What Documentaries Influenced You Most and Why?

	Re: What Documentaries Influenced You Most and Why? by Mark Raudonis on Apr 26, 2008 at 4:42:34 am For me: Woodstock The "port o san" sequence still stands as one of the best "cinema verite" moments ever captured on film! Watch it now, and the emotion, power and truth of that three day event still comes through almost 40 years later. This film inspired me to want to make documentaries. Even today, I show it to young cameramen or editors as an example of what a documentary can be. For example, 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. I can go on and on, but this concert film was a time capsule not only of an event, but of an entire generation. Truly a remarkable piece of film history. Mark Respond to this post   •   Return to posts index

	Re: What Documentaries Influenced You Most and Why? by Harry Pallenberg on Apr 26, 2008 at 6:54:04 pm Its been a long time since I've seen any of these, but they are the ones that drew me to this kind of work. Gates of Heaven (1978) E. Morris http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0077598/plotsummary Probably one of the 1st one I ever saw that I was not BORED. Documentary had always been a bad word till I saw this exploration of INSANE people and an INSANE topic... blew me away. basically most Morris film - Fats Cheap Out of Control, Thin Blue lIne... Burden of Dreams (1982) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0083702/plotsummary Sherman's March R. McElwee http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0091943/ Had a big impact on me. Have not see it in 15+ years, but I just really liked the free-flow feel.... Also love the earlier films of Les Blank, liek Gap Toothed Women. Roger and Me - worked for me at the time, not sure how much I'd like it now. Off the top of my head.. thats my list. The top 3 really guided me in my youth. Great thread. Thanks, Harry. Forum Cowmunity Leader: Indie & Doc Forum Cowmunity Leader: HDV Dual 1.8 G5 ** 1GB ** 10.4.8 (Office / Photoshop) Dual 2.0 G5 ** 4GB ** 10.4.8 Kona 2 (FCP Machine) Respond to this post   •   Return to posts index

	Re: What Documentaries Influenced You Most and Why? by Ron Lindeboom on Apr 26, 2008 at 11:15:26 pm [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 Respond to this post   •   Return to posts index

	Re: What Documentaries Influenced You Most and Why? by David Roth Weiss on Apr 26, 2008 at 11:21:08 pm Here's the transcript from Woodstock: "Uh, to get back to the, uh, the warning that I've received you may take it with how many however many grains of salt you wish, that the brown acid that is circulating around us is not specifically too good. Uh, it's suggested that you do stay away from that, course it's your own trip, so be my guest, but, uh, please be advised that there is a warning on that one ok?" David Roth Weiss Director/Editor David Weiss Productions, Inc. Los Angeles POST-PRODUCTION WITHOUT THE USUAL INSANITY ™ A forum host of Creative COW's Business & Marketing, and Indie Film & Documentary forums. Respond to this post   •   Return to posts index

	Re: What Documentaries Influenced You Most and Why? by Steve Wargo on Apr 29, 2008 at 7:35:29 am That explains a few things. Steve Wargo Tempe, Arizona It's a dry heat! Sony HDCAM F-900 & HDW-2000/1 deck 5 Final Cut (not quite PRO) systems Sony HVR-M25 HDV deck 2-Sony EX-1 HD . Respond to this post   •   Return to posts index

	Re: What Documentaries Influenced You Most and Why? by David Roth Weiss on Apr 26, 2008 at 6:43:18 pm 1. Memory of the Camps - 1945 - Narrated by Trevor Howard - original editing and treatment supervised by Alfred Hitchcock. This documentary on the liberation of the German concentration camps in 1945 was assembled in London that year, but never shown until FRONTLINE first broadcast it -- 40 years later -- in May of 1985. FRONTLINE acquired "F3080" in 1985 and commissioned the late actor Trevor Howard to record the original typed narration script. FRONTLINE broadcast the film just as it was found in the Museum's archives, unedited, with the missing sound tracks, and with the title given to it by the Imperial War Museum: "Memory of the Camps." The first broadcast was on May 7, 1985 to mark the 40th anniversary of the liberation of the Nazi death camps. Perhaps the most powerful documentary film ever made. 2. The Silent World - 1958 - co-directors Jacques-Yves Cousteau and Louis Malle. One of the first underwater films shot in color, setting the bar for over fifty years of ocean exploration to follow. 3. The PBS series American Experience - 1991 to the Present - The title says it all. "Television's longest-running, most-watched history series." The finest historical documentaries about the 300-plus years of our noble experiment on television. 4. The National Geographic Specials narrated by Alexander Scourby (1913-1985). Perhaps the finest narrator of docos there will ever be. 5. Following the Tundra Wolf - Directors John Borden & Neil Goodwin - Narrated by Robert Redford. This film reveals for the very first time a relationship between predator and prey that is essential for both species, i.e. the wolf-caribou equasion. There are wolves in the wild today because of this film. David Roth Weiss Director/Editor David Weiss Productions, Inc. Los Angeles POST-PRODUCTION WITHOUT THE USUAL INSANITY ™ A forum host of Creative COW's Business & Marketing, and Indie Film & Documentary forums. Respond to this post   •   Return to posts index

