Imitation is the best form of flattery...

...and for this novice film maker, it is also quite an education. On March 25th I checked out 7 documentaries from the library to watch and learn from. The titles are Sunset Story, Sacco and Vanzetti, The Emmett Till Story, Ellis Island Immigration Museum: Face of America, Harvest of Shame, Teens Dealing with Death and Mob Hit Men (2 separate titles). I was able to glean something from each one. The various styles and approaches each director used and how they went about developing their particular thematic structure. Some related information in a very basic manner while others created a world in which the viewer became immersed in. In all cases, the stories were compelling. The reality of the enormity of my task- to document a husband and wife's 50 year love affair in the midst of their battle with Lewy Body Disease- does not escape me. However, as I became an early statistic last October of the staggering downturn in the economy, the prospects of this project present somewhat of a grounding element to my hurdy-gurdy life at the moment. A sampling of Fred Wiseman's films is next on the agenda. The 8 hours of raw footage I took of them and their Social Worker last weekend is ripe for downloading!