Proposal Task- Final Result

So I didn't ask for criticism, instead sent this to Mr. Wright himself and got my mother (a teacher) to proof read. There isn't a conclusion and I'm currently to tired to try and cut down my word count to allow for one.

2/5 marks, here I come! Yay! ¬.¬


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Description of Preliminary Research

Initially terrified and thrilled at the idea of an individual research into any topic of my choice in history, I sifted through every piece of history I’d ever found interesting. For the first term or so, I wasted very little time on the topic of The Holocaust deniers and wasted too much time on the topic of Vampirism in folklore before deciding both were far too narrow to write about, nor did they interest me that much.

So, I got back on track the only way I know how: watching television. The History Chanel, to be exact. Moving into the realms of Modern History, I was fascinated by the scandal of Watergate, and the involvement of Richard M. Nixon. I began to explore the Internet as a springboard for further research, finding a site dedicated purely to the Presidency of Nixon, the Watergate scandal and his resignation. From this I also came across multiple resources (including online books, docos and movies) about the Watergate scandal. The one that particularly caught my eye was the use of film as a historical recollection. After discussions with Mr Wright, I chose to watch and explore how the films Frost/Nixon and All The Presidents Men dealt with Watergate, and how they could be assessed as history in film. I decided to explore under the project type “History in the Media- Film”

I came to my final essay question of “Assess the historical value of the films Frost/Nixon and All The Presidents Men as historical sources” From this I found myself questioning a few aspects of using film as history. Things like “Is it important if the film gets history right?” and “Are the audiences perceptions of the film important” and lastly “Why should/shouldn’t films be seen as appropriate historical sources to study?”

Though far from finished in this topic, I’m pleased with the progress I’ve made already. However, I need to acquire a book called The Contemporary History Handbook by Brian Brivati, Julia Buxtun and Anthony Seldon, in which a whole chapter of assesses how to use films as a historical source. I’ll also need to analyse the films further in comparison to things like the Frost/Nixon interview transcript compared with the dialogue in the film’s interview, or read auto/biographies of the men involved at the Washington Post at the time of the scandal. I’ll also need to answer questions on reliability and eventually assess the value of the films, even compare them to other historical sources and weigh up their value as historical material. Further reading into memoirs of Frost, Nixon, Bernstein and Woodward will also be useful in my assessments of the films, as a contrast between personal recollection and what changes the directors may have made. Despite my project being initially “History in the Media” I’ll also be looking into other project types inadvertently as this project progresses, I’m sure.