History for Filmmakers

Importance of Studying History for Filmmakers

• Studying history enhances cultural understanding and narrative depth for filmmakers.
• A key objective of studying history in filmmaking involves understanding cultural and societal contexts.
• History gets defined as a record of past events, decisions, and interactions.
• The course covers biographical, aesthetic, and technological branches of history, but not environmental history.

Sources

• Primary sources include oral histories, diaries, and artifacts, not lectures.
• Secondary sources entail interpretations and analyses.
• Triangulation of sources balances and validates historical interpretation.

Film and History

• Films as historical sources fall under artistic interpretation.
• Novels, paintings, and music serve as commonly used tools in studying history through culture.
• A diary by an independence leader counts as a primary source.
• Socio-cultural/political history focuses on power, people, and societal norms.
• A history book by a professor gets deemed a secondary source.
• Understanding history in film provides accuracy and realism in storytelling,
• Accurately telling history helps filmmakers understand character motivation in historical context

Western Periodization and Historical Tools

• A criticism of Western periodization involves marginalizing non-Western narratives.
• Prehistory refers to the time before written records.
• Social media posts don't constitute a typical historical tool.

Artistic License and Historical Periods

• Artistic license in historical films enhances creative storytelling while remaining rooted in fact.
• The Ancient period directly follows Prehistory.
• Feature films, oral history, and music serve as both artistic expressions and historical sources.
• Writers, directors, and cultural analysts benefit the most from understanding history in film production.

Aesthetic History

• Aesthetic history hones in on culture, beauty, and art.
• Analytical perspective is NOT a characteristic of primary sources.
• Critiquing periodization yields a more inclusive view of global history.
• The socio-cultural/political branch of history explores Ghana's independence.
• Secondary sources support filmmakers by offering analyzed, structured knowledge for context.
• An oral interview with a veteran filmmaker is a primary source.
• Dividing history into time blocks gets called periodization.
• Documentaries often use artifacts, newspaper clippings, and oral interviews as historical sources.
• Secondary sources are more likely of including bias or interpretation.

Artistic License in Film

• Artistic license in historical film involves blending creativity with accuracy.
• Historical context best bridges the past and present through film.
• Validating facts using multiple sources defines "triangulation" in history.
• Costume design accuracy, set design consistency, and dialogue relevance exemplify how history aids cultural analysis in film.
• Industrial history focuses on economic and labor systems.
• Biographical history helps analyze individual life stories in films.
• Historical filmmaking intertwines fact and interpretation.
• Music in historical film helps convey cultural identity and emotion.
• The term "modern" in historical periods generally signifies the post-medieval era.
• Historical timelines need understanding to produce accurate content

Primary versus Secondary Sources

• Film scripts, novels, and paintings can become primary and secondary sources depending on use.
• Historical study empowers African filmmakers to reclaim and retell African narratives.
• Examining Ghana's cultural festivals falls under socio-cultural history.
• A letter written during colonial rule counts as a primary source.
• Oral histories become crucial in African history due to the many passed down traditions. Using African music in film helps portray African heritage and emotion.
• A common critique among African historians mentions that Western periodization neglects African timelines.
• Historical research in film benefits screenwriters, costume designers, and directors.

Exploring Technological History

• Technological history explores the invention and impact of tools across time.
• African history timelines start with Prehistoric Africa.

Evolution and Human Origins

• Humans evolved from African apes,
• The oldest known hominids are Australopithecines.
• Homo habilis first used tools.
• Homo sapiens is considered the closest ancestor to modern humans. Mitochondrial Eve refers to the most recent common matrilineal ancestor of humans.
• Homo erectus was known for upright walking and fire use.
• The term "hominids" refers to humans and their close extinct relatives.
• Fossils of early humans were discovered in Africa.
• Archaeology studies early humans through fossils and artifacts.
• Homo sapiens emerged around 200,000 years ago.

The Bible and Human Origins

• According to the Bible, the first humans were Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden.
• In Islamic teachings, the first man is Adam and Eve got called Hawwa.
• Creation by God is what religious accounts of human origins emphasize.
• Both Islam and Christianity explain moral and spiritual beginnings.
• According to Christianity, sin entered the world through disobedience in Eden.
• Both the Bible and Qur'an place human origin in a divine garden.
• Moral lessons often get emphasized by Religious narratives.
• Mythological Accounts often include supernatural beings and describe origins in a symbolic, cultural way

African Myths

• In African creation myths, ancestors and gods play some role.
• Often supreme beings create the earth in African myths.
• A role of mythology in history provides cultural explanations.
• Humanity often begins with animals or spirits in Mythological stories.
• Oral traditions hand myths down to the future generations, and they protect cultural identities.
• Myths get area-specific as they reflect local beliefs.

Key Fossils

• South Africa is where the Taung fossil discovery occurred.
• The Taung Child gets classified as Australopithecus africanus.
• The Sterkfontein caves are located in South Africa.
• Evolution includes the gradual development of human features. Homo sapiens come from Africa Africa has fossil evidence supporting early human life
• Science is based on evidence, as opposed to mythology.
• Scientific investigation is mostly linked with human evolution..

Hominid Key Traits

• Australopithecines were known for bipedal walking.
• "Homo habilis" means "handy man".
• Mesopotamia is believed to be location for the Garden of Eden.
• "Mitochondrial Eve" finds support from genetic evidence.
• Charles Darwin advanced evolutionary theory.
• Myths shape cultural worldviews.
• "Homo sapiens" translates to "wise man". Fossils, DNA, and carbon dating get used by Evolutionary science.
• Sacred texts and oral traditions, serve to base mythological accounts around.

