Documentary News

In Depth Julia Scott-Stevenson 23 May 2012

Tackling Kony 2012

So, Kony. I might be a little late to this party in blogging terms but since the video’s launch I’ve been chewing over the whole thing - the video, the backlash, the broader campaign. For anyone who’s been in solitary isolation for the past few months, a quick recap. On March 5th, the video Kony 2012 was launched online by US-based non-government organisation Invisible Children. The stated aim was to reveal to the world the crimes of Ugandan militant Joseph Kony in recruiting child soldiers, and thus create such international attention and pressure that efforts to catch him would be increased. Or, in the words of the video, to ‘make Kony famous’.

In Depth Julia Scott-Stevenson 15 May 2012

Input #3 The future is on the web

A number of sessions at Input looked at the use of the web and mobile possibilities for public broadcasters.

In Depth Julia Scott-Stevenson 15 May 2012

Input #2 The Enviro Dilemma

Did you know that some printers contain a computer chip that automatically prevents them from printing any more once they reach a certain number of pages? This is the strange reality of planned obsolescence -- the idea that the death of a product is built in, to force consumers to buy new goods regularly.

In Depth Julia Scott-Stevenson 10 May 2012

Input #1 - sensational and repellent

Sure enough, it wasn't even the end of the first session of Input and already I was welling up. Input, the public television conference with a reputation for showcasing the groundbreaking, the envelope-pushing, the emotional and the downright offensive, has come to Sydney and is living up to form.

In Depth Julia Scott-Stevenson 7 May 2012

Swimming in a sea of data

Web non-fiction, journalism and documentary are finding crossover of late with a converging interest in new uses of data. In the digital world in which we now live, everything is recorded, documented, saved and archived, the paper trail has moved online and it swims in a digital sea.

In Depth Kylie Boltin 2 May 2012

Tim Hetherington Exhibition, Chelsea NYC

Tim Hetherington’s posthumous show at Yossi Milo Gallery in Manhattan features the late photographer’s work in both Afghanistan and Liberia. The show is comprised of two rooms. The first filled with images captured during his time in Liberia. The second, in the Korengal Valley in Afghanistan, taken during the year he and journalist, Sebastian Junger filmed their Oscar nominated documentary, Restrepo.

In Depth Julia Scott-Stevenson 25 Apr 2012

Making interactive media with Popcorn

Mozilla’s Popcorn is another in an increasing line of tools being released to enable filmmakers to mess around with online media and create their own interactive work. Here’s a report of a hack day Mozilla ran in London recently, to familiarise interested people with the tool and start opening it up to experimentation.

In Depth Kylie Boltin 20 Apr 2012

The Black Power Mixtape, 1967-1975

Written and directed by Swedish filmmaker Goran Hugo Olsson, The Black Power Mixtape, 1967-1975 is a kaleidoscope of archival footage that both reveals and reflects the evolution of the Black Power Movement. A partial portrait, the film includes never before seen footage and contemporary commentary by respected African American poets, scholars and musicians.

In Depth Julia Scott-Stevenson 18 Apr 2012

Nick Fraser on Why Documentaries Matter

The era of tedious agit-prop documentaries is past, marvellous docos are upon us, but beware the pretentious bullshit of auteurism. So says Nick Fraser, head of BBC’s Storyville and the ‘Dalai Lama’ of documentary according to his introduction as the keynote speaker at the Australian International Documentary Conference. AIDC was held in Adelaide last month, and Fraser’s keynote speech is now available to watch online.

In Depth Kylie Boltin 12 Apr 2012

Guy Davidi on 5 Broken Cameras

At the New Directors/New Films Festival in New York City, Israeli activist/filmmaker Guy Davidi spoke about his highly charged documentary, 5 Broken Cameras.

In Depth Kylie Boltin 30 Mar 2012

Pamela Yates on Granito: How to Nail a Dictator

This week in New York City, Pamela Yates and producer Paco de Onís of Skylight Pictures presented their documentary, Granito: How to Nail a Dictator, and held a Q and A at NYU.

In Depth Julia Scott-Stevenson 28 Mar 2012

Condition One: Immersive journalism

Condition One is an immersive video player for iPad, which does some pretty impressive things with viewer perspective. I’d read about it last year and seen a promo video, but had suspected it might be a bit gimmicky, something that made the explosions of war look exciting and game-like. However, a demo was presented in an interactive panel session at the South by Southwest festival (SXSW) and there are now several more clips on the app showcasing its broader potential.

In Depth Kylie Boltin 2 Mar 2012

Exploring the Paradise Lost trilogy

We’ve been talking about Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky’s Paradise Lost trilogy for some time now. The three part HBO series, which screens at Melbourne’s ACMI this week, first chronicled the 1996 trial of three teenagers from West Memphis: Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin and Jessie Misskelley Jr. The three were arrested and accused of the murder and mutilation of three second-graders at Robin Hood Hills, in West Memphis, Arkansas.

2 comments

In Depth Julia Scott-Stevenson 21 Feb 2012

Black Folk Don't ...

Webisodes are something I haven't come across a great deal in my adventures in online documentary land. Anecdotally, it seems documentary filmmakers are more focused on creating one main event or site, and haven't given as much thought to the gradual addition of regular content to an online project - which seems odd given the mass of documentary television series.

In Depth Julia Scott-Stevenson 13 Feb 2012

A slick and grizzly webdoc

Bear 71 is the latest webdoc from the National Film Board of Canada. It’s a fascinating take on the impact of humans on the wild, told from the perspective of a bear. It’s also one of the best uses of the form I think I’ve seen, even for the NFB.