A friend of mine is trying to remember the name of a documentary they once saw and Google has failed them. I'm forever touting the skill and speed with which the AskMe community solves dilemmas like these, so don't fail me now! Here's what she asked me:
I saw a documentary about a man who was representing himself in a lawsuit or series of lawsuits -- I think the government had filed them against him for sending threatening letters. Something about defending his land and eminent domain... He had a wife that he met in a foreign country. She was a lot younger than him and she moved to the US and married him. They were both chain smokers and used a plastic fork as a cigarette holder. They lived in a trailer that was a mess and full of document boxes of his "research" for his case. And they had a few big dogs.
posted by ErWenn
on May 1, 2013 -
2 answers
The kickstarter I launched for the documentary I've been shooting over the last 18 months got funded in 15 days. We've got 20 days left to go on the campaign. It's a big project but kickstarter is only part of our fundraising plan so the goal was rather modest. I would certainly like to secure more pledges. What techniques can I use to make the most of this time? The project got funded quickly because of the efforts of the tight-knit community in which I live and the subject matter I'd like to think. How can I bring in more funds having already met the goal? Metafilter is curating the project. Almost all of our marketing has been through Facebook. Any ideas? Google searches lead to plenty of blog articles on launching but not much information specific to this situation. We're funding post-production and film festival entries.
posted by manwoo
on May 1, 2013 -
8 answers
I am teaching a documentary class in Kiev at the end of the month. Students will work together to create several projects around a single issue. I am looking for topics of a social nature for them to explore. Last year they focused on the issue of cigarette smuggling. Any suggestions for further exploration would greatly be appreciated.
Thanks.
posted by captainscared
on Apr 29, 2013 -
3 answers
I watched Nina Conti: A Ventriloquist's Story - Her Master's Voice yesterday and it was so amazing I forgot how long it's been since I saw a really good documentary. I've watched everything Herzog has done in the past 6-7, Being Elmo, Carl Sagan's Cosmos, the 7 Up films and Jarvis Cocker's Outsider Art series. What are your favourite documentary films/series? (except nature docs? I can never get into them). I'm happy to watch films from any english-speaking country - but will also give it a go if they're subtitled.
posted by abbagoochie
on Mar 22, 2013 -
35 answers
I'm interested in watching more documentaries or miniseries about the fashion/clothing industry. Three I've rented recently were Valentino:The Last Emperor, The September Issue, and Signé Chanel. I especially enjoyed the last two as they really showed a lot behind the scenes about how stuff is made (both the media and the couture dressmaking sides).
[more inside]
posted by bluefly
on Mar 9, 2013 -
8 answers
Are there any documentaries about George Nakashima available to view online? I would like to know more about his life and his work. I am particularly interested in the architecture of his studio.
posted by Infernarl
on Feb 25, 2013 -
1 answer
I'm trying to recall a shooting incident involving a documentary film or news crew, a conservationist/conservation group, and some wildlife poachers in Africa.
[more inside]
posted by broadway bill
on Feb 18, 2013 -
2 answers
What age-appropriate documentary should I watch with my 10yo daughter to help her understand the civil rights movement and MLK's place in it?
[more inside]
posted by j_curiouser
on Jan 17, 2013 -
9 answers
My friend insists that she saw a documentary in which people were interviewed who lived in a house with Jeff Mangum. She thought that it was about the Elephant 6 Collective, but since we can't find any reference to that, she thinks that it might be about the Athens music scene. Do you know what it is?