Key African Kingdoms

• The ancient Kingdom of Ghana's capital (Wagadugu) was Koumbi Saleh.
• Mansa Musa, ruled the Mali Empire and became known for his pilgrimage to Mecca.
• The Songhai Empire reached the peak under Askia the Great.
• The Axum Empire became known for building churches carved into rock.
• The Kingdom of Axum was not located in West Africa.
• The Songhai Empire faced resistance from the Mossi Kingdoms.
• The Benin Empire became known for sculpture in bronze.
• Christianity got promoted in the Ethiopian/Abyssinian Empire.
• Sundiata Keita founded the Mali Empire.
• The Songhai Empire succeeded the Mali Empire dominating West Africa.

Theories of Origins

• Modern humans originated in Africa, suggested by the "Out of Africa" theory.
• Stone Age human technological development came first.
• Paleolithic era tools included rough flint tools were characteristic. The Neolithic Revolution includes the development of agriculture.
• Farming techniques and ironworking is included from the Bantu Migration. Metal tools come from the Bronze Age.
• Brains got bigger along with posture during prehistoric times.

Taung

• Taung is archaeological site that revealed early human remains in Africa.
• Homo Erectus was know for controlling fire and using tools first.
• The Iron Age in Africa began in or around 1000 BC.

Africa's Geography

• The Sahara is Africa's largest desert.
• The Nile is the longest river in Africa.
• The Bantu people originated from Central Africa
• The Tuareg people were known for the nomadic pastoral lifestyle in the Sahel Ancient trade routes got influenced by rivers and deserts in Africa.
• North Africa includes Berbers
• Berber and Bantu languages are linked to African origins
• Rainforests dominate landscape in Central Africa. Africa's diversity results from climate and migration. Afric gets separated from Europe by way of the Mediterranean Sea.

Key Facts on African Society

• Oral traditions preserve history and value soceity
• Human behavior can get told by way African myths.
• Storytellers and historians are what Griots are known as in West Africa. Oral history supplements written records that are important in African studies Oral tradition can get change, a limitation
• Teachings on moral values is how myths help origin communities.
• Africa's prehistory theme includes gradual changes over time regarding human evolution The Plastic Age wasn't an technological age
• Agriculture and iron tools got spread thanks to Bantu migration.
• In early Africa, migration came from farming and population pressures.
• Kingdom of Ghana was most known for trade in salt and gold.
• Mousa Musa was was part of the Mali empire
• Stone tools got first used during the Paleolithic Age
• In the past, present got linked and shared by traditions.
• Griots are the carriers of the word in most of African cultures. Bronze casting is a key part of the Benin empire
• The Iron tools and agriculture lead of early african civilization.
• The Iron Age in Africa began at 1000 BC
• The African empire located along the Red Sea was Axum
• Trade, migration, and geography has been the cause of most to cultural diversity in Africa.

The Crusades

• Pope Urban II’s call in 1095 marks the beginning of the Crusades.
• A major motivation behind the Crusades includes religious and political conflict.
• Prior to European contact, slavery existed in indigenous and trans-Saharan forms in Africa.

Influences

• The ancient civilization that influenced early African civilizations mostly included Egyptian.
• The African Renaissance concept joins modern Africa with Ancient African heritage.
• The Industrial Revolution and raw materials is a main economic reason of European colonization.
• The Berlin Conference of 1884–1885 established that there would be “Effective occupation” of territories.
• The "Scramble for Africa" alludes to European colonization.
• Long-term cultural and infrastructural changes continues even now in Africa because of European control
• The European colonial work has advanced the domination. Maxim guns gives Europeans military superpower over africa
• Trade was used for controlling things economically
• Industrial revolution was what did not cause it,

Colonial control

• Achnoledging Africian cultures- The Berling
• The Berling was the main way of taking over the lands
• A bad thing about colinalies is new diseases for other ppl

Christianity

• Europe use people with power and and help there

Africa boundaries

• There was equal polical stuff that did not happen
• Collions are now and when the war ended
• Colonist wanted and took gold from the land
• A war happen from what they took back then
• PPl don’t get equal treatment so it leads to mental

Control

• A point of view has always the colonist because they think they need to civilize things
• What they teach the African people are what the colony’s want
• And if there going to do something make it known so everyone knows

Slavery

The slavery started to come to America and it went well for what the Africans were looking for

• How they were getting hurt when they were sold the slavery
• The B Conference, African was never ask what is there need
• It was really bad with malaria back then
• A major culture affect was that not really anything got said but the land they took over
• Colon was the same thing that happened back then with not asking

Trade and Culture now

• African did not like it when people would start talking about there country like they knew nothing
• 1000 is when they got the iron from Africa
• Always there was a force to get the truth
• Its something of building there community with other people and that’s good
• Not ever having the same and what we think things should get done.
• Where death starts to make the new world look up to it.
• Tradish shows art

Colonial Africa

• Colonial Africa wasn't present and wasn't on here for long for sure
• Orish tradion that was like 3-400 years back
• 1 has always be and do the same thing we want for our countrys
• But this is there land so we need to here and listen so we understand
• B is better are the only things that we get in life its going to hard but its better that way
• Not just that its spiritual as well so it matters what is said To find in the place that you know and know what to get after that.