Last Tango In Prestwich

And finally here it is, a film that was a joy to make and I am immensely proud of. To quote our swanky DVD...Last Tango in Prestwich is a funny, moving and frequently surprising portrait of the lives and loves of the regular at an afternoon tea dance in Prestwich. Alongside their own personal stories of competition, jealousy and loneliness the dancers are also battling to keep their beloved dance hall from being closed down. This film offers a rare insight into an often overlooked sector of our society and reveals there is much more to tea dances and the people who frequent them than meets the eye.

Hitting Home Last Tango in Prestwich from International Media Centre on Vimeo.

Connor Collins

This Next one is a portrait of a Manchester based artist called Connor Collins, check out the awesome piece that he was working on at the time made up of the his thoughts written down.

Connor Collins from International Media Centre on Vimeo.

4D Cinema

I have just found a couple of films I edited online thanks to the University of Salford International Media Centre. This was a film looking at the 4D cinema technology available at the Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester, looks like great fun! Enjoy!

4D Cinema from International Media Centre on Vimeo.

A BLOCumentary

I have always loved Lego and am in no way surprised to see a group dedicated to the world famous danish marvel. AFOL (Adult Fans of Lego) is a great short documentary about folk like me whose love of the little blocks never diminishes.

AFOL A Blocumentary from AFOL on Vimeo.

A Portrait of England

I have currently been looking at an interesting project that will take shape over the course of the next twelve months. A Portrait of England is inviting the public to capture their lives in the hope that notions of Englishness will be prevalent in the results.

This form of user generated content follows in the footsteps of films such as Life in a Day (2011) and the BBC's next project Britain in a Day. However, A Portrait of England is looking at life over a twelve month period. Amateur or professional film makers are invited to post videos online and then notify the group through twitter (@portraitofENG) or Facebook, from the 12th of August 2011 to the 12th August 2012 and hopefully the footage will serve to recapture the notion of Englishness as a nationality to be proud of, not scared by the negative ideology and symbolism that it has become renowned with.

Show Reel

Here is my first attempt at a show reel.

Untitled from Adam Mulcahy on Vimeo.

Any comments or pointers would be very much appreciated as it is my first try at this. Thanks.

#50 Docs

I love "Best" lists, they evoke so much debate, no one is ever happy, something is always left out and people inevitably look down their noses, the aficionados' who know more than the rest. Like I say, I'm not criticising, I love that these people come out of the wood work, so disgusted that they like me need to self publish something, be it in blog form, comment section or even the holy #!

I have recently started watching Current TV, (basically because they were showing the amazing King of Kong A Fistfull of Quarters.) and I found that Morgan Spurlock was to be hosting "50 Documentaries To See Before You Die", an exciting prospect. Instantly from episode one it was evident that only documentaries post 1980 would be include in the list as this was deemed the turning point when documentaries stopped becoming "educational filler" and became a different much more entertaining animal.

I ranted, of course I did, what about Fredrick Wiseman and the Maysles, those stunning documentaries like Gimmie Shelter (1969) or Titcut Follies (1967)? Documentaries that were absolutely world changing. Documentaries that captured the cultural, social and political sense of a revolutionary time. But... I got over it, after being incensed for a while I enjoyed the show for what it was. Some of the best directors including several of my all time favourites were interviewed and soon my only criticism was that the program moved on too quickly and I was desperate to hear more about Murderball (2005) or Crumb (1994)

