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Charlie's Blog 9 September 2009

It's been a long week, this one! Gearing up for the festival and getting closer to the MeetMarket deadline, things are pretty intense. A career in film festivals, like anything in the media, isn't one for those who can't do long flexible hours - or to put it a better way, it's not a career choice for those who aren't good with time management. I was thinking last week, as a number of us sat in Doc/Fest HQ at some late hour, how when I was 21 and fresh out of university that kind of situation would have seemed completely alien to me. But you know what? I like my job a lot, and I don't mind. Plus the ‘quieter' times of the year post-festival and the traveling to other festivals make it OK!

Anyway, you don't come here to hear about me. News in documentary land, in UK doc land anyway, has been the return of The Family, an updating of Paul Watson's ‘Reality TV inventing'-series, also called The Family. The premise is that reality TV has become so meaningless that a return to its roots is essential to keep it relevant. The fact that Watson's original series was groundbreaking and unlike anything else ever on TV, and this rerunning is a rewarming of an old concept, sort of makes that seem ridiculous. The series looks great, using all modcons to give us an intimate look at a ‘normal' family, don't get me wrong. But this is nothing new and it won't have any kind of dramatic impact because we're so used to seeing ‘unimportant' lives lived on TV hour after after now. What would be really shocking is seeing someone escape cameras for as long as possible - an idea like that was pitched at Britdoc earlier in the year. Of course, making a documentary about that is something of a black hole - a film about someone avoiding being on film - but that's what's so good about it!

Anyway, speaking of black holes, and onto black birds, well done Ross Phillips for The Birdwatcher - http://www.northeastmovies.co.uk/films/249/the-birdwatcher (thank you Roxy at NFM for the tip!) - a beautiful animation that's given me a smile on my face all day. There is something sinister about birdwatching - I've done it myself - and watching this film made me wonder if it's the constant tension and fear that something's about to spring on you and that you might miss the tiniest detail you've been waiting all day for. Despite it being funny and cute, this film also really made me recall that tension, which is an amazing achievement for something so superficially twee. And I love all animation too anyway!

September 09 2008

Recommended This Week

The Birdwatcher (04:45)
Through the lenses of his binoculars, a birdwatcher...

 

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