	Re: What Documentaries Influenced You Most and Why? by Harry Pallenberg on Apr 26, 2008 at 7:01:56 pm Hoe could I forget F is For Fake!!! Orson Wells last (?) film... that was great. Thanks, Harry. Forum Cowmunity Leader: Indie & Doc Forum Cowmunity Leader: HDV Dual 1.8 G5 ** 1GB ** 10.4.8 (Office / Photoshop) Dual 2.0 G5 ** 4GB ** 10.4.8 Kona 2 (FCP Machine) Respond to this post   •   Return to posts index

	Re: What Documentaries Influenced You Most and Why? by Rick Amundson on Apr 26, 2008 at 10:45:28 pm Thank you all so much for this thread. I've never been big into docs but have wanted to jump in. Now I have a whole list for the Netflix queue! Thanks again. Rick Amundson Producer/Director/DP Screenscape Studios Bravo Romeo Entertainment www.screenscapestudios.com www.bravoromeo.com www.indeliblemovie.com Respond to this post   •   Return to posts index

	Re: What Documentaries Influenced You Most and Why? by Ron Lindeboom on Apr 28, 2008 at 5:30:50 pm [robert reed] "Orson unfortunately read his own press releases and began taking himself much too seriously after Citizen Cane." When I ran into this closing comment, Robert, I almost spit my coffee onto my keyboard and monitor, laughing. Thanks for near electrocution! ;) My opinion of Orson Welles has always been one of huge promise as seen in a couple of near-supernova level successes, and then the collapsing into itself of a career more akin to the subsequent blackhole. Orson Welles has always struck me as a man whose vision started out so acutely when he was young but faded fast as his own personal excesses -- alcohol, etc., etc. -- ate away his talent as quickly as an over-dosing rockstar. I know many will disagree but Welles has always struck me as a man who took himself far too seriously and let that belief get ahead of his stories towards the end of his career. The preaching got ahead of the message, in my opinion. But hey, not a soul will remember my name, while his will still be spoken of long long after -- so what does my opinion matter? Ron Lindeboom Respond to this post   •   Return to posts index

	Re: What Documentaries Influenced You Most and Why? by Todd Terry on Apr 28, 2008 at 11:34:31 pm [Ron Lindeboom] "Welles has always struck me as a man who took himself far too seriously" ...true, and gotta remember that the man who brought us the genius of Kane was also the same guy who did lame magic tricks for Johnny Carson and hawked cheap wine in his later years. T2 __________________________________ Todd Terry Creative Director Fantastic Plastic Entertainment, Inc. fantasticplastic.com Respond to this post   •   Return to posts index

