discussion of the film.
Please read RithyPanh, "Cambodia: A Wound That Will Not Heal" (note, this article can found on pages 31, 32 and 33 of the pdf file. (eCommons, week 8)
As I already mentioned, this writing assignment requires no research beyond reading RithyPanh's essay in your course reader (eCommons, week 7). However, when appropriate, please reference Panh's article in proper footnotes (or endnotes) in MLA style. Please make use of the Perdue University Online Writing Lab (OWL). Note: Should you need to learn how to use footnotes, this is a very useful online resource.
Note also that we do not accept Web sites as sources (i.e., do not use Google or Wikipedia for this assignment). More important, we will only accept essays submitted through eCommons. We will not read drafts of your writing assignment. However, your respective TA would be more than happy to discuss the assignment questions with you. In fact, I would encourage you to see your respective TAs during their office hours.
Note: DO NOT fill your pages with a summary of the plot of the film. Keep in mind that you are asked to provide your own analysis, not write a synopsis. Rest assured that we have seen this film many times, so just mention the plot when it is relevant to your argument. You will get an automatic "F" on your paper if you hand in a paper that is simply a summary of the story narrated in the film. More important, please do not submit a report of the film or a report of the short interview with RithyPanh. Please ask yourself, what are some of the major differences between a report and a paper with an argument (i.e. thesis statement)?
Warning: If you do not follow the above directions and guidelines, you risk failing the writing assignment.
N.B.: In the age of great internet access and smart phone, we all turn to google for information and thus it is very important that you avoid copying information and writings from the internet and claim them as your own work. Please be honest and respectful of copyright laws by footnoting and crediting your sources properly.
Warning: If you get caught plagiarizing, you will get an automatic "F" on the assignment and in the course. We will report your misconduct to the provost of your respective colleges and your case will be handled according to the regulations and policies as outlined in the above websites.
Prompt Questions:
1. When you consider the title of the film, The Missing Picture, what do you think the film is about? What kinds of pictures are missing? Who is erasing images of the past? Who do these "missing pictures" belong to? Do you think the "missing pictures" of a bygone culture and of former lives can ever be retrieved from an archive or from the collective memories of the survivors of the Khmer Rouge genocide and revolution?
2. How does RithyPanh (the filmmaker) go about retrieving images from the archive? What kinds of images (still and moving images) did he make use of and integrate into his film? Do you think Panh made effective use of these archival images? In your opinion, to what genre of film (or films) does The Missing Picture belong? Is it a biodocumentary? How effective is Panh's use of clay figurines (note: the clay figurines are created Cambodian artist, MangSarith) as proxies in narrating his life (and the lives of other victims and perpetrators) and in conveying the violence and trauma that happened to him and his family members?
3) In your own words, please define "archive." Discuss the different types of archive that RithyPanh employs in The Missing Picture. Please do not google and just try to think on your terms after having watched the film carefully, what are some of the archives that Panh made use of and how do these different archives destabilized conventional definition of a physical archive?
Article: Memory: making peace with a violent past.