Re: What Documentaries Influenced You Most and Why?

[Mark Raudonis] "watch Richie Haven's performance of "Freedom". It's an incredibly strong performance, made even more so by the camera coverage. The cameraman frames up a tight shot of Richie facing the microphone. Richie is bouncing in and out of the frame, but the cameramen chooses NOT to follow him, letting him move in and out of the picture. It's a brilliant shot, something you'll rarely seen done today in the age of 19 cameras and 25 frame cuts."

Richie Havens is one of the greatest and nicest performers of all time. "Freedom" came at the end of an extension-after-extension-after-extension of his (was supposed to be) show opening 20 minute set. He and his band had exhausted every song they knew by the end of the first hour. They played well over two hours and when they finally quit playing, still no other band had shown up and so Richie went back out at the request of the show promoters and just made up a song impromptu there on the spot. It was "Freedom." When he later wanted to learn what he had done, he had to get a copy of it from the show promoters so that he could hear what he had done.

And the rest they say, is history.

Remember: Don't eat the brown acid.

Ron Lindeboom
creativecow.net