Hi, I’m James, the editor, among other things. I’m not a believer in the “Jack of all trades, master of none” school of thinking. As a film maker, experience in all areas of production is essential to mastering anything. At the moment I’m serviceable camera person, director and visual effects artist. I also paint vast [...]
Errol Morris does IBM
I’m a huge fan of Errol Morris. He is such an innovative filmmaker who has technically reinvented the classic documentary interview set-up and masterfully used it to challenge interview subjects’ recollections of events (see The Thin Blue Line). You can see his set up here: http://www.fastcodesign.com/1663105/errol-morriss-secret-weapon-for-unsettling-interviews-the- interrotron So Morris was an obvious choice for [...]
These Boots were made for?…
Here are two campaigns that have both used documentary storytelling to sell men’s boots. But the similarities end there. The campaigns appeal to very different audiences with very different messages. First up, the hipster approach courtesy of Palladium Boots. The brand has created a series of “Exploration” campaigns, in which Palladium explores and documents urban places in search [...]
An Oldie But a Goodie
Branded documentary is often included as part of a wider advertising campaign. In 2010, Mitchum deodorant sponsored a nationwide contest to find the “Hardest Working Man in America.” The Mitchum strategy sought out user generated content but also turned to an old hand, documentary filmmaking legend Albert Maysles, to create a short documentary about the [...]
Who we are—What we Like—and What this Blog is About
I work with words. I research, produce and write. My partner Simon creates the pictures. He shoots stills and shoots and edits video. We live and breathe everything documentary—mini docs, interactive docs, branded docs, episodic docs—we’ll watch and make them all. Our blog is all about compelling doco stories—who is making them, why they are making [...]