So that brings me to the list itself; -

50. Spellbound (2002)
49. Truth or Dare (1991)
48. The Kid Stays in the Picture (2002)
47. One Day in September (1999)
46. Little Dieter Needs to Fly (1998)
45. The Decline of Western Civilization Part II: The Metal Years (1988)
44. Burma VJ (2008)
43. When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts (2006)
42. Catfish (2010)
41. The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters (2007)
40. When We Were Kings (1996)
39. Biggie & Tupac (2002)
38. March of the Penguins (2005)
37. Inside Job (2010)
36. Taxi to the Dark Side (2007)
35. Paragraph 175 (2000)
34. Brother’s Keeper (1992)
33. Tongues Untied (1989)
32. Dogtown and Z-Boys (2001)
31. Jesus Camp (2006)
30. Fahrenheit 9/11 (2004)
29. Man on Wire (2008)
28. Gasland (2010)
27. Tarnation (2003)
26. Murderball (2005)
25. Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room (2005)
24. Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills (1996)
23. The Eyes of Tammy Faye (2000)
22. Shut Up & Sing (2006)
21. Exit Through the Gift Shop (2010)
20. Capturing the Friedmans (2003)
19. Touching the Void (2003)
18. Food, Inc. (2008)
17. Street Fight (2005)
16. Bus 174 (2002)
15. Crumb (1994)
14. Dark Days (2000)
13. The Fog of War (2003)
12. Bowling for Columbine (2002)
11. Paris Is Burning (1991)
10. Grizzly Man (2005)
9. Trouble the Water (2008)
8. An Inconvenient Truth (2006)
7. The Celluloid Closet (1995)
6. The War Room (1993)
5. Supersize Me (2004)
4. Waltz With Bashir (2008)
3. Roger & Me (1989)
2. The Thin Blue Line (1988)
1. Hoop Dreams (1994)

So thats the list, I have to say, there are some missing that I would love to see in there, but equally this count down has opened my eyes to some films I would love to see. I disagree with number one, but Im not going to question the order of things.

The decision to make a list from only contemporary films is relevant. Since such breakthrough films as The Thin Blue Line (1988) documentaries have taken a different direction where the pursuit of the absolute truth is not relevant. Although recent films (such as Exit Through.. and Catfish) have shown us that the truth is an important element in documentary film making, as an audience we are now expected to question films. Our collective knowledge of film making is such that we now know how the process works, and we should step back and question. Like these lists, those questions, debates and passions to ask relevant and difficult questions about or world and what is presented to us is what these films are all about.

After Effects

I have been using After Effects recently and found a few websites very useful for tutorials. The best one I have found is defiantly Video Copilot which just as a range of incredible tricks, tips and amazing effects. I wanted to create a 10 second opening title for my showreel (if it ever gets finished) and even though its really very basic, Im rather proud of myself!

Here is my first solo foray into After Effects...

Project Nim (2011)

This new documentary from director James Marsh tells the story of a chimpanzee called Nim who in the 1970s was part of a language and communication experiment to establish if chimps could learn to communicate with humans through sign language.

Marsh uses extensive archive footage and photos coupled with interviews from key people present throughout the experiment. This is a return to the style that Marsh used so effectively while making the Oscar winning Man on Wire and it is something he clearly does very well. The brief use of short reconstructive sequences works well as a glue to bond the footage together without being imposing enough to bring any of the story into doubt.

While the construction is seamless, its the stories that develop which are this films best attribute. While Nim drives the footage early on, it is the people who really captivate the viewer. Marsh chronicles mistake after mistake made be people whose on ambition, selfishness and sometimes stupidity leave the viewer in disbelief regarding the treatment of an animal. I read that this film has become more a film about human nature than animal rights or academic research and thats exactly what this is.

My Big Fat Influential Gypsy Wedding

It's that time of year again and the second best of all the national newspaper lists, (the first being the Sunday Times Rich List) The Media Guardians Top 100 most influential people in the British Media.

No real revelations apart from a rather questionable entry in at 100, My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding and The Only Way is Essex. Im not judging, (as I have recently jokingly refereed to such television programmes as low brow) but in what has been a strong 12 months for factual television where do such examples stand? Both shows received criticisms for effectively scripting the story lines and presenting themselves as documentaries. However, this is no worse than films such as Exit Through a Gift Shop, Catfish or Im Still Here whose representations of the truth have also been questioned. What such television shows have done is bring "documentaries" to large audiences (8 million people tuned in for My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding) Not only that but both shows also create insightful debate and discussions around what people should expect from factual programming.

