Untitled

[drewheb]

"They're close enough"

[drewheb]

Mankind's Oldest Dream.

Just wanted to highlight that in the Making of Winged Migration clip we watched the narrator said "flying with birds is mankind's oldest dream", or something like that. 

Uhhh, who decided this? 

[drewheb]

Cannibal Tours

First thing that comes to mind... how can I be critical of the tourists depicted in this documentary.

Yes, the ignorance on display is hilarious. But doesn't that somewhat excuse their behaviour... they just don't "get it".

As someone who "gets it", I haven't done anything to help these people... I should be more ashamed than the ignorant tourists. 

[drewheb]

i love your work...

I found that watching the documentary was difficult for me because there was a constant battle for my attention. 

Half of my brain was trying to focus on the content, and what sort of comment Harris was trying to make about the porn industry. The other half was constantly bombarded by the relentless breaking down of documentary media conventions.

I love the way Harris tried to break down all these conventions, even using them as a critique of the subject matter. As he says in the Gordon article, "Internet porn is instant and abundant, and most websites compete to see how many viewers they can amass. It seemed interesting to do the opposite."

Recapping the unique conventions in Harris' work:

No beginning/end* 

Paid for digital content

Limited viewership in digital content

10 seconds of every 5 minutes shown**

* - Found this very interesting, putting it in a timeline as opposed to determining for the viewer where to start and where to end. For me, I found myself going to the very beginning anyway, but not having a specific start/end to the piece allowed me to more freely jump through the massive amounts of footage. 

** - Another interesting aspect to "I Love Your Work". 10 seconds of every 5 minutes felt "complete", sort of like I was getting everything I needed, but who knows what was missing. I was also left wondering if Harris selected which 10 seconds of the 5 minutes played, or if he was continually selecting a certain interval. As the documentary played out, I felt as if he had selected what 10 seconds played, making his voice as a director shine through. 

All in all, as with all the documentaries we have viewed so far this semester... a very challenging piece to watch. 

[drewheb]

Tarnation - Pumpkin Scene

Tough to watch.

[drewheb]

[drewheb]

Tarnation Trouble.

This is the first film of the semester that I have really struggled to make sense of... not that I have made complete sense of the others, but in a way this one is just sort of sitting there for me... unable to really pull something redeeming out of it.

I guess the fact that Jonathan is sort of like a "survivor" of his extremely fucked up past, that's quite incredible really. But he is troubled, he hasn't escaped it. 

It makes me wonder about how many people live in these type of situations, but who have not been privileged with the documentary genius Caouette has to express it. 

[tribeca]

[documentingjoffe]

Let’s play a game called, what’s the most disturbing part of this film?

[drewheb]

All. 

[j-martin-jr]

PressPausePlay - Jonathan Caouette 

Fantastic Interview! Gives incredible insight into the making of the film Tarnation. Reflection on the film, the process of making it, and being a film maker. 

[documentingjoffe]

The whole family in Tarnation seemed to be plagued with some issue. 

This scene really frightened me. 

[drewheb]

Ditto.

[drewheb]

This scene was a very powerful one for me. Could it be that he was unable to watch himself being "tortured".

It was so painful and "real" when they filmed it, I believe he needed his Grandkids with him to diffuse the tension when he watched it again.

I think this was the most sincerely troubling moment during the recreations for him. 

[drewheb]

I have been meaning to post this one for a while now. Many of you may recognize the location it as it is close to Oxford & Wharncliffe in London...

I took this picture last year because I thought it was 50% funny, and 50% tragic, but I really want to hear what you guys think about it. 

Considering this is a class about documenting the world around us I felt that this image had a place on my Tumblr.

If you can't read the text essentially it is a billboard for the OLG Slots, and right next to it a gambling helpline.

I think there is something to be said about the contradictory messages we receive from society. We saw some of this shine through in the Gates of Heaven (think of Mack vs. Rendering Company). Each side has an argument, and neither can be fully discounted.

[drewheb]

STUDS. - Interesting Quotes From "Working"

"I really feel work is gorgeous. It's the only thing you can depend upon in life. You can't depend on love. Oh, love is quite ephemeral. Work has a dignity you can count upon." - Barbara Terwilliger

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STUDS. - Interesting Quotes From "Working"

"I have nothing to be ashamed of. I put in my eight hours." - Nick Salerno

[drewheb]

STUDS. - Interesting Quotes From "Working"

"It isn't that the average working guy is dumb.m He's tired, that's all." - Mike Lefevre

[drewheb]

STUDS. - Interesting Quotes From "Working"

"I want my kid to look at me and say, "Dad, you're a nice guy, but you're a fuckin' dummy." - Mike Lefevre

[drewheb]

Morris Intervenes

One of the most interesting things I found in the documentary was a few choices Morris made in order to emphasize, what I think was, his intentionally comedic depiction of the characters in the film:

1) When he had the man actually draw the heart/dollar symbol he discussed. (shown above)

2) When he had the man point out very slowly his route for getting the dead animals on the map.

3) When he cuts the scene short as the man says the word "neutered", something he did not do at any other point in the film.

I found that these 3 examples best showed how Morris was shaping the film by exploiting these individuals who don't seem to know any better.

From the innocence (or ignorance?) you gather from the films subjects, I imagine that they would not be able to pick-up on these subtle cues themselves... but for the audience I think these comedic selections by Morris are obviously intentional.