	Re: What Documentaries Influenced You Most and Why? by Mark Suszko on Apr 29, 2008 at 12:22:16 am OK I'm gonna step in for Orson as his stunt double and say just a few words, if not in his defense, at least, to get a little coverage for the other side of the opinion. First we'll stipulate for the sake of expediency that the guy had an enormous ego, had a spendthrift nature and appetites for women that created numerous problems for him. If you've read some of the biographies, you find yourself applauding him and cursing him in the same breath, often. Guy lived three lifetimes in one. Some of that excess and bad behavior was just something of his time; most all the Great Men of that era were collossal drinkers, smokers, wife-cheaters, etc. And it is of note Orson kept up with the best of them, with men much more handsome than himself. Stealing actresses from Sinatra? Dude was a playa! I think the only reason he was able to do many of the great things he did was because that epic ego was able to carry the force of his true genius thru barriers that would stop mere mortals. You have to have a high opinion of yourself to have the courage to achieve some great things in the face of a lot of obstacles and adversaries. He managed to do some remarkable things nobody would have imagined, just because he believed he could. Did he step on a lot of people along the way, take credit that wasn't rightfully all his? You bet he did. Name three people in Hollywood that haven't. I think Orson shares with Terry Gilliam the worst case of cursed, bad luck in film making you could ask for. The two have a lot of similarities in their film making back-stories. They are repeatedly hired by studios for their specific genius and point of view, then the studios invariably get cold feet somewhere in the middle of production and take away all the money, the control, and re-edit or cancel projects or perform other nastiness upon it. Then, they blame the artist. Orson apparently really loved that old parable about the scorpion and the frog crossing the river. He saw a lot of parellels to his reationships with studio heads and the studio system. When they left him alone to do his thing, they prospered. Every time they stepped in to take control, the project was damaged or ruined. If people fracked around with your master edited cut behind your back, while they sent you away on a "working vacation", don't you think YOU would return witha bit of attitude? That's why Ambersons was less than magnificent. Same with the re-cut of Mr. Arkadin, Touch of Evil, MacBeth, etc etc etc. It is a hard business to be in if you're a visionary and if you are very proprietary of your product. Orson, like Gilliam, got a rap as a hard to work with, eccentric, difficult director/producer/writer/actor. Not all of that was deserved. A lot of what happened to him was collateral damage from Hearst after the fight to release "Kane". Funding dried up. Inter-studio deals were messed up. Hearst's PR machine ran on even after Hearst's death, like a robot army of assasins. Orson had to become one of the original "Indies", digging up his own small-time investors to fund film projects, and raising money any way he could. When one famous director was given a big award, he used part of his speech to castigate the entire film community for having Orson alive but idle in their midst and making big speeches about how great "Kane" was, but starving him for lack of money to make movies with, while we still had him around. O in his latter days had bills to pay for paternity and alimony but also for film productions that were never finished. That's why he did the TV spots, commercials, roasts, etc. To raise money for making more films, to keep up public interst in him to also attract investors, all to raise production money and to get rid of his debts. You want to call that being a sell-out or something, well, what else could the guy do? Orson didn't do anything less than Trump does now. He used to go to lunch meetings with anybody that flashed a little bit of cash that might go towards his next production. Orson called these sessions "the dancing bear routine", where he would have to "perform" as the character people expected him to be from his public persona, so thye could go home and write in their fdiaryabout their great lunch with the famous Orson Welles. In exchange for the chance to mooch some production money. Incredibly sad, but he tried to keep his spirits up. Orson was just ngetting into doing multicam production in the then-new betacam format when he died. He was excited that he could afford to own and control his own means of production, finally, using tape over film. The same dream of "indie" producers today. You guys might be a little too hard on him. A real documentary about the man would be an epic piece of film. Respond to this post   •   Return to posts index

	Re: What Documentaries Influenced You Most and Why? by Todd Terry on Apr 29, 2008 at 12:32:10 am [Mark Suszko] "Orson didn't do anything less than Trump does now." If Trump is our standard of taste and class... we'll then we have bigger problems. Orson, like many people, had great highs and lows. When he was great, he was indeed great. T2 __________________________________ Todd Terry Creative Director Fantastic Plastic Entertainment, Inc. fantasticplastic.com Respond to this post   •   Return to posts index