These programmes may have been certainly been influential and even damaging in terms of stereotyping groups of people, but they may have also been incredibly influential in the direction of documentaries on british television.

To the Right

Stephen Bannon's documentary The Undefeated (2011) opened in cinemas across the U.S this weekend taking a rather respectable $75,000. Admittedly I did expect more from the conservative film makers portrait of Sarah Palin, once the darling of the American right now on the verge of major TV stardom or the presidential elections 2012.

Its good to see this film out there and I commend Bannon, who in a recent interview identified the need for the right wing media to catch up with that of the left. Liberal film makers are streets ahead of their conservative counterparts in factual film making and in my opinion it is absolutely essential that the right starts to rectify this situation.

At time of publication the film only scores 1.5 on the IMDb rating and reportedly even less on rottontomatoes.com but I think thats besides the point. A figure such as Palin polarises opinions a point which is made more evident by Nick Broomfield's reported yet secretive upcoming documentary focusing on the same figure. Undoubtably Broomfield's film will receive stronger reviews, thats a fact, a sign of a more experienced film maker with an incredible reputation pitching a film to a more likeminded audience

Broomfield's doc will be no less one sided than Bannon's though, it will represent Palin from the view of a liberal film maker for a liberal audience. Palin and other republicans such as Michele Bachmann have reignited the conservative right of America and I believe that now is time for the right conservative film makers and audience to begin a counter.

The Salesman

Ok so I have a finished film, some work experience that Im rather proud of under my belt but now Im worried that everything is coming to a screaming halt around me. With a hectic past few months having plenty to keep me occupied I now need to join thousands of other in the job market.

I have been here once before, at the end of my BA the big bad world was a daunting place. I found a job for a local newspaper selling advertising. It was never what I wanted to do but it was a job that paid well and gave me a car. A week or so later everything went wrong with the banks and suddenly this difficult job got even harder. Im not a quitter though and as others were being made redundant I hung on and battled through. Foolishly I was ashamed of being a salesman, in hindsight there was no tougher welcome to the world of work. The Maysles brothers who made the film Salesman (1968) were of the opinion that everyone should be a salesman at some point. In two years of advertising sales I learnt a great deal about people and how to communicate. Sales gives such a solid foundation not based on fuss or praise but head down and work hard. I found this difficult initially, and I believe there is a place for praise in the workplace of course there is but for a fresh faced youngster its probably good to get the stuffing knocked out of you too.

During two years of selling I still knew it wasn't what I wanted to do, I wanted to create, I wanted challenges and experiences in my work life, variation. Applying for my Masters was the best move I have ever made. Although making documentaries had never really figured on my to do list, I loved watching them and the process filled the criteria of what I wanted in my work life.

So now I am to start the whole process again, this time not as wet behind the ears, but still keen to work hard to progress. I think its going to be a lot more difficult this time around.

Paper Work

After finishing the edit for the documentary Last Tango in Prestwich the film has needed to be prepared for broadcast on Manchester's one and only Channel M. We have run into some rather significant problems not helped by the fact that since finishing my mind has gone onto other important work, (and holidays/festivals.)

Issues with broadcast specifications were sorted relatively easily, however more complicated issues of consent and music have been more difficult to overcome. I am confident that we will get these issues sorted before the impeding deadlines for the documentary to be broadcast before the end of the year. Nevertheless this does give mea valuable lesson, I know now to ensure that all paper work is water tight preventing any sudden changes of heart.

Tea Dancing

So for the last few months, I have been shooting a film about the immensely popular past time of tea dancing. Essentially this consists of old people (although not always) socialising by drinking tea and dancing, in dimly lit dance halls at about one in the afternoon three or four times a week.

A description like that filled me with horror at the prospect of creating a half hour documentary about these people and this past time, however, this is not a film about old folks shuffling, it is filled with, determination, fantasy and even petty teenage jealousy. The people we have met are so full of spirit, and wonder, completely flying in the face of what I imagined before starting out.

We have just finished filming and now embark on the task of bringing all our subjects together into a story that will captivate an audience just like these people have captivated us.

