This was an alright little doc. It came together quite neatly at the end.
The friction of a resident’s real experiences contrasted with a corny Tour Tape could have been corny itself – but it kind of held it together. It must be a pain living under the shadow of Shakespeare’s quill.
All in all I’ve enjoyed watching the films in this competition and if I’ve seemed harsh at some points grow a thick skin. This is just one man’s opinion. I’m not arguing THE way. I’m just championing what I like. You should champion your own style and your own voice. If you don’t march to the beat of your own drum your step will be all over the place.
The one thing I would argue having watched these films is this: if your doc is just visual journalism or a pictorial statement of facts then I doubt the film has any longevity. It’s simply an info-mercial. Once you’ve absorbed the information you don’t go back. Most documentary on TV approaches this model. It is designed for just one night’s viewing and maybe a repeat. It’s not a painting that you could look at again. Or a piece of music you could put on repeat.
I want documentary to approach something more akin to art and for doc-makers to acknowledge that the viewing of films is not just sitting in a lecture hall. It is a sensory experience and you should appeal to those senses with the use of rhythm, sound and the internal interplay of picture and imagery. Watching a film is a physical experience it is not just cerebral.
Someone said they thought I’m more interested in form over substance which couldn’t be further from the truth. Everything I’ve ever championed has been about the spirit and soul of a piece and that this should be given precedence over gloss, sheen and “professionalism”. However the visuals of your film are the corridors to the content so you’ve got to be on top of it otherwise you won’t communicate your message and you won’t communicate the feeling you wanted to – you won’t communicate whatever it was you wanted to communicate to the audience.
Now everyone make films. Disregard everything anyone tells you until you make the film you want. Bye.
Comments
From someone who’s never visited Stratford I found this to be an insightful portrait of the town. I like the idea of juxtaposing the voice over of a resident with the promotional literature of the town council; the two invariably offering a different and valid viewpoint. A very creative way to make a documentary reflecting on your personal view of your home town. I’ll keep this in mind if I ever make it to Stratford.
Bah, you’ve hardly said anything about this film. Well I thought it was ace!
I live just outside Stratford and go there everyday. I thought this was an interesting film with a clever use of the tour tape v. the narrator. The guy in the film gave an honest insight into the town, but I think it could have been enhanced, perhaps, by visiting parts of the town that tourists don’t go to, truly seeing the other side of Straford. I enjoyed the film, and have emailed it to friends.
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