	Re: What Documentaries Influenced You Most and Why? by Ron Lindeboom on Apr 27, 2008 at 12:25:03 am I hate to bore the tears out of people, but why not? -- why not use the talents you have? ;o) My favorite documentaries are not going to win me any points with those who opt for the more eclectic and obscure. Mine are all pretty much mainstream for the most part, with the possible exception of "Ishi: Last of His Tribe" (not the movie but the documentary that was made from actual photographs and film of Ishi. The others would be: The BBC Nature series with David Attenborough. Amazing stuff. The "Blue Planet" and "Planet Earth" are stunning. The "Walking With Dinosaurs" series from the BBC. That too is incredible stuff. PBS's "Nova" is a great series and one that I never tire of. Especially the science documentaries they create. Greystone Communications made a great series for the History Channel, the "Civil War Journal" with host Danny Glover -- which I liked better than PBS's series on the Civil War created by Ken Burns. History Channel's new "The Universe" series is another of my favorites. As is their "Founding Brothers" and "Revolutionary War" series. In the 50s Disney created a great documentary that I will never forget even though I only saw it once as a kid long ago, it was called "The Living Desert" and it was the first time that I realized that just because something looked dead, did not mean it was. (I have since verified the phenomenon by watching politicians, international heads of state and various religious leaders, etc. So, Disney was right.) But the all-time number one documentary that influenced me to want to create stories was... VICTORY AT SEA, done in 26 episodes by NBC News in 1952. I can still remember my father (who was a Pearl Harbor survivor), my Mom and all of us kids sitting there and watching this series together. It was phenomenal in its time and was a series that NBC felt was so important that they ran it without commercial interruption. Try that today. Best regards, Ron Lindeboom creativecow.net Respond to this post   •   Return to posts index

	Re: What Documentaries Influenced You Most and Why? by David Roth Weiss on Apr 27, 2008 at 2:33:58 am [Ron Lindeboom] "But the all-time number one documentary that influenced me to want to create stories was... VICTORY AT SEA" Narrated by none other than Alexander Scourby himself. David Roth Weiss Director/Editor David Weiss Productions, Inc. Los Angeles POST-PRODUCTION WITHOUT THE USUAL INSANITY ™ A forum host of Creative COW's Business & Marketing, and Indie Film & Documentary forums. Respond to this post   •   Return to posts index

	Re: What Documentaries Influenced You Most and Why? by Ron Lindeboom on Apr 27, 2008 at 3:34:30 pm I hate to correct such an esteemed and respected friend but it was Leonard Graves who narrated Victory At Sea. But don't feel bad, David, I told a friend the other day that I thought that Vaughn Williams did the music -- I was sure I was right -- and when I went to the boxed set and looked it up later, it was Richard Rogers of Rogers & Hammerstein fame. The producer was Henry Salomon and he wrote it with Richard Hanser. The director was M. Clay Adams and the series won more awards than any other documentary run on a major network. They won 13 awards that include the Emmy, the Peabody, the Navy's Distinguished Services Award and many others. What a piece of work. One that would have been made even better and brighter had Alexander Scourby narrated it. Like you, I love his voice. What an incredible talent he was. He could be reading the phone book and you would want to sit and listen. Ron Lindeboom creativecow.net Respond to this post   •   Return to posts index

	Re: What Documentaries Influenced You Most and Why? by David Roth Weiss on Apr 27, 2008 at 5:23:35 pm [Ron Lindeboom] "I hate to correct such an esteemed and respected friend but it was Leonard Graves who narrated Victory At Sea." No problem Ron, especially since it turns out that in a way we are both correct. Turns out that Alexander Scourby narrated the theatrical version of Victory At Sea. Here's an excerpt from his CV on Wikipedia: "From the 1950's onward he became known as the narrator of documentaries such as the theatrical film version of Victory at Sea (1954), and remained much in demand into the 1980s, notably on National Geographic specials and finally the series of CBS medical specials entitled The Body Human. He also hosted the PBS series Live from the Met for a time. Among his lesser known works, the independent 1977 documentary, Hell Gate: The Watery Grave was a favorite. His last narrating assignment was the documentary Toscanini: The Maestro, in 1985." David Roth Weiss Director/Editor David Weiss Productions, Inc. Los Angeles POST-PRODUCTION WITHOUT THE USUAL INSANITY ™ A forum host of Creative COW's Business & Marketing, and Indie Film & Documentary forums. Respond to this post   •   Return to posts index

	Re: What Documentaries Influenced You Most and Why? by Mark Suszko on Apr 27, 2008 at 6:36:45 pm #1, Murrow's original CBS White Paper: "Harvest of Shame". That's my touchstone from the early era of TV. They did a follow-up, I forget when, I think it was the late 70's. Sad to see how little had changed. About time to do another one, I think. Of the more modern ones, I remain amazed by "The Kid Stays In The Picture". Just excellent story telling, first, but also, the cut-out and animated 2-d/3-d photoshopping techniques in that movie and perhaps a bit from "Riding Giants" really kicked off a huge modern graphics trend for years afterward, that has not yet stopped. And I would say that "Kid" owes a lot to the use of rostrum camera by Ken Burns in his Civil War series. Say what you will about Burns, I know he didn't invent the use of animated stills, but the way he re-awakened people's perceptions about documentary production with the rostrum camera and editing and stunt casting of celebrity narrators in TCW was significant and far-reaching. The epic scale, the juxtaposition of dry data with personal glimpses and character study, it was brilliant. I also really really enjoyed the series "Connections" and "The Day The Universe Changed". Burke's work on those was also a complete game-changer. In his way, he did for history what Attenborough and Cousteu did for the animal kingdom. Respond to this post   •   Return to posts index