Exit Through the Gift Shop

So as the dust has settled and the red carpet has been rolled away, Banksy has no Academy Award. It would have been interesting to see how the elusive artist would collect the gold statue in front of the worlds' gaze but I guess we will never know.

I watched Exit Through the Gift Shop (2010) recently not knowing very much about the film or its background. As far as I was aware it was a film about some guy making a film about Banksy. What I watched on this level of ignorance was a fine documentary that was complex and eye opening about the secretive world of street artists, the flippant nature of contemporary art and the iron fisted security of Disney Land. I watched the film and was very impressed, the hype was justified and then I wanted to find out more.

Recently Thierry Guetta accepted an award on behalf of Banksy for the film at the Independent Spirit Awards in California. This seems an odd thing considering Guetta a.k.a Mr Brainwash seemingly annoyed Banksy considerably through his behaviour in the film. It seems that there is something else going on in Exit Through the Gift Shop. Many people now believe that Guetta and Banksy have constructed the rise of Mr Brainwash in an attempt to show the problems with fashionable art and the money that is spent on what is in vogue.

This then leads to questions regarding this documentary film and the truth. If the events are constructed does the film lend itself to being a true representation of events? Does this really matter? Although the primary vehicle of the film may be constructed, the message that it consequently provokes is certainly not. This film raises real issues relevant about how many times art can reference itself and others and still remain creative. And also when the rest of the world is facing financial hardship, prices of multi coloured skulls and tomato soup spray paints are higher than ever.

Ch Ch Ch Changes

Can a documentary bring social changes? At the end of Michael Moore's film; Capitalism a Love Story, (2009) Moore pleads with the viewer to get up and do something, because he can't chase companies and politicians around forever trying to bring social and economic change. Twenty years after his first film Roger and Me (1989), this appeal suggests that as provocative and subjective as his films have been over the last two decades, the changes that Moore longs for have never materialised.

Recently however, a MORI poll has suggested that some films can change peoples attitudes to how they live their lives and the produce they buy. Rupert Murray's 2007 film The End of the Line focused on the depletion of global fish stocks. Since its theatrical release the film has enjoyed secondary success with television airings and a popular trailer and affiliated consumer advice sites online. MORI suggest that consumer dedication to buying sustainable fish had doubled since the films release and that although the viewing figures are modest, over 4.7 million adults in the UK are aware of the film. (the full article can be found here) Although this might not be world changing, it is interesting to see how effective films can be in bringing change.

Lake of Fire (2006)

Until watching this film I had never really given the subject matter much thought. I have never had too, rarely did it appear in religious studies at catholic high school. I have known for some time that there is intense discourse surrounding the subject of abortion. The argument of pro life and pro choice is intertwined throughout American life, not just in churches, but in politics, in the streets and the clinics too. Tony Kaye's film Lake of Fire sets out to outline both opposing arguments surrounding the life of an unborn child and whether or not it is morally and even legally right to have an abortion.

Kaye's aesthetic and his films pace are magnificently executed to engross the viewer into such a compelling argument. Prior to watching this film I had my own opinions on this evocative subject, however Lake of Fire sends the viewer on such a informative roller coaster that one will evaluate and re evaluate opinions over and over again. Some arguments both for and against are masterfully constructed, and then again some are just outlandish. Kaye remains subjective throughout the film and it works so much better for it. Lake of Fire simply makes the viewer think about something, without spin or bias. Critical discussions and arguments in such subjects is rare, but is so desperately needed.

Save Me

We have recently re edited the short documentary film Save Me and entered it in the Oxford Film Festival 2011 for some potential exposure. Any genre of short film could be entered providing it was under 6 minutes. Hopefully the film will be chosen!

