Screening and Discussion: Mike Wallace Is Here

I recently partook in the screening and discussion of Mike Wallace Is Here at Hunter college directed by Avi Belken.  There was much to learn from this event!

Belken wanted this documentary to be a product of a genesis story -- how did 60 Mintues and its acclaim and reputation start? After asking himself that question and doing some research he immediately realized he had to do something of a case study on Mike Wallace who proved to be an iconic figure in the history of 60 Minutes.  Upon learning of this realization of his, I myself unexpectedly realized that his documentary was nothing short of his own investigative journaling of his subject, Mike Wallace.

I've learned that when choosing a subject for your film, there may be off shoots that are as interesting or even more interesting than the intended subject and that gives it all the more reason to change the trajectory/subject of your film -- in some instances the film will come to you, as opposed to your choosing the subject of your film.  We must always be open minded, yet directed.

I also learned that in documentary films, just as in fiction films, you must do your research.  In modern documentary films, sometimes it's a smart, creative choice to include archival/first hand footage of your subject material.

Also in modern documentaries, the same continuity and montage editing used in fiction films can be applied to documentaries, as was the case in Mike Wallace Is Here.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dDSq2fF9flk






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