	Re: What Documentaries Influenced You Most and Why? by David Roth Weiss on Apr 27, 2008 at 11:10:17 pm Darn you Brian, you had to remind me that I forgot about Connections. A big favorite of mine also. Connections taught me that, beneath the skin of most good docos are detective stories wrapped in a journey. You simply keep moving, turning up clues for the audience one after the other, each moving them closer to the truth than the next. Audiences just love a thrilling journey that uncovers a big mystery in the end. James Burke was a modern-day Sir Arthur Conan Doyle who also played the part of Sherlock Holmes. David Roth Weiss Director/Editor David Weiss Productions, Inc. Los Angeles POST-PRODUCTION WITHOUT THE USUAL INSANITY ™ A forum host of Creative COW's Business & Marketing, and Indie Film & Documentary forums. Respond to this post   •   Return to posts index

	Re: What Documentaries Influenced You Most and Why? by Harry Pallenberg on Apr 27, 2008 at 11:32:56 pm James Burke!!! Another 'How could I forget'... brilliant show.... although Connections 2 was a big let down. Thanks, Harry. Forum Cowmunity Leader: Indie & Doc Forum Cowmunity Leader: HDV Dual 1.8 G5 ** 1GB ** 10.4.8 (Office / Photoshop) Dual 2.0 G5 ** 4GB ** 10.4.8 Kona 2 (FCP Machine) Respond to this post   •   Return to posts index

	Re: What Documentaries Influenced You Most and Why? by Ron Lindeboom on Apr 28, 2008 at 2:03:00 am [Mark Suszko] "Say what you will about Burns, I know he didn't invent the use of animated stills, but the way he re-awakened people's perceptions about documentary production with the rostrum camera and editing and stunt casting of celebrity narrators in TCW was significant and far-reaching. The epic scale, the juxtaposition of dry data with personal glimpses and character study, it was brilliant." I think Ken Burns The Civil War was brilliant. I just liked the way that Greystone did Civil War Journal better -- but in fairness to Ken Burns, it's always easier to be the second guy out of the gate and do it better than the first guy. All you have to do is look at what they did right, imitate it and add the new things that you came up with that they missed in their original outing. I would agree 100% with what you said about Ken Burns. And if imitation *is* the sincerest form of flattery, then a whole lot of other people agree also. Best, Ron Lindeboom Respond to this post   •   Return to posts index

	Re: What Documentaries Influenced You Most and Why? by Tommy D'Angelo on Apr 28, 2008 at 8:13:05 pm Civil War Journal was great. Although I enjoyed the Ken Burns Civil War, I agree I'd go with Greystone on the two. As far as Ken Burns stuff goes, I think I like the baseball one the best. Maybe because I'm a baseball fan, it just really put me in a time machine watching it. Overall I'm a fan of his, although I was disapointed with "The War". Another doc I enjoyed (once again maybe because I was a huge wrestling fan) was Beyond the Mat by Barry Blaustein. I thought the overall flow of it was just excellent. Tommy D'Angelo Editor Punk Rock Kid NYC by way of Westchester Respond to this post   •   Return to posts index

