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Broomfield's 8 easy steps to making The Grim Sleeper

posted 9 years ago by MrPunish
11 replies | jump to latest

Broomfield's 8 easy steps to making The Grim Sleeper

1. Get a camera

2. Get a car

3. Find a local ex crack head streetwalker to run your production and fill you in on all the actual research you should've done yourself.

4. Get crack fiend to search for other fiends desperate to appear knowledgeable about the case. (Don't worry about how incoherent or tenuously linked to the case the interviewees are, this will provide most of the "content".)

5. Randomly stop anyone in the street in the vain hope that they might somehow provide some illumination. Don't worry if the random interviewees prove useless (like the cop stopped in the street) include it anyway no matter how amateurish this looks, you can always pass it off as the Broomfield charm / mystique.

6. Mention that all experts and people involved in any official capacity with the case refuse to give you the time of day. Don't worry if this makes you look like a total plum unable to get a proper film made. You can turn this to your advantage by making it seem conspiratorial forces are at work, denying you access to the truth. This is key to the Broomfield method - no matter how flimsy your material or amateurish your attempts to provide actual content - you can always pass it off as your having been somehow censured by evil forces.

7. Always try to make yourself and the film-making process the subject of the documentary. People may think they want to know about the Grim Sleeper but really they secretly yearn to see behind-the-scenes ineptitude that other film-makers leave on the cutting room floor. (This is known as the Nick "The Selfie-Stick" phenomenon.)

8. Always remember no matter how banal or irrelevant something may be always. INCLUDE IT.

[–] Countess_Loripalooza 9 years ago

Excellent post! You nailed it. This "documentary" succeeded in wasting my time but failed at most everything else.

NOT posted from my iPhone.

[–] jimmyberluti1 9 years ago

And he likes to call his self "white boy".

[–] strahd9 8 years ago

It was by no means a great documentary. If you don't walk away from this realizing the huge gulfs between income groups and empathize some. There were times I was scratching my head, but most of the time I felt bad that these folks felt so left out and behind by society.

drew

I'm a person just like you
But I've got better things to do
- Minor Threat

[–] jupiter303 9 years ago

Yeah! the south will rise again!!

ha

Sarcasm, but...South Central LA was not a place you wanted to visit in the 80s / 90s, if you were white or black or a cop. But it seems to be getting better and therefore the cops should be paying more attention to what's going on there. This is the message the film gets across. People who don't know much about LA might not relize that though. But the LA police are notorious for this kind of thing. We shall see. But Broomfield has done a great job pushing the issue, actually many issues...so much more than a typical brainless 48 Hours / Discovery channel serial killer doc.

BTW - this is one of the few documentary directors i follow. his previous work is very good IMO and similar to this film. so a little suprised at your reaction. to each their own though.

[–] dvalukis 9 years ago

OP, I L-O-L'd so hard at your post. Thanx.

[–] Kuruwin 9 years ago

Thank you. I'm really surprised that anyone consider this a well made documentary. It brings light to big issues but is done just so shoddily that it's embarrassing.

The documentary could have been even much as half shorter and nothing of relevance would have been lost.

[–] 8 years ago

[deleted]

[–] saahlhok 8 years ago

That's how you get the story, not by leading questions. Just let people talk.
The story will unfold & you decide for yourself.

He was dealing with very base/basic people.

🇬🇧🇺🇸

[–] MrPunish 8 years ago

"That's how you get the story"

This suggests that Broomfield's method (haphazard and far from illuminating in my opinion) is the best if not only method. It is not. Do you think Broomfield's method is how Errol Morris got the story in The Thin Blue Line? ffs

"not by leading questions"

Who suggested that leading questions were necessary or advantageous?

"Just let people talk"

A massive over-simplification. Yes this may prompt unguarded moments of truth and lead into interesting territory - American Movie has many glorious examples. It is however far too simple to say "Just let people talk". Just letting incoherent people tenuously linked with The Grim Sleeper talk is a recipe for disaster as this amateur-hour documentary shows all too clearly.

Do you think Errol Morris would have just stumbled across the revelations in The Thin Blue Line by the "Just let people talk" method? Or do you think he may have had to engage his own investigatory and journalist skills?

"He was dealing with very base/basic people."

And.... quelle surprise he got.... very base/basic revelations from those people.

[–] tyboulder 7 years ago

You obviously have a personal issue with the director- because you characterize his tactics in ways that are so negative that if it weren't for your attempt at humor, you'd sound fully off your rocker.

Broomfield had a unique, improvisational, hustler's attitude while making this film, but to say it lacks substance or depth or importance is to really let it fly over your head.

Maybe Broomfield has a bit of an ego and a little swagger, but how many white guys do you know that could roll up in those neighborhoods and *truly* get to the bottom of a story like that? I know of no one like that-- so I can forgive him for having a bit of a personality and some big balls.

With a score of 7.1 and a critic's score of 8.5, with 9 reviews, the odds are that your tirade of exaggerated criticisms derive from personal issues unique to you.

[–] MrPunish 7 years ago

"a personal issue with the director"

Not true, I've never met him or had any dealings with him. Why not try dealing with my criticism rather than trying cod psychological diagnosis of my faults?

"characterise his tactics in ways that are so negative"

because I believe his "tactics" are worthy of criticism. Is that not allowed?

"unique, improvisational, hustler's attitude"

incompetence, bumbling ineptitude and narcissism

"how many white guys do you know that could roll up in those neighborhoods and *truly* get to the bottom of a story like that?"

So because Broomfield is white his film deserves more credit? Strange that you should characterise him as "rolling up in those neighbourhoods" - makes it sound like you agree he just turned up without having done any preparation and proceeded to work in an ad hoc amateurish manner. If you think he truly got to the bottom of the story you are much mistaken.

"having a bit of a personality"

His personality distracts from the story itself imo.

"With a score of 7.1 and a critic's score of 8.5, with 9 reviews, the odds are that your tirade of exaggerated criticisms derive from personal issues unique to you."

Sorry for not toeing the line and accepting the received wisdom that Broomfield's approach should be simply regarded as "quirky", "charming" or "unique". If my criticism is exaggerated it is to try to make a point, it's called hyperbole ffs, get a grip.

"criticisms derive from personal issues unique to you."

Again with the cod psycho-babble BS. My criticism is an opinion ffs. Do you think that only a "damaged personality" with "issues" could possibly have an opinion different to yours? Read the other posts you'll see my thoughts on Broomfield are by no means unique to me ffs.

Now get back to your echo chamber, numpty.