I've taken two video production classes at my local community college, and I've done some documentary-like projects (in short form), involving shooting interviews and B-roll. I'm still interested in doing more of that type of filmmaking, but resources are very tight, and even though I consider myself to be a great writer, I've had a lot of trouble in terms of trying to write fiction (mainly screenplays), so I figure that documentaries would be of interest. I watched part of this documentary on ESPN the other night as part of their "30 for 30" series, it was the one about the day of the OJ Simpson slow speed chase and its impact on the world of sports, directed by Brett Morgen.
It was entirely comprised of broadcast footage from that day, both what aired and what didn't air, all of this happening as it played out in real time, and it gave me some inspiration to do something similar using that particular technique, and all I could think of doing was a real-time, "as it happened" documentary about 9/11 or Katrina, but I wasn't sure if I could handle it without being exploitative. I checked Youtube and there is a ton of off-air broadcast footage of the '91 Gulf War that various people posted, and I've thought of doing a real-time narrative using only that footage, but I have a few things that I'm not sure about. First, I'm not sure if doing a real-time narrative would even be considered a good idea for a documentary, unless I have some kind of a point that I'm trying to make (like if I'm trying to deliver a message about how the media portrays war) or something.
Second, I'm not sure if it would even be a good idea to use footage I found on the internet unless I can claim fair use. There would be no talking heads, no present-day perspective, etc. I've seen documentaries like this where they just let the footage and the images speak for themselves, but I just wonder how I can make it have some kind of an impact. I was watching this documentary the other night and it illustrated how the media manipulated public opinion in the second Gulf War, especially through Fox News and how the Bush administration made a convincing case to the public, and how the media essentially bought everything they had to say. Would a good perspective on this be if I looked at it as it was portrayed as a media event, or would an even better idea be to make a film that contrasts media coverage of the Iraq Wars between '91 and '03? Any suggestions would be welcome.
It was entirely comprised of broadcast footage from that day, both what aired and what didn't air, all of this happening as it played out in real time, and it gave me some inspiration to do something similar using that particular technique, and all I could think of doing was a real-time, "as it happened" documentary about 9/11 or Katrina, but I wasn't sure if I could handle it without being exploitative. I checked Youtube and there is a ton of off-air broadcast footage of the '91 Gulf War that various people posted, and I've thought of doing a real-time narrative using only that footage, but I have a few things that I'm not sure about. First, I'm not sure if doing a real-time narrative would even be considered a good idea for a documentary, unless I have some kind of a point that I'm trying to make (like if I'm trying to deliver a message about how the media portrays war) or something.
Second, I'm not sure if it would even be a good idea to use footage I found on the internet unless I can claim fair use. There would be no talking heads, no present-day perspective, etc. I've seen documentaries like this where they just let the footage and the images speak for themselves, but I just wonder how I can make it have some kind of an impact. I was watching this documentary the other night and it illustrated how the media manipulated public opinion in the second Gulf War, especially through Fox News and how the Bush administration made a convincing case to the public, and how the media essentially bought everything they had to say. Would a good perspective on this be if I looked at it as it was portrayed as a media event, or would an even better idea be to make a film that contrasts media coverage of the Iraq Wars between '91 and '03? Any suggestions would be welcome.