	Re: What Documentaries Influenced You Most and Why? by Tim Wilson on Apr 30, 2008 at 2:47:09 pm Well there's my FAVORITE ones, and the ones that had the greatest INFLUENCE. I saw many of my current FAVORITES after I was already MAKING documentaries...which I'd have done much differently if I was doing them again. Far far far and away the most influential to me was the animal segment of Sesame Street. It was the anti-Ken Burns: shut up, show the pictures, let people have the space to react. Sesame St. was kind of cool in that they included the SOUND of kids reacting. I tried it once, and it was a truly remarkable experience. They reacted to what they saw, without being told HOW they were supposed to react. It was unmediated experience, and it really was amazing. Not that I'm taking any credit. I just shot footage and swiped the rest from Sesame St. But I definitely used the same approach. Maybe 60 finished hours or so, not a single second of "voice of god" narration, lots of room for people to just look at pictures and ooo and ahhh. My heresy (well, among my many) is that my favorite KB is still Brooklyn Bridge from 1981. It's ONE HOUR LONG. Admittedly The Civil War, jazz and baseball are too big to be covered in one hour or two...but jeez, c'mon already. Focus, man. Focus. That said, my favorite doc series is David Attenborough's 1973 miniseries built on Jacob Bronowski's Ascent of Man. Major influence on Connections, Sagan said it was THE major influence on Cosmos. Rich enough to build an entire college course around -- still my favorite, and among the biggest emotional and developmental impacts any part of my education had on me...but he covered human history from the primordial soup to the dawn of the computer age in 13 50-minute episodes -- THE WHOLE THING, 200 million years, 13 hours. I'm just saying. My current fave is Errol Morris' Ocscar-winning Fog of War: 100 minutes of Robert McNamara looking straight into the camera, and telling his stories with crystal clarity. Remarkable on a whole lot of levels, not least of which is that it's the first time I've seen somebody talk to the camera like this. Instead of watching a conversation with some unseen SOMEBODY, never looking the subject in the eyes...well, watch it and you'll see what I mean. No disrespect to anybody else, ESPECIALLY KB, who I really do respect immensely, but for my cinematic dollar, EM is the best working today. Other faves: --Don't Look Back. VERY self-conscious, but in a really good way. Again, no explicit narrative, certainly no narrator. The camera just rolls. The unblinking solo version of "Visions of Johanna" is my favorite filmed musical performance, which, for me, is saying a lot. --Visions of Light. Beautiful collection of the best work of the great cinematographers. --Some of you are old enough to remember film loop cartridges from your public school days. I remember watching silent, virtually unedited footage of the first steps into the concentration camps. This can't possibly be real, I thought. I watched those loops over again a LOT. Still can't believe it's real. No narrator. --I still like Roger and Me. I'm a big fan of Michael Moore's, and this is him at his most disarming - the perfect use of humor to tell a serious story. Among the reasons it was especially strong might be that, as a lifelong resident of Flint, it affected him too. My other fave of his was Bowling for Columbine, where his perspective includes his own NRA membership since childhood, when he won awards for his shooting. The unedited security camera footage, narrated only by the 911 recordings is one of the strongest things I've seen. I hadn't put it together until I put together this list -- I really don't like a lot of chatter in my docs. --"The Charm of Dynamite" is the best look we'll likely ever have at the work of Abel Gance. Made in 1968, didn't make it to the US til 76...aired last Sunday on TCM, not on video yet...but amazing stuff about one of the most pioneering of film pioneers. Just a few thoughts on a rainy morning.... tw Respond to this post   •   Return to posts index

	Re: What Documentaries Influenced You Most and Why? by David Roth Weiss on May 2, 2008 at 5:28:59 am [Tim Wilson] "My current fave is Errol Morris' Ocscar-winning Fog of War: 100 minutes of Robert McNamara looking straight into the camera, and telling his stories with crystal clarity. Remarkable on a whole lot of levels, not least of which is that it's the first time I've seen somebody talk to the camera like this. Instead of watching a conversation with some unseen SOMEBODY, never looking the subject in the eyes...well, watch it and you'll see what I mean." Errol Morris is one of the best of all times, no doubt. I also particularly like Fog of War. I hope I live long enough to see the day when Errol Morris interviews Donald Rumsfeld and that he too does a complete 180 like McNamara and shows evidence of some humanity. David Roth Weiss Director/Editor David Weiss Productions, Inc. Los Angeles POST-PRODUCTION WITHOUT THE USUAL INSANITY ™ A forum host of Creative COW's Apple Final Cut Pro, Business & Marketing, and Indie Film & Documentary forums. Respond to this post   •   Return to posts index

