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.