The Devil and Daniel Johnston

It has always been an ambition of mine to create a music documentary, and one of the best of recent years must be Jeff Feuerzeig's 2005 film the Devil and Daniel Johnston. Early on in the film Feuerzeig uses family archive footage to great effect as it really portrays Johnston's adolescent personality as a massively creative person. The film describes how essentially the behaviour of Daniel throughout his life has ensured that he will forever be a intriguing figure and whose truths and facts are blurred with fiction and myth. The late introduction of Daniel himself also seemingly sets him up as myth, as the audience begins to question doubt if the main character will appear at all.

As a music documentary this film works brilliantly. Johnston is what I want in a character. Yes there is myth around his life, but the story is brilliantly executed. It is a story about a person, with problems, who is a incredible musician. Its fascinating.

Lindow Man

Here is the draft edit for the Lindow Man project. I have mentioned this film in previous posts, but to recap it is basically a film to accompany a piece of music composed by the National Youth Orchestra of Scotland. This video here is unfinished mainly because it need some fine editing to adjust colour levels. We are also hoping to include text from a poem by Seamus Heaney entitled Tollund Man which can be found here. Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

Untitled from Adam Mulcahy on Vimeo.

Malham

As part of the project to create a film for a piece of specially composed music, I had the idea to visit Malham in North Yorkshire for its impressive scenery. Malham is famous for its limestone geology creating massive cliff faces and cutaways in the landscape. The concept of the film is that of history. The music was influenced by the Lindow man, a preserved body found in the peat bog of Lindow Common. This made me think about how the history of man is insignificant when compared to the history of the earth. Yet occasionally the two are linked. Malham and Gordale Scar seen in the photograph are the result of earth's history eroding and changing the landscape through the ages. Such changes are rarely witnessed by man, but the same force of water that has huge effects on the limestone has very different effects on the peat. Over thousands of years it does not erode or decay but preserves, and ultimately it is man who has the most detrimental effect on both landscapes in an insignificant time.

Best Documentary

Here are the nominations for the best documentary feature at this years Acadamy Awards.

Exit through the Gift Shop (Banksy and Jaimie D'Cruz)

Gasland (Josh Fox and Trish Adlesic)

Inside Job (Charles Ferguson and Audrey Marrs)

Restrepo (Tim Hetherington and Sebastian Junger)

Waste Land (Lucy Walker and Angus Aynsley)

Errol Morris: Interviews

I recently received the book Errol Morris: Interviews as a gift which has proved to be an insightful read. Here is a collection of transcribed interviews from throughout his career conducted as he releases new films. As his own interviewing technique forms such an central part of his style it is fascinating to read his opinions and views of the people in his films. Morris is very much of the opinion that sometimes the best interviews are when people are left alone, let them speak even if it seems uncomfortable for a few seconds/minutes of silence.

This is an interesting concept, as someone who is inexperienced at interviewing, I am constantly trying to listen and think of intelligent questions and maintain my direction. Also I finds the whole "talking heads" set up in films can sometimes be rather boring. Morris' films however do offer something different from the norm, his characters are at times crazy with what seem to be mundane anecdotes but actually captivate the viewer. Films such as Gates of Heaven (1978) and Vernon, Florida (1981) show such seemingly ordinary people left to just talk and talk by Morris with funny, touching and indeed crazy results!

Staying Touch

I have watched four films recently that are examples of the importance of good access and building good relationships with contributors. The first films watched was Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills (1996) along with its predecessor). Paradise Lost 2: Revelations (2000) Directors Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky originally made a film about a triple child murder for which three young men were found guilty for. The first Paradise Lost film showed how the court case developed, and the contempt of the law which developed as the three young men were accused of following satan and listening to heavy metal... Four years after the film, Berlinger and Sinofsky return to Arkansas as a lengthy appeals process is underway focusing on all three men but specifically on Damien Echols who was described as the main protagonist and is currently on death row in the US. The second film focuses on many of the same people, such as Echols, his lawyer and one of the murdered boys parents. The case has also developed a large following of action groups and even celebrities who campaign for a retrial in the light of new DNA evidence.

