Man on Wire

After seeing the film, The Wire, I pretty much knew what to expect from this documentary. Documenting high wire walker, Phillippe Petit's daring walk across the twin towers in New York is a story of courage and living your passion.
This documentary consists of many interesting elements. One of them is the early black and white footage in the re-enactments  and the old footage of Phillippe walking on the wire. It gives a sense of nostalgia, a sense of seeing how long its been since he did that stunt. Cinematography in this documentary is also a very interesting element, especially the time when Phillippe describes what it was like when he saw the light as the elevator went higher and higher. Also, the use of some of the props helps Phillippe tell his story with passion, something he is embedded with. It also gives the audience a sense of realism. They way the story cuts back and forth between Phillippe doing his walks around the world and the World Trade Centre being built also makes the story interesting, letting the audience know that these things were happening simultaneously.
Music is also an interesting element, especially when it shows him walking on the wire. The choice of music is light and melodious, which in a way is what Phillipe's act of walking on the wire is. It is a form of art, a form of entertainment, and a form of Phillippe's passion and calmness. The music helps convey that really well.
This documentary also has a very cinematic appeal to it in terms of the way the story is told. A lot is talked about in this film, from his childhood to his love life, from his early attempt to walk the wire till the World Trade Centre.

Dianna Bergmann

It was really cool to see and learn hear about Dianna's work and her first hand experiences as a documentary film maker. It was interesting to learn some new things about documentary film making and corporate video production and also just to be reminded about other important points. 

Dianna's work including a lot of staging and re-enactment. By doing this film makers are able to provide a visual of the story they are telling which gives the audience a bigger picture of what happened or may have happened. This is probably not the best way for retelling a story but it does work for what they are doing because half of what they are talking about is the history of the district. 

Another thing that they used a lot were old pictures. That revealed a lot about the history and about the culture of the district at the time. Looking back at the history of each district helped to see why the districts are the way that they are now. Also, each district has its own theme, its own speciality and each episode highlights that speciality. 

I hope that continues to do what her passion drives her to and that her journey into documentary film leads her to amazing places. 

Harlan County, USA: Strength in Numbers

Depicting the violent strike by the miners in Harlan County, Kentucky in 1973, this documentary shows the unfair treatment the workers received by a leadership that underestimated the strength in numbers and their unity to fight for what they believed in. 

The film makers of this project really had to protect their equipment and lives because the events that ensued were life threatening. 

One of the things this documentary did really well was establish the environment and atmosphere of the area followed by explaining what had been going on how the strike started. It does not focus on just the miners but in fact shows how the incidents effected their families, their spouses and children, and in the process shows true unity. 

Cinematography for this film must have been an interesting challenge because none of this was probably staged. So any action that was captured and showed had to be courtesy of the camera operators and their awareness of their surroundings.

Another thing this documentary does really well is present women in a strong way. The women, who were either miners or wives of miners, were very instrumental and supportive in fighting for their rights and their husbands' rights. It does not show women as weak and feeble but in fact shows them to be strong, mentally and physically. 

The documentary ends on a strong and positive note, with the miners receiving better contracts and getting their jobs back. 

The Thin Blue Line: The Art of Re-enactment

Depicting the story of a man who was convicted for a crime he did not commit, The Thin Blue Line dissects the incident through different lenses in order to bring light to the truth of the event. 

One of the things that this documentary does really well is re-enacting the incident through different perspectives on how everything took place. It almost seems like they are telling the same story over and over again with the same visuals. But, each time they tell it there is something new or something different that has not been revealed before. That causes the audience to feel the sense of twist in the story, which the film makers do really well. 

Another thing that the film makers did which is rather creative is the final scene where they show a tape recorder with just the audio of the interview. It is said that on the day of the interview the camera broke down but their alternate solution to that issue shows real creativity. With each response they change angles and show a close-up of a part of the tape recorder. As much as it feels detached to the rest of the film, it defines it as a unique aspect and also as the conclusion of the film. 

One of the positive outcomes of this film is that the man who was convicted of the case was released a year after this documentary was released. This film demonstrates creativity as well as a fighting for truth and justice. 

Hell House

Documenting the events leading up to the annual Hell House on Halloween, this documentary explores the reason and intention behind the church in Texas that hosts it. Thousands of people visit this show each year hosted by Trinity Church in Cedar Hill. 

One of the things that is interesting about this documentary is that the film makers do not seem to present a perspective or bias about this event or the people organizing it. It instead presents their perspective and gives an insight into their lives and that causes the audience to react in a particular way. Another thing that is interesting is the amount of time and talent that is put into the show that they present to audiences on Halloween. There is a pretty decent budget and a lot of people involved. Moreover, the process that this event goes through is pretty impressive as well. 

Being a Christian myself I can totally understand the message this church is trying to convey. Through the different sketches and portrayals they are depicting life without God and without knowing Jesus Christ as our Lord and saviour. But, the way that is being done is probably not the best way to do it and the film makers are successful in doing that by just walking the audience through the sketches. 

Overall, this documentary is eye opening and also an important lesson for us as believers to consider our method of communication when we are preaching the good news and reflecting Christ. 

This is Spinal Tap: A Mockumentary

British band Spinal Tap is filmed by Marty Di Bergi (Rob Reiner) in this parody. The band is followed by the camera crew on their tours, concerts, and there are also really satirical interviews with the director. The band does a lot of silly things, from mistaking people at parties to creating conflicts within the band. The drama and emotions are over the top and ridiculous. 

One of the interesting things about the documentary is how it stereotypes rock bands from the 1980's with the events that occur in the mockumentary, most of which are over the top. Another thing that I found interesting was the silly things they did during their concerts and also the relationship conflicts they had off stage. The relationship conflicts showed how they were as individuals in the band and how that affected them. It almost seemed like a feature length narrative. 

This is Spinal Tap was funny, very satirical towards the 80's rock bands, and creative in their humour. But besides that there was nothing very special about this film.

Citizenfour: A different perspective

Chronicling the events leading up to Edward Snowden revealing important information regarding the US government, Citizenfour looks at one of the most shocking stories of our generation through a different lens. Compared to what the media says, this documentary portrays Edward Snowden in a different and rather positive way.
Edward Snowden, labelled as a whistle blower for the government of the United States of America, reveals classified information related to the United State's surveillance program. Whether Snowden did the right thing or not is a different argument. This documentary gives his perspective on the issue, highlighting him as a positive individual rather than the way the rest of the world viewed him after he revealed the classified information.
The documentary has some very interesting elements. Cinematography is very raw and handheld. It gives the audience the sense of secrecy, as if they are not supposed to be there and are being let into the conversation. In a way, it adds importance to what Snowden is saying. In the same way, the lack of music in the film also helps the audience focus more on what the conversation is about. Even in the parts where music is present, it is filled with suspense, implying the rising action and the height of events.
Overall, this documentary is probably one of the best I have seen and also one of the most significant because it has effected our generation and the world in a great way.