Another Day, Another Doc

I'm still trying to peel myself away from documentaries at the moment but seem to be failing. I love them! I love them! I love them!!

I've been watching a few docs a day just now and have also been working as cameraman on a couple (one about a charity organisation and another about ballroom dancing). A doc, if made well, can be just as emotional and dramatic or lighthearted and funny as any Hollywood film but can also open you up to the world. A good doc will make you think or feel long after the final credits.

The latest one I saw was 'The Dungeon Masters' (2008) which follows three players of the role playing game Dungeons and Dragons. I found it to be a fascinating insight into a world I had only heard about. I knew that some players could be seen as a little out there but the flamboyant and kinda crazy lengths they go to was amazing. From covering themselves head to toe in black paint to pose as an elven princess to losing all their friends as a result of killing off characters, these people are totally dedicated.



Although it could be easy just to mock these people, the documentary makers picked three charming (if slightly mad) people who you were able to warm to straight away. They managed to feature some genuinely touching moments in their personal lives and for this I rate it as a top class doc.

The Documentary Master - Nick Broomfield


For the last couple of days, I've had a Documentary lock-in, my eyes glued to the screen, avoiding sunlight and socialising for about a day-and-a-half. Two in particular are from, in my opinion, the documentary master - Nick Broomfield (who I was lucky enough to meet after a Masterclass with him at Docfest '08. A true gentleman I must say).

                         

Kurt and Courtney (1998) and Biggie and Tupac (2002) are among his best and represent what a good doc should be about. Even though they are widely covered subjects, they provide revelations, new facts and interviews along with true emotion and tensions. Broomfield is brilliant at drawing out the rare emotion from his interviewees and his relentless pestering of people and purposeful doziness at times means he gets interviews others don't. Magnificent!