The Second pair of films are about Aileen Wuornos who in 1990 was dubbed as America's first female serial killer after killing eight men in the state of Florida. Director Nick Broomfield's initial film is primarily concerned with Aileen's story, and more importantly the monetary gain sought to be made by her lawyer, her adopted mother and the police. All of whom are shown throughout the film as trying to sell the story illegally to Broomfield and film producers. The first film Aileen Wournos: The Selling of a Serial Killer (1994) is then followed by Aileen: Life and Death of Serial Killer (2003) In which Broomfield returns as a witness to an appeal case against Aileen's four death sentences. Throughout the near ten years between films Broomfield remained in occasional contact with Aileen whom he found to be the most genuine person out of all the participants.

All these films exhibit great skill by the film makers in how they deal with participants. The films are in no way "sit on the fence" types, they challenge and clearly develop particular arguments which did raise questions and piss people off, in some cases showing particular individuals very unfavourably. Nevertheless it is credit that even with these individuals access was still granted a second time. I think a key element to this kind of "return" film is the contributors attitude towards the film maker. The relationship between director and participant is key at all times. Occasionally it may seem that bridges have been burned, but time after time, with a good relationship foundation and truthful representation (even if it seems crazy) people will talk again.

Gustav Holst

Tonight I filmed with Tony Palmer for his BBC4 documentary about Gustav Holst the famous composer. the filming took place in Whitefield near Manchester with an amazing Band, Besses o' th' Barn. There was a few of us from Salford who went along to the venue and we set up three cameras to capture the footage from a collection of angles in as few takes as possible. I was keen to get onto the sound recording side of things for this as it is something that I really enjoy and the challenge of a Brass Band in a tiny room was to big to pass.

I did make a mistake early on, however I am thoroughly pleased with the final results. The footage will form a small part of Palmers two hour documentary but it should be aired mid march.

Besses o' th' Barn

A few months ago I wrote about a lecture I attended with Tony Palmer who had directed a number of music documentaries over his career. Tony is producing a documentary for BBC 4 about Gustav Holst and he asked a couple of us from Salford to help. Tonight we are filming an excellent brass band from Whitfield play Holst's Moorside Suite 3rd Movement.

We researched the location this week and it's going to be a challenging shoot mainly due to the small size of the room we are using. The band consists of about 25 musicians leaving little room for little else. Capturing the sound will be a massive challenge also but we will se how we get on.

Cave of Forgotten Dreams

Here is the trailer for the new Werner Herzog film Cave of Forgotten Dreams, due out in Spring 2011 which documents what are thought to believed the oldest ever discovered cave paintings. The film will be showing in cinemas in 3D which undoubtably will create substantial hype at the time of release.

Helvetica

Gary Hustwit's Helvetica (2007) is a documentary dedicated to the worlds favourite font Helvetica. The films charts the typefaces Swiss origins in the 1950s to its rise in fame becoming brand type number on in contemporary society. It is fascinating to see just how popular the font is as Hustwit seemingly points the camera at any populated city street and inadvertently points out a sign or brand name constructed with Helvetica.

Such sequences are fascinating and the images themselves are constructed very nicely and seamlessly with a great use of the horizontal lines which makes the city scape shots look very poetic especially with the original score by Kristian Dunn. Hustwit also interviews several typeface creators and graphic designers to tell why they love or indeed hate the font.

I have been thinking about interview style and uses a lot recently, the short doc I made recently did rely heavily on the "talking head" interview and it has led me to think about other more creative ways that this can be portrayed. The director wants the information from the participant but as the viewer I think we want to see it happen not be told it by a framed and prepared professional. This is defiantly where this film is lacking. All the participants are very similar and even once the polarised opinions of love it or hate it have been voiced then there is little else for to say. This unfortunately leads to the framed professionals getting a little stale towards the end.

The film rightly features on a top 50 films of the last decade list that I have been working through, and is a fascinating insight into what many would see as a mundane element of our everyday lives.

Happy New Year

Ok so I haven't really been committed to the Documentary blog over the Festive period but I have been watching different Docs and doing some essays for the MA. Saying that I'm going to make an extra effort to make sure the blog does not get neglected in 2011. more to follow...