	Re: What Documentaries Influenced You Most and Why? by David Roth Weiss on Aug 6, 2008 at 4:02:02 pm [Brian Findlay] "I doubt there are many filmmakers who don't tailor their films to some extent to reflect their views" There's no such thing as a good documentary made by a filmmaker without a point of view. Trying to balance that point of view can be commendable, but it's not necessarily a prerequisite. Meanwhile, Fox News, which brags about being fair and balanced, is perhaps as unfair and unbalanced as its gets. At least Michael Moore isn't a total unvarnished hypocrite. David David Roth Weiss Director/Editor David Weiss Productions, Inc. Los Angeles POST-PRODUCTION WITHOUT THE USUAL INSANITY ™ A forum host of Creative COW's Apple Final Cut Pro, Business & Marketing, and Indie Film & Documentary forums. Respond to this post   •   Return to posts index

	Re: What Documentaries Influenced You Most and Why? by Ron Lindeboom on Aug 6, 2008 at 4:37:25 pm [David Roth Weiss] "Fox News, which brags about being fair and balanced, is perhaps as unfair and unbalanced as its gets. At least Michael Moore isn't a total unvarnished hypocrite." Fox News is as far right as it gets and is little more than right wing party line rhetorical regurgitations. But from where I stand, I watch CNN and MSNBC and see the same left wing party rhetoric and... Man, I'd love to have some free time in the near future to lay out a case wherein you show the extreme right wing machinations of Fox's Bill O'Reilly contrasted against the extreme left positions of guys like Lou Dobbs, Chris Matthews and Keith Oberman. It would almost be too easy...it might therefore get boring quick as no one likes to see their idols reduced to the predictable idealogues that they are. This country once had statesmen and people who tried (however poorly in their humanity) to do something beyond what had been done before. Now, we don't get statesmen, we get politicians and propagandists sitting as news anchors and purported "journalists and commentators," while the reality is far more banal -- no matter what channel you watch. It's why I watch the BBC News (which is also far from balanced) and the English language news from China. It's clearly a propaganda tool but at least it gives me a window into another part of the world that almost never gets discussed on American newscasts. Only liberals think that Fox is propaganda but CNN is not. Conservatives I know can make compelling arguments as to the leftist slant of CNN and other news arms. Me, I see it as as whistling on the deck of the Titanic. What we need is a rescue party but we get the two party system instead. Both sides are like two fingers pointing at one another, and if either side got what they wanted, we'd all be screwed. As the X-Files said, the answer is out there. It's just that it was chased out of Washington long ago. Man, I will be glad when this political year is over. Wake me up when it's finished, okay? The increasingly apolitical and aspiring libertarian, Best regards, Ron Lindeboom Remember: Burt Bacharach lied. What the world really needs now is an undo button. Respond to this post   •   Return to posts index

	Re: What Documentaries Influenced You Most and Why? by David Roth Weiss on Aug 6, 2008 at 6:59:46 pm [Ron Lindeboom] "Only liberals think that Fox is propaganda but CNN is not." But Ron, it's much more fun to write about hypocrites who kick dogs and wear the black hats than it is to write about hypocrites who are out to save the world. David Roth Weiss Director/Editor David Weiss Productions, Inc. Los Angeles POST-PRODUCTION WITHOUT THE USUAL INSANITY ™ A forum host of Creative COW's Apple Final Cut Pro, Business & Marketing, and Indie Film & Documentary forums. Respond to this post   •   Return to posts index

	Re: What Documentaries Influenced You Most and Why? by Ron Lindeboom on Aug 6, 2008 at 7:24:13 pm [David Roth Weiss] "it's much more fun to write about hypocrites who kick dogs and wear the black hats than it is to write about hypocrites who are out to save the world." I would say it as... It's more fun to write about hypocrites who kick dogs and wear the black hats than it is to write about hypocrites shipping jobs north and south of the border and to Asia so that they can get special interest groups to give them reelection monies. Wearing my own black hat and trusting no politician, Ron Lindeboom Respond to this post   •   Return to posts index

