tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3572638817995876667.post2163601082109651698..comments2023-10-19T04:22:03.532-07:00Comments on Introduction to Documentary Spring 2009: Bradley Beesley visits UTIntro to Documentary-RTFhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08544458581736683214noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3572638817995876667.post-65186525953135428172009-04-19T16:18:00.000-07:002009-04-19T16:18:00.000-07:00What struck me most about Beesley's visit was his ...What struck me most about Beesley's visit was his insistence upon becoming a part of the community one is documenting. I wholeheartedly agree with this approach. I feel if a documentarian is truly going to present a person or group of people and do them justice at the same time, they'd have to know them on a more intimate level. Instead of presenting them as an oddity, as though they are on display at the zoo, the documentarian must know their past, their , beliefs, hopes, fears, and mannerisms. Beesley does this masterfully and breaks down the division between us, the audience, and them, the odd group or person and makes them completely human and relatable.<br /><br />Beesley immerses himself in the communities he is documenting. His style, likewise, changes depending upon the subject. The Fearless Freaks is very reminiscent of the music videos Beesley did with The Flaming Lips, which is a completely different style from that of Okie Noodling, which is all about being one with nature. The level of comfort and kinship, however, is always there. The b-roll Beesley gets of his characters shows their inner selves in a very simple, economic, yet profound way. We see Wayne Coyne, in The Fearless Freaks, unloading equipment at the show, even though he is now a world-famous musician. The Noodlers are filmed in the water, in nature, doing what they love. Even the fifteen minute piece about Dr. Dante shows him doing magic tricks for little girls in the trailer park where he is, which is the part that stayed with me the most.Laurenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02606206379274042514noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3572638817995876667.post-47884608693267448302009-03-31T20:13:00.000-07:002009-03-31T20:13:00.000-07:00I also really liked Bradley Beesely's presentation...I also really liked Bradley Beesely's presentation.<BR/><BR/>What struck me was how much Beesely pragmatically emphasized that an aspiring indie filmmaker should be willing to get a job doing something like reality TV. I believe the phrase he used was, "whoring himself out."<BR/>Regardless, that's what's given him the money to put together the projects he cares about. <BR/>Beesely's approach to film was reminiscent to me of an old school tradesman in many regards. He prides himself in his craft and is willing to put his talents towards what some may consider lesser work, if that's what it takes to pay the bills. No matter what, he finds a way to enjoy what he's doing, and that's what really counts.<BR/><BR/>Beesely's latest project on Dr. Dante was hilarious. Even though his promo was only about fifteen minutes long, I found myself quite enthralled. I actually had heard of Dante before, as I saw a news report on him around the time he was busted in the late 90s. It's too bad that Dante is of an age that he's difficult to work with, as I really want to know more about him. Where did he learn his craft? How did he come up the ideas for his schemes? What's with the sketchy apprentice? What do his neighbors in the trailer park make of an elderly man walking around in a tai chi uniform with an amulet necklace and a Gandalf stick?<BR/><BR/>I look forward to seeing how Beesely is going to be able to translate such a odd life story into a two hour fictional narrative and still keep all the crazy nuances .Jonathan Pyndushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06338767071526127352noreply@blogger.com