Mumblecore

I see a few pluses but many more minuses here. The pluses are that hordes of young filmmakers will pick up cameras and start making movies because they'll be inspired by what they see in this mumblecore thing. The minuses are that these young filmmakers will never grow. They'll be confronted with potential areas of improvement and will reject all criticism because "hey, dude, it's mumblecore...it isn't supposed to be (insert one) audible/coherent/photographed well/color graded/etc."

They advocates seem to be arguing that it isn't a movement or style, that the label was put on it by critics and historians. But in the same breath they describe it as a movement, as a style.

I have to agree with Zen...I don't see how this is any different than how most of us probably started. Nee, since film itself started. How to tell a visual story with limited equipment. The only difference is now there exists an artistic rather than practical excuse for the results of making a film with limited equipment.
 
What's the reasoning behind questioning the label of "mumblecore"? If people want to labe their films in such a way, let them.

And don't try to convince me that it's bad for indie filmmakers. No matter what the genre or movement, poor filmmakers will make poor films.
 
So....

No traction for my "OG" take on the mumblecore thing?

Boo.

:no:

Seriously, for all you fans of the style I can't recommend watching the older stuff enough. Dollars to Donuts the paragons of "mumblecore" have seen at least a couple Neo-Realism films and probably tons of Verite work.
 
No traction for my "OG" take on the mumblecore thing?

I don't disagree with you. They're really just different names for the same thing. But There's been a lot of back and forth on this thread about the label "mumblecore" and why it is or isn't good or bad or whatever. In my opinion, some will like it, some will hate it. But to act like it isn't viable because you (speaking to the detractors, not singling out David.rhsc) call it by a different name is silly to me.
 
To me, anything that is labeled while it is currently happening is just a Branding choice made by folks with a mind for marketing. The films will either stand or not stand on their own merit. The folks making B-movies in the 40's didn't advertise their work as "Film Noir," but the name was given to a particular style that existed for a specific period, and then influenced later work. There are films in that period that work and ones that don't. Same thing here.

Familiar territory. I guess my point is that - love it or hate it - "mumblecore" is just a new name for something that has been happening since, oh, idk, Nanook of the North.
 
To me, anything that is labeled while it is currently happening is just a Branding choice made by folks with a mind for marketing. The films will either stand or not stand on their own merit. The folks making B-movies in the 40's didn't advertise their work as "Film Noir," but the name was given to a particular style that existed for a specific period, and then influenced later work. There are films in that period that work and ones that don't. Same thing here.

Familiar territory. I guess my point is that - love it or hate it - "mumblecore" is just a new name for something that has been happening since, oh, idk, Nanook of the North.

True. What I mean when I say it's new isn't the technique (or lack thereof), but the public reaction to it. I don't recall any film receiving nearly as much attention as "Puffy Chair" that has been shot on so little. So, I think something is being done differently, perhaps the type of story that they tend to tell (relationships and stuff), and the way that they tell it (partially improvised & talky). I dunno. But there must be some reason why the Duplass brothers are now working in Hollywood, and guys like us are on this forum talking about them.
 
You might have misunderstood me there, I'm neither for nor against this idea. I simply have an opinion on what I think it is. With very rare exceptions, I don't really care what style someone has chosen to use or what they decide to call it. From an entertainment and intellectual level I care about the whole film. (On a personal and professional development level, I lean towards films that are visually potent or particularly well lit, done by a cinematographer I am studying, etc)

But let's be honest, I think their success has less to do with how they made the movie than the movie they made. Which also touches into your last point, sorta. They are "working in Hollywood." because they made a movie which was a success, met a few people, and repeated said success. They're there on the virtue of their effort and skill, not on the virtue of some nebulous marketing term for the type of movie they made. I think we probably agree on that for the most part; the difference is one of attachment. I haven't latched onto the idea, but I'm just weird like that.

I'll bet there is something to the idea of a knee-jerk reaction to some of the hollow tripe that gets mass marketed and made with massive budgets. Also to the idea that people are tired of going to see a movie knowing some jerk made $20 million to be in it. But I don't think that films which cater to that reaction are the exclusive domain of "mumblecore" either.

I had something for that last sentence of yours, but I'm going to err on the side of "you didn't mean to say that the way it sounded in my head when I read it." Cliff notes: I'm here to talk about a craft that I love - not because I don't get to do it, because I love it. :D
 
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But let's be honest, I think their success has less to do with how they made the movie than the movie they made.

Yes! We are in 100% agreement. That is exactly the point I've been trying to make. And that's why I find their story inspirational. Because they made a good movie, regardless of the fact that it's quite poor on a technical level.

And, thank you for giving me the benefit of doubt on that last sentence -- no, I'm not intending it as some sort of slight against any of us. I mean it as a compliment to the Duplass bros., as if to say, "well, they're obviously doing something right".

Cheers
 
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