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2016: Obama's America review


Tim M

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This was the worst movie I've seen in a very long time. Not because of it's subject matter whatsoever. It sounded absolutely terrible and the shooter couldn't seem to keep the camera steady on a lock down interview. If I ever teach a class this will be one of the films I use on what not to do with lavs and only lavs. There was obviously no sound guy attached to this film and there is no usage of a boom throughout. I met Dinesh D'Souza a few times, and although an interesting guy, he should be ashamed of letting this kind of negligence fly. What is your opinion of the film? This may belong in the politics section either way.

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Interestingly and distressingly, some of the mainstream reviews I've seen of the film, such at the New York Times & THR, made no mention of the film's craft or lack thereof. Actually, one review said something about the background bio section being fairly well done; let's chalk that up to the editor.

And THR reports that the film, "will expand nationwide this weekend after doing notable business in select markets across the country -- including in liberal-minded New York City. 2016: Obama's America grossed an impressive $1.2 million last weekend as it upped its theater count from 61 to 169 for a total gross of $2 million." Great for a doc:

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/box-office-anti-obama-documentary-president-election-364479

IMDB lists three people under sound. The "field audio" guys have modest credits, though the post-sound sup is Howell Gibbens:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2247692/fullcredits#cast

So what do I take from all this, not having seen the film (and not planning to)? Perhaps typical audience standards for audio and picture craft are lower than we think and hope. Sigh.

Well, that's all I have time for right now. Look forward to reading other's non-political comments. :-)

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Not only was most of the film recorded through the sennheiser g3's WITH the ME2, a bunch of times (gasp) it actually was clipping and very unintelligible. At the end of the film all the old people in the audience gave the film a resounding applause...I couldn't tell if it was because they are used to not hearing things or they liked seeing Obama's face contorted several hundred times haha.

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Interestingly and distressingly, some of the mainstream reviews I've seen of the film, such at the New York Times & THR, made no mention of the film's craft or lack thereof. Actually, one review said something about the background bio section being fairly well done; let's chalk that up to the editor.

And THR reports that the film, "will expand nationwide this weekend after doing notable business in select markets across the country -- including in liberal-minded New York City. 2016: Obama's America grossed an impressive $1.2 million last weekend as it upped its theater count from 61 to 169 for a total gross of $2 million." Great for a doc:

http://www.hollywood...election-364479

IMDB lists three people under sound. The "field audio" guys have modest credits, though the post-sound sup is Howell Gibbens:

http://www.imdb.com/...ullcredits#cast

So what do I take from all this, not having seen the film (and not planning to)? Perhaps typical audience standards for audio and picture craft are lower than we think and hope. Sigh.

Well, that's all I have time for right now. Look forward to reading other's non-political comments. :-)

It's a shame others can't share your laudable restraint, Jim.

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It's a shame others can't share your laudable restraint, Jim.

F--- you. Uh, I mean thanks.

I'm fine with political discussion and debate. Just seemed like Tim raised some interesting craft/audience issues...issues I think about a lot both as a mixer and a producer who strives to not be penny wise and pound foolish.

So I just watched the trailer in "highest-quality" YouTube mode (720p) here:

http://2016themovie.com/trailer/

Funky audio. A bit after 1:10, there are some plosive problems (+ more) with the VO. That's surprising.

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F--- you. Uh, I mean thanks.

...

I thought it was a compliment, but what do i know?!

I liked that you stuck to the discussion about quality. I, too, appreciate a good political discussion, but they're extremely hard to come by in recent years as many (it seems like MOST) people have no interest in any opinion but their own.

As it pertains to politics these days, few people actually discuss, they only try to convince, and make no effort, whatsoever, to listen. -- Boring!

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Well to go past the audio portion, I was raised by very very conservative parents. They believe the whole Obama end of world stuff, so I see that point of view. I also though went into the arts and entertainment and have many extreme liberal friends etc etc...so I try to see and read as many things as I can of BOTH side of the coin. I have always been that way. I do agree with Jim though, this is not a documentary, Dinesh rarely shuts up and when he lets other people speak he prods them with loaded questions.

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I have worked the last 4 Elections as as sound mixer for Network News coverage and I remember the days where there was a crew working for the campaign's, where there was a full size camera and a soundie with a DAT recorder and a Schoeps on a pole. Sometimes the candidate was wired as well. Last week I was mixing pool audio for the networks at a Romney/Ryan Event and witnessed 2 twenty something kids with Canon 5D's and mini recorders mounted to the cameras, wearing credentials showing they were working for the Romney/Ryan campaign. No one seems to care about the quality of anything anymore, and honestly I would be ashamed of my campaign for that stuff. Apparently anyone with a Best Buy camera is a Director of Photography now.

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I thought it was a compliment, but what do i know?!

I liked that you stuck to the discussion about quality.

John, I was kidding in the first line of my response to you. Sorry the joke failed; thanks again. And we're agreed about the state of much political debate.