	Re: What Documentaries Influenced You Most and Why? by Ron Lindeboom on Aug 6, 2008 at 4:11:21 pm [Brian Findlay] "Along with Bush & Cheney, he is one of the people instrumental in turning me from a conservative (I voted republican from RR to Jr's 1st term), to a screaming unapologetic socialist that I am today. Though he makes documentaries, I would call him as much a liberal commentator as a documentary maker." Unfortunately, he is a liberal commentator. And just as W cured me of any remaining conservative hopes that I may have had, Clinton & Company cured me of any liberal values that I may have clung to -- and now all that is left is the apolitical and disenchanted pragmatist who knows that no matter who gets in the White House, we'll get screwed in the end. Why is it that no matter who is in, the real issues NEVER get discussed and all that they do is vilify one another and try to polarize people into two camps. No thanks, I am smarter than that and I see that while they play the Circle Jerk, we get handed candidates that grow progressively more useless and committed to their own wallets. Example? Glad you asked. Remember when the Clintons were attacked in their first term in the Vince Foster foray? Remember how Hillary was attcked for her finances and the money she made from the Chicago futures market? Her tax return showed less than a quarter of million in net worth at the time, as I recall. It wasn't much. But the news just reported that she "loaned her campaign" millions and that she was now courting liberals to help her pay herself back. How'd she get so smart to be able to loan millions to herself out of her own pocket, when she first showed up at the party she had little. Go figure... ;o) And Bush and Cheney are so corrupt that I won't even bother to nit pick them, they are so easy a target that a child with little political savvy could lay them out cold. No matter who wins in this election, the nation's hosed. And seeing as how this is supposed to be a nation by the people and for the people, the hosing is ours. All we'll get is more polarizing rhetoric from leaders who pander to idealogues who are easily satiated by vilification and demonizing of the Other Side -- the true source of all our problems and if you elect me, we'll change it all. Yeah, right. Welcome to the future where people are elected for looks, their voice and their charisma. Principles are not needed and as long as we have someone to demonize, we won't be bored and we can keep busy. But, as in business, busy doesn't always mean profitable. Still, the truth is real answers take work and demand some reading and learning, along with taking some responsibility. We'd rather have personalities. Man I hate the two party system. What a worthless pile of shiest. Best regards, Ron Lindeboom Remember: Burt Bacharach lied. What the world really needs now is an undo button. Respond to this post   •   Return to posts index

	Re: What Documentaries Influenced You Most and Why? by Todd Terry on Aug 6, 2008 at 7:27:43 pm As a former veteran of the TV news biz, I have to chime in a little... The news networks may all be propaganda outlets of various flavors, but really, propaganda is largely incidental. It's message secondarily, show business first. Back when I was in the game I used to have a sign in my office (until the news director made me take it down) that said "I'm not a journalist, but I play one on TV." Which was very very sadly true. Ed Murrow is dead. Now the main (and some would say only) goal is to attract viewers so they can push advertising time. Period. If they can do that better by hiring extreme right or left mouthpieces and commentators and adopting a conservative or liberal faux-position in news "coverage," that's what it's all about. It's not really about imparting ideas, distributing political philosophy, or changing the world. It's about selling soap. T2 __________________________________ Todd Terry Creative Director Fantastic Plastic Entertainment, Inc. fantasticplastic.com Respond to this post   •   Return to posts index

	Re: What Documentaries Influenced You Most and Why? by Ron Lindeboom on Aug 6, 2008 at 8:02:57 pm I used to be the managing editor of a daily newspaper here in San Luis Obispo County and when I tried to pull the really great stories off the wire and put them in the paper, my publisher overrode my story choices and substituted all kinds of safe stuff. The funny thing is, we were known as the radical paper. In truth? We were safe as mama's milk, not a thing to worry about. I hated it so bad that I eventually quit. Real news is dead and what masquerades as real news is as disingenuous as the pretty girls and boys reading the prompters and asking during the breaks, "just where is Tanzania anyway? Is it part of Asia?" But they read well and look a damned sight better than Edward R. Murrow. Best regards, Ron Lindeboom Remember: Burt Bacharach lied. What the world really needs now is an undo button. Respond to this post   •   Return to posts index

	Re: What Documentaries Influenced You Most and Why? by Harry Pallenberg on Aug 19, 2008 at 9:31:55 pm I can never remember this one when I want to.... anyway it was not a huge influence on me, but it sure made me nervous - even though I knew everyone lived... Touching the Void Thanks, Harry Forum Cowmunity Leader: Indie & Doc Forum Cowmunity Leader: HDV Dual 1.8 G5 ** 1GB ** 10.4.8 (Office / Photoshop) Dual 2.0 G5 ** 4GB ** 10.4.8 Kona 2 (FCP Machine) www.womeninboxes.com Respond to this post   •   Return to posts index