Protagonist
Four disparate lives intertwine with surprising results in this absorbing documentary, an official selection of the 2007 Sundance Film Festival. A German terrorist, a bank robber, an "ex-gay" evangelist and a martial arts student form the unlikely quartet. In her interweaving narrative, Oscar-winning filmmaker Jessica Yu explores parallels between human life and the formal dramatic structure of the Greek tragedian Euripides.

I watched that trailer and I was all, "YEAH, That looks sah-weet!" While it's far from the beaten path of the "humorous" doc I'm shooting for, I was really interested to hear those stories! Plus, I felt that the more interviews I watched, it may work to improve my skills as an interviewer - to have people be able or willing to open up and tell their stories/opinions/reactions more easily.

First problem - the format. It was very apparent what the director was going for - the four protagonists involved told their stories simulatenously. All four stories followed the same basic arc. Their abusive childhood (different levels and kinds of abuse), their decision to take charge of their destinies (in very different ways), the moment when they face the truth of the reality they've created and finally, the decision to make a more postive change.

Because of the editing, even though each story was profound in its way, I kept getting disconnected. Just as I would get caught up in the narrative, it would cut to a different narrative. And while they shared arc points, it was mostly just annoying, in an "I GET IT," kind of way.

And then there were the puppets.

Now, let me preface that I was excited about the puppets. They reminded me of the marrionette sequences in Being John Malkovich, which I adored. Unfortunately, as a structural element - puppets acting out both classic bits of Greek tragedy and recreating scenes from the "protagonists" lives - was hit or miss...but mostly miss for me. It quickly became just another obstable to connecting to the four narratives.

I will say that there were a couple puppet moments that really worked and were extremely impactful. Writing this is going to come off weird or comical, but it wasn't. It was rather frightening. There was one scene where Joe (later known as the bank robber) was describing an incident with his drunk/abusive father, where as a boy, he stood impotent and watched his father nearly drown his younger brother. While he's recalling this memory, the puppets act it out. It was really quite moving and horrifying. That part really worked.

The other issue was the four men being interviewed. At least three - the robber, the former evangelist and the martial artist - have had a lot of experience with public speaking and telling their stories. Two (at the time of the film) had written books and gone on speaking tours. These were not merely well rehearsed subjects, these were people who are storytellers.

And when you tell the same story time and again, you can hone it and punch it and make it really interesting and exciting to the listener. You know what details to focus on and what words will best convey your experience. I think if I saw the raw footage of these unedited, I would have loved this film. Because, they do know how to tell their stories well.

Applying that to interveiwing people who are shy about sharing their personal opinions on camera...I just don't think I got anything productive out of this film that I can apply to our doc. Unless I decide to use puppets or animation to illustrate a point...?

Lesson...Do not abuse use of puppets or animation to the point you being to annoy or distract your audience.

paper clips

Paper Clips (2004)

Whitwell Middle School in rural Tennessee is the setting for this documentary about an extraordinary experiment in Holocaust education. Struggling to grasp the concept of six-million Holocaust victims, the students decide to collect six-million paper clips to better understand the extent of this crime against humanity. The film details how the students met Holocaust survivors from around the world and how the experience transformed them and their community

While I didn't cry once watching The Bridge (twice), it seems from nearly the very beginning of this doc, I was balling like a baby for the entire viewing.

Perhaps, it was the perfect storm of seeing a community do something so filled with education and value and respect - in a time when our country that seems so hell bent on instilling fear, distrust and hate.

While there were many things I didn't enjoy about the construction of this film (the editing, some of the "re-creations" and the over-produced symphonic soundtrack) - the thing that struck me over and over again was the simple content of the story.

It's a lovely story. While it deals with one of the most henious atrocities in human history (and while part of the filming takes place over another - 9/11), it really underlines the fact of WHY we need to remember our history. And how the lessons from that time can still impact lives today.

In a time of war, of muckracking politics, a failing economy - when fear is the lead story every night...the lesson of tolerance and what people working together can create is worthy of watching.