[more inside]
posted by quiet coyote
on Jan 15, 2013 -
5 answers
I love Planet Earth, Life, and other documentaries that David Attenborough is associated with -- as much for the educational value as for the beautiful cinematography and show-not-tell approach. They're works of art in and of themselves. Are there any documentaries in a similar vein that focus on cities, architecture, landmarks, and other human creations? For example, it would be incredible to explore Tokyo through the same lens!
posted by archagon
on Jan 3, 2013 -
14 answers
What are the most interesting documentary films about the history of video games? I am especially interested in anything that discusses the history of game graphics.
posted by mortaddams
on Dec 5, 2012 -
7 answers
Tell me about the quietest, mellowest, most relaxing nature documentaries that you know. I have the Planet Earth and Blue Planet series, and they're both amazing, but I'm looking for something slower paced and with less carnivorous ripping things apart. I'd watch the World of Mosses, if such a thing existed. Little birds building nests. Beetles roaming about, beetling. The lives of fungi.
[more inside]
posted by bepe
on Dec 4, 2012 -
34 answers
Please recommend some documentaries online on art, artists (of any/all kinds)
and innovation (in a wider sense, perhaps especially including technological innovation and entrepreneurship) that I can show to a class.
[more inside]
posted by zresearch
on Nov 23, 2012 -
7 answers
Looking for the name of a science/cosmos documentary from the early/mid-90s that compared medieval cathedrals to super colliders.
[more inside]
posted by l2p
on Nov 3, 2012 -
3 answers
Does anyone know of any good documentary films about Seattle history? I'm interested in its founding up to the 90s. Not looking for stuff about grunge. Would love it if there were something in a Ken Burns, but I don't expect miracles. Thanks!
posted by letstrythis
on Nov 2, 2012 -
9 answers
I'm looking for some really good how-to guides on making videos, especially on documentary style and story-oriented pieces.
[more inside]
posted by kaibutsu
on Oct 22, 2012 -
2 answers
I want to watch more shows like How It's Made. I like that it's dry and information dense. What do you suggest?
[more inside]
posted by gregr
on Oct 14, 2012 -
18 answers
Documentary Recommendations: I don't know what this is called but I've noticed in two recent Ken Burns documentaries. In
The West, there are some very old Native Americans who talk about their experiences and memories. And in his one about the Brooklyn Bridge, there is a man is over 100 years old taking about how he was a water boy when he was about 10 years when the bridge was being built. I want more of these types of interviews where they have pictures of the past along with people who were there talking about it.
[more inside]
posted by sio42
on Sep 23, 2012 -
10 answers
Care to recommend some in-depth documentaries (and books, or anything online) about World War One?
[more inside]
posted by nfg
on Aug 14, 2012 -
10 answers
What other people have done stuff like Chris Marker's documentaries? Is there a movie anywhere that's even a little bit like Sans Soleil?
posted by insteadofapricots
on Jul 29, 2012 -
13 answers
Help me track down this
Cube-esque, straight-to-video nuclear bomb shelter paranoia film (with a shocking twist!).
[more inside]
posted by Rhaomi
on Jul 19, 2012 -
8 answers
What is gonna be my best mac based workflow for editing this documentary I'm working on? details inside
[more inside]
posted by tylerfulltilt
on Jul 18, 2012 -
2 answers
According to
this story in the Guardian, a BBC documentary about the London riots has been banned by a judge in England. However, the judgement also forbids revealing the judge's name, place or sitting, or more importantly, reasons for the banning. Can you help me find a leak of the judgement or any additional information, as I would like to know why it has been banned.
posted by Jehan
on Jul 17, 2012 -
7 answers
What are some great documentaries about entrepreneurs and startups? (Think: Startup.com, E-Dreams)
[more inside]
posted by petah
on Jun 24, 2012 -
6 answers
I recently discovered that someone I dated a few years back (it ended badly) is the subject of a soon-to-be-filmed documentary in which he "gets back" at all the people who have romantically wronged him in the past. The production has a crew, a blog, and a fundraising page. The copy implies that the "getting back" will occur in-person. What is the best way to behave if one finds themselves ambushed by a documentary crew, possibly in a prank-like situation?
posted by anonymous
on May 16, 2012 -
58 answers
Documentary filter: MrK heard glowing description of a history documentary about Nazi propaganda in 1936 in Berlin.
