More and more I wish for some sort of universal copyright/left system that would allow for easy re-use of existing material:
Why Not Re-Hab Films Like We Do Houses?
This occupied my mind yesterday when I screened the extremely watchable doc THE WILD AND WONDERFUL WHITES OF WEST VIRGINIA.
Documenting a year in the life of an ‘outlaw’ family in West Virginia, (though not nearly as ‘outlaw’ as the trailer for the pic would have you believe), the film is layered with music and graphics that sorta tell you what to think – this is not necessary – but it’s a stylistic choice that moves the pic along at a clip so I understand the compulsion to do it – but can’t help thinking about the raw material – the bags and bags of tapes that must exist after a year of shooting.
Wouldn’t it be a wonderful service to make those available for anyone to remix and reversion? Because while the film itself is well-crafted, competent and done with obvious love for the subjects, the humanity on display is something special, it transcends the contemporary nature of the filmmaking – so much so that I watched the film through again with the sound off to just watch the faces – a much more powerful experience for me then the film with the sound turned on.
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Just a thought for this humid and wet Monday morning in Nashville; THE WILD AND WONDERFUL WHITES OF WEST VIRGINIA is at The Becourt Theatre for three days only, July 13th to the 15th.
The pic is also available to watch on demand at home – click here to go the Official Site and find out how.