And seems like most of us agree with Tim about the production quality of Obama 2016. On the other hand, I can think of lots of verite-style docs, and at least a couple films by Hegedus & Pennebaker (in various roles) with unexpectedly low production values: Startup.com and Kings of Pastry. Looks like H&P had serious constraints placed on them, and overall I liked both films (Pastry more than Startup; who doesn't like pastry?).

But geez, considering the overall budget, why the heck don't these folks spend the trivial amount necessary to have decent audio (and taking Tim's word, picture)? I'm not just whining. Do they consciously decide few would really care or notice? Is flawed audio and sloppy camera work taken as a sign of reality and truth?

Jim "Ya, it's always been so" Feeley

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...I can think of lots of verite-style docs... with unexpectedly low production values.

But geez, considering the overall budget, why the heck don't these folks spend the trivial amount necessary to have decent audio...

Jim,

There's a great doc called "I Like Killing Flies" that has a scene in which an outstretched arm enters the frame and holds a lavalier microphone while someone else talks into it. It's hilariously low production value and yet completely forgiven because it's such an engaging character study, and good mic placement; someone made the conscious choice to capture the sound.

The trailer, and the IMDB crew list makes it seem like sound was approached unconsciously in this "doc", which IMHO belongs in whatever we should call the genre that Michael Moore created.

Best

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But geez, considering the overall budget, why the heck don't these folks spend the trivial amount necessary to have decent audio (and taking Tim's word, picture)? I'm not just whining. Do they consciously decide few would really care or notice?

I really don't think that many of the people willing to spend their money to see this thing will give much of a damn about sound quality, or video quality for that matter. It's just something that's preaching to the converted to make a few bucks in the run up to the election. They spend $250K making it and will probably take in a few $million by November 6th. Easy money.

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A dozenish years ago, I wrote a column that compared the 1997 low-budget VERY-low-production-value documentary Hands on a Hard Body (about a contest where people try to win a hard-body pickup truck) to a high-budget PBS doc. HOHB is not well shot, recorded, or edited (well, the editing's OK, IIRC). Check out the hand-held SM58 in a bunch of the trailer's shots:

But man, does it tell a great story. The PBS doc that I discussed was boring (and I said so; can't recall the particular film). So like all of us, I'm no slave to production values over story. But jeepers...well, I'm not going to say anything new.

As for the difference between documentary films and propaganda films, I'd think it's blurry enough to be almost non existent. Think of all the docs with strong point of view: Food, Inc. (industrial food is bad; beyond-organic is good), SuperSize me (McD's is bad), Don't Look Back (Dylan is cooler than Donovan), Gasland (fraking is bad), Nanook of the North (Inuit are noble), Restrepo (war is bad), almost everything funded by ITVS and/or BBC4 (lots of things are bad; a few are good).

I definitely see a difference between some documentaries and journalism. Journalism is supposed to be objective, fair, hard hitting, without totems, and all that (of course, that's an ideal often not met). Documentaries, I guess, don't have to be any of those things. So at the extremes, there's a difference between docs and propaganda. But in the big blurry border, docs espouse views we agree with or at least don't strongly hate. Propaganda films espouse views we hate.

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Speaking of Obama, I saw a piece of that Entertainment Tonight story that got a lot of publicity, and it was the absolute worst sound I've ever heard on a nationally-syndicated program. Horrendous, like a lav strapped to the top of the camera. My bet is that a wireless failed, nobody monitored it, and they opted to use it as-is in lieu of nothing. Worse than student-film sound. I wish I had kept the clip, because it literally looked like a behind-the-scenes shot that got dropped into the "real" show.

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" most of the film recorded through the sennheiser g3's WITH the ME2, "

???

OMG,

I never listen to anything recorded with them...

I also would not listen to any movie sound picked up by an SM-58, but they are really good for singers' PA sound...

after all, if you use the wrong arrows, (or cheap ones), how could it be any good.. :wacko:

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Yipe just saw my name on this one. Hoping the check was the last I would hear of it. This was a " what am I doing here" gig. Got the call the night before and had no clue what the topic or who the players were. Nasty propaganda shoot....not my cup of java.....

I have no idea what the rest of the movie is like. I did one quick interview and out. Lav only was required. Dinesh D'Souza was clean, his guest was not. Bad suit, bad tie, bad beard. I had a clip COS, mole skinned back and wire, and three furry overcoats pushing the suit out and off as much as possible. (Suggestions welcome.)

My impression was this was a one man crew for most of the filming. Unsteady camera ...that day it was a DSLR on a two foot slider moving continuously. They had made some choices.

So it was...... toxic interview, tight time line, Washington work. Told it was for a TV broadcast piece. Movie?? Never crossed my mind. Any body else cashing PAC checks?

Tim.... Dinesh had no interest in anything other than poisoning the water..... Nice guy? ????..... Ahhhh NO!

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