[more inside]
posted by kestralwing
on May 4, 2012 -
2 answers
I just found some video footage of 5-year-old me on Youtube. It was definitely not posted by my parents. It also features nekkid hippies (I am dressed). Who owns that footage?
[more inside]
posted by Nibbly Fang
on Apr 28, 2012 -
10 answers
Do you know of any good art and/or documentary blogs that profile artists or filmmakers?
[more inside]
posted by chara
on Apr 6, 2012 -
5 answers
Does anyone know where to download any of these Chinese sensationalist pseudo-documentaries made of 9/11 that mix real news footage with clips from blockbuster films? They freely mix fact and fiction, using news footage and illegal clips from Hollywood films. There were three made, with the titles: 1) "The Century's Greatest Catastrophe" (I've also seen it called The Century's Great Catastrophe") and 2) "Surprise Attack on America" and 3) "America's Disaster: The Pearl Harbor of the Twenty-First Century"--all made in 2001. There is a report on them in an article that was in the
New Yorker. Also mention of them made
here. Since they are illegal mash-ups of existing source material, I don't mind if I have to download them from 'questionable' sites. But I'd really like to consult these films for a study I am writing, and would appreciate any pointers as to where to find them.
posted by cmp4Meta
on Apr 4, 2012 -
1 answer
After showing the 2010 Academy Award-winning documentary
Inside Job at a college, what questions would you ask a follow-on panel comprised of Occupy Wall Street activists, Ron Paul Republicans, economics/business professors, and business owners?
[more inside]
posted by Roach
on Mar 3, 2012 -
5 answers
I've watched almost all of Terry Jones's history documentaries--what next? What I like about them and what I'm looking for is mainly the humor (enthusiastic but lighthearted, not taking itself too seriously) and the element of looking at things from a different angle. Many of Jones's docs look at the lives of "regular people" in periods of history where most people are familiar with the rich and famous, and others look at civilizations that are overlooked. Sort of the way Mythbusters approaches science, and I'm also a large fan of QI. Recommendations? (I'm looking especially but not exclusively for history.)
posted by sarahkeebs
on Feb 28, 2012 -
14 answers
Are there any satirical documentaries relating to religion like
Kumare? I know there was a popular series on Atheism on BBC and several others like Religulous, The Root of All Evil, etc., and I am curious if there are others which, instead of taking a serious note on educating us what atheism/religion means, evoke laughter throughout dealing on these subjects?
posted by godugu
on Feb 28, 2012 -
7 answers
Docofi:
Human Planet,
One Giant Leap,
Crossing the Bridge,
Baraka,
Playing for Change and the
Qatsi trilogy are all great examples of documentaries that don't follow a traditional narrative. I'm looking for more documentaries that are neither investigative (
Thin Blue Line,
Capturing the Friedmans) nor quest/mission based (
Catfish,
10 MPH), but rather paint a picture. If that's not clear enough, picture a nature documentary, but instead of animals the subject is "art" or "culture" or some kind of theme.
Bombay Beach,
The Gleaners and I and
Dark Days are sort-of good examples.
posted by omnigut
on Feb 15, 2012 -
13 answers
Please recommend a documentary that goes deep into the detail of some item. For example clocks, trains , corn, skyscrapers, etc. Not about people, culture, places, history, etc.. (unless it's tied in with the item in question)
posted by parallax7d
on Feb 7, 2012 -
23 answers
Somewhere in the Ken Burns documentary Jazz, a musician who played with John Coltrane remembers a story about Coltrane defending one of his musicians with violence in some way, and then ends the story with the punchline: "You have to be willing to Die for a motherfucker." Who was that speaking?
[more inside]
posted by Potomac Avenue
on Dec 1, 2011 -
4 answers
Documentary filter: Heard of a film where a group of native people were let loose into the "modern" world with a camera?
[more inside]
posted by epiphinite
on Nov 2, 2011 -
5 answers