Twice.

Lesson: Even if your construction seems overly forced at times, a simple, solid story may trump your production failings.

oof

Growin' A Beard (2003)

Growin' A Beard is a hilarious 30 minute documentary that follows the men of Shamrock, TX (and a hairy outsider) as they compete in the town's annual Beard Growing Contest.

Yep. That's pretty much the whole of it. With the exception of the hilarity.

The good news is this doc is 30 minutes long. The bad news is this doc is about 15 minutes too long. Oof. File this under SKIP IT.

What sounded like something right up our alley - a silly sort of competition with a bit of tangential history to place it into a (semi) greater perspective....fell a bit flat. And it took like eight years for them to get it finished. Unfortunately, it also felt like it took 10 years to watch.

Honestly, the beard growing stuff was fine, the folks were open and kinda interesting, but all a wee bit two homogeneous. I couldn't tell you their names or even how to tell them apart. The contestants/townsfolk were all kind of the same guy. Nice enough, but you never get to really know them well enough to write home about.

The filmmakers also had the ripe potential back story of a dying town trying to hang onto with its dying tradition. They even lucked into some amazing home footage from 40-50 years back.

It just wasn't there. No hook, nothing even shiny to keep me interested until the end. The whole time it's felt like an inside joke that really never paid off. It's like they reached a bit too far out of the story's own grasp. I doubt I'll remember this doc in a few years when my brain fills up with more interesting (and better told) stories.

The humor felt...stuck. Like the want to enjoy the tongue-in-cheek silliness of the competition, but tripped it up.

I do have to give props to the soundtrack by an Austin band, The Gourds. Great, upbeat covers of Route 66 and some rollicking Irish-inflected instrumentals. Ignore the rock-a-billy bullshit of the title track...the rest is worth a listen.

Lesson: Don't take a 15 minute idea and kill it by turning it into 30.

plug

Mere weeks ago, our good friend, Dave Lykins wrote an amazing original song for the documentary. He'll also be fleshing out the rest of the incidental music once we have a rough cut...some months from now.

Patience. It's not just for breakfast anymore.

First off, I have to tell you, Dave is one of the original good guys. He's a badass. Ex-Navy, former self-defense instructor and all around sweetheart. Not to mention the talent. An actor and singer/songwriter who pairs gut-grabbing lyrics with sweet melodies.

When I asked Dave to write a song for this project, even though he was already knee-deep working on a new album, he immediately said yes. I would like to note that our first brief discussion about the RV trip fostered ideas for possible tunes such as "What's That Smell."

Fortunately, that one didn't quite pan out. Instead, he penned a lovely little rockin' ditty called "Come Along" that amazingly captured the fun vibe of the RV trip and the Quizzo Finals...even though he wasn't there in person. More astonshingly, he wrote it in a very short window to meet his schedule for an album he was gearing up to record in Nashville.

That album was just released and is delightful.

It's called Blurry White Guy and you can check it out at CD Baby or on Itunes! It's one of those CDs you want to put on, crash out on a hammock/sofa/lazy-boy and crack open a beer....or a nice refreshing lemonade!

I prefer the beer.

Although, I've been craving a lemonade. Hmmph. Curious.



Not only do I recommend the album as a whole, I'm thrilled to say that "Come Along" made the cut! It's the 8th track on the CD. My only disappointment (self-inflicted) is that when Dave asked for the name of the documentary so he could include it in the liner notes, I didn't really feel like we had one yet. It's a small thing, but yeah, I wish the awesome-title gods had seen fit to grace me with some inspiration, but they ignored my frantic pleas. Ah...missed opportunity...we meet again!

Anyway, I just wanted to plug Dave's album. And for the record, "Come Along" (as much as I adore it...and I really freaking adore it) isn't even my favorite song on the album! If you are a fan of the likes of Steve Earle or John Hiatt - or any songwriters that leave a little meat on your ribs - do yourself a proper and check it out.