I've been very lucky in finding these strangely structured documentaries.
Here is a film about writing films. We luckily encounter a large number of screenwriters, some of whom I admire a great deal.
We have a quick shuffle among them, with the assembly being quite a bit more coherent and engaging than staying. This by itself is a remarkable effect. Almost all of these people are master storytellers and they are speaking about something they have examined thoroughly. Each has their own narrative they have created about who they are and how they fit into the machinery of this collaborative art. They assume that what they have honed will be fascinating to us.
But it isn't. It simply isn't. We learn that writing is hard, the business is brutal. You and your art get no respect. It is often unbearable and some accomplished writers simply graduate out of the role. None of these storytellers do much other than decorate these complaints. It becomes obvious early in the game that this is still interesting to watch because the filmmaker jumps around, composing his own narrative out of these interviews. No one bit is kept longer than a minute or so. It is a masterpiece of composition, editing and just plain deep listening.
It is a folded story that says in two ways that the writer is the beginning of the adventure, the generator of first ideas, but is not the filmmaker.
So that's all good. Don't expect a single phrase about writing itself. This is all about the business, the selling and the commerce. There are some people here that I really would like to know better. I did not and this will frustrate you too.
Ted's Evaluation -- 2 of 3: Has some interesting elements.
Here is a film about writing films. We luckily encounter a large number of screenwriters, some of whom I admire a great deal.
We have a quick shuffle among them, with the assembly being quite a bit more coherent and engaging than staying. This by itself is a remarkable effect. Almost all of these people are master storytellers and they are speaking about something they have examined thoroughly. Each has their own narrative they have created about who they are and how they fit into the machinery of this collaborative art. They assume that what they have honed will be fascinating to us.
But it isn't. It simply isn't. We learn that writing is hard, the business is brutal. You and your art get no respect. It is often unbearable and some accomplished writers simply graduate out of the role. None of these storytellers do much other than decorate these complaints. It becomes obvious early in the game that this is still interesting to watch because the filmmaker jumps around, composing his own narrative out of these interviews. No one bit is kept longer than a minute or so. It is a masterpiece of composition, editing and just plain deep listening.
It is a folded story that says in two ways that the writer is the beginning of the adventure, the generator of first ideas, but is not the filmmaker.
So that's all good. Don't expect a single phrase about writing itself. This is all about the business, the selling and the commerce. There are some people here that I really would like to know better. I did not and this will frustrate you too.
Ted's Evaluation -- 2 of 3: Has some interesting elements.