I loved this episode! It was so interesting hearing the journey to such a successful show and how the documentary/tv industry has changed in the subsequent years. Thanks, PJ!
PJ, this episode was one of my favorites! As a UX designer in corporate America, it’s always a crazy balance of meeting the needs of the suits and the customer. I’ll be sharing this with my design team on Monday! Thanks for sharing.
Speaking of documentarians. Someone whose work I have been deeply enjoying is that of Lance Oppenheim. Spermworld and Renfaire are two of the most creatively ambitious and captivating docs I’ve seen in a while. Please watch, everyone.
I love this show. I'm an evangelist for this show. And I found wonderful insights in this episode, but I got some push-back. This feels like one talented person's unchecked and bizarrely broad take on the whole industry of documentary filmmaking and how adventurous stuff doesn't get made. I know some generalizing is the norm, but it seems to overlook a sea of counterexamples and perspectives. I felt major cognitive dissonance when some Taylor Swift documentary was used as an example of how "docs these days" can only chase popular subjects and that the filmmaker is beholden to the whim of the subject. But Gibney made a documentary about how singular and amazing the Sopranos was (one of the most influential shows of all time), and in the same breath / episode, we are lamenting docs about Taylor Swift as a subject? Why is Gibney's doc given the pass on chasing celebrity. Of course, there's shlock out there, and commercial pressures, but are we talking about Miss Americana, the doc Netfix was boosting bigtime? I thought that had both artistic and ethical integrity, but also... look at the new documentary that its filmmaker Lana Wilson, just released (Look Into My Eyes). Tell me that is not adventurous, niche, artful and insightful... all the things we want out of a documentary, right?
I will say, the end of this episode is beautiful... look backward, row forward.
I loved this episode! It was so interesting hearing the journey to such a successful show and how the documentary/tv industry has changed in the subsequent years. Thanks, PJ!
One creativity trick is to accept that you can only make things out of what you have. Allow your limitations to become part of the project.
👍👍👍
Great episode.
PJ, this episode was one of my favorites! As a UX designer in corporate America, it’s always a crazy balance of meeting the needs of the suits and the customer. I’ll be sharing this with my design team on Monday! Thanks for sharing.
Speaking of documentarians. Someone whose work I have been deeply enjoying is that of Lance Oppenheim. Spermworld and Renfaire are two of the most creatively ambitious and captivating docs I’ve seen in a while. Please watch, everyone.
I love this show. I'm an evangelist for this show. And I found wonderful insights in this episode, but I got some push-back. This feels like one talented person's unchecked and bizarrely broad take on the whole industry of documentary filmmaking and how adventurous stuff doesn't get made. I know some generalizing is the norm, but it seems to overlook a sea of counterexamples and perspectives. I felt major cognitive dissonance when some Taylor Swift documentary was used as an example of how "docs these days" can only chase popular subjects and that the filmmaker is beholden to the whim of the subject. But Gibney made a documentary about how singular and amazing the Sopranos was (one of the most influential shows of all time), and in the same breath / episode, we are lamenting docs about Taylor Swift as a subject? Why is Gibney's doc given the pass on chasing celebrity. Of course, there's shlock out there, and commercial pressures, but are we talking about Miss Americana, the doc Netfix was boosting bigtime? I thought that had both artistic and ethical integrity, but also... look at the new documentary that its filmmaker Lana Wilson, just released (Look Into My Eyes). Tell me that is not adventurous, niche, artful and insightful... all the things we want out of a documentary, right?
I will say, the end of this episode is beautiful... look backward, row forward.