More of a Time Capsule


I thought this was more of a time capsule and an opportunity to hear some thoughts from different film makers of documentary. I don't think this offers any hands on information a new film maker can put to use that they wouldn't figure out on their own. The common thread is you have to want to do the story and you have to do it the way that means the most to you. If you have to be told the kind of ideas discussed maybe film making is not for you.

Not to sound mean, just not much educational material here. If you just want to hear other film makers who have made documentaries talk about their work and ideas, you might really enjoy this. But this is not a 'how to' and shouldn't be watched as one.

Life is like Wikipedia: There are no Facts, Just Popular Opinion

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This movie’s byline is “The Art of Documentary,” so I think it’s fair that the movie addressed the art of documentary filmmaking more so than the craft. But like you said, it’s an incredible time capsule of some of the biggest names of the past, past-present, and current time. Laura Poitras, especially, went on to much greater heights after this was done. Errol Morris, Werner Herzog, Kevin Macdonald and others either remained just as prolific or picked up even more steam. Sadly, Albert Maysles, Eduardo Countinho, Michael Brault and Peter Wintonick have since passed as of writing this, so it’s great that we’re able to hear their thoughts and opinions in this movie.

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