Thursday, January 5, 2017

Email To A Friend About The Documentary "Shoah"

Had another good email exchange with my friend Lorne, here it is. We discussed the important doc film "Shoah" and some other stuff. He bought the movie a while back and will watch it.
Here is a link to"Shoah" on IMDB, it gets a 8.4 rating

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Lorne

Shoah is a great movie to buy sight unseen...I borrowed a Library copy will try to watch it all at work in the coming weeks...will take notes and try to learn from one of the best documentary film makers. From what I watched so far the interviewer/director had a very different interviewing technique...sort of vague and around the periphery type questions...but you got a greater understanding of the subjects true feelings as a result...

yesterday when I was interviewing mom she told me something I had never heard before...and it is the moment that stuck with me...she spoke of how my grandmother chopped wood  in the dark cold at 4am during the winter (easier to chop frozen wood)..how she did that on her farm every morning and how neighbors (Mr. M----------) knew that Mrs K------ (my grandma) was up by the sound he heard off in the far distance.

strange little tales like that stick in your mind...they speak to the difficult life those folks faced and their absolute determination to live and preserver...A little story like that in an interview can be the telling point.

I need to learn to draw those simple important little moments out of my interview subject. In my documentary photo work you have to have a deep connection to your subject a deep interest in who they are. I think that aspect of my personality and experience is a positive in doing these talking head video/audio interviews. The subject feels your interest and it helps them to give, to open up to you.

Will see how this film making thing goes, so far do good.

Gerry