Released on Web, a Film Stays Fresh
source: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/23/movies/23gree.html?_r=1
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- St_Alia_10191
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"The activist filmmaker Robert Greenwald has tried for years to speed up the production process for his documentaries. Now, he says, he is creating one he can release almost immediately, in stages.
Mr. Greenwald is showing “Rethink Afghanistan,” a skeptical view of America’s war strategies, in five parts on the Internet, with the implied hope that it will contribute to the foreign policy debate. With the first two parts of the film already online, he arrived in Afghanistan on Sunday to conduct more interviews for what he calls his first “real-time documentary.”
Mr. Greenwald is well known in some progressive circles for his films about war profiteers, Wal-Mart’s corporate practices, and the Fox News Channel. His company, Brave New Films, uses documentary expertise to mount political campaigns, including a YouTube series last year about John McCain and what the company called “the politics of hate.”
“Rethink Afghanistan” is being shaped both as a film and a campaign at the same time. Mr. Greenwald is already posting installments on the film’s Web site, RethinkAfghanistan.com, and also on YouTube. It will eventually be stitched together into a full-length feature. As he has done in the past, Mr. Greenwald will take his finished film to the public using a mixture of DVD sales and house parties. He said he also expected to receive some theatrical distribution.
The first part of the film, a 12-minute section titled “More Troops + Afghanistan = Catastrophe,” reflects the filmmaker’s opposition to a troop escalation. The second part examines the role that Pakistan plays in the region. Editing of the second part continued until moments before it was uploaded to YouTube on Thursday.
Later parts will address the other issues, including casualties and terrorism. Mr. Greenwald said the chapters of the film would seek to raise a series of questions about the war in Afghanistan: “How many troops? How long? How much is this going to cost? What is the end mission?” In Afghanistan he plans to interview Afghan politicians, former Taliban officials and members of the country’s peace movement."
Mr. Greenwald is showing “Rethink Afghanistan,” a skeptical view of America’s war strategies, in five parts on the Internet, with the implied hope that it will contribute to the foreign policy debate. With the first two parts of the film already online, he arrived in Afghanistan on Sunday to conduct more interviews for what he calls his first “real-time documentary.”
Mr. Greenwald is well known in some progressive circles for his films about war profiteers, Wal-Mart’s corporate practices, and the Fox News Channel. His company, Brave New Films, uses documentary expertise to mount political campaigns, including a YouTube series last year about John McCain and what the company called “the politics of hate.”
“Rethink Afghanistan” is being shaped both as a film and a campaign at the same time. Mr. Greenwald is already posting installments on the film’s Web site, RethinkAfghanistan.com, and also on YouTube. It will eventually be stitched together into a full-length feature. As he has done in the past, Mr. Greenwald will take his finished film to the public using a mixture of DVD sales and house parties. He said he also expected to receive some theatrical distribution.
The first part of the film, a 12-minute section titled “More Troops + Afghanistan = Catastrophe,” reflects the filmmaker’s opposition to a troop escalation. The second part examines the role that Pakistan plays in the region. Editing of the second part continued until moments before it was uploaded to YouTube on Thursday.
Later parts will address the other issues, including casualties and terrorism. Mr. Greenwald said the chapters of the film would seek to raise a series of questions about the war in Afghanistan: “How many troops? How long? How much is this going to cost? What is the end mission?” In Afghanistan he plans to interview Afghan politicians, former Taliban officials and members of the country’s peace movement."
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- tags:
- Politics, Culture, Tech, Viral Videos, 13 more
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vistapoint
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interesting approach, and that it works apparently
- 3 years ago
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vistapoint
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darcyod
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this could really boost exposure for more docs...
- 3 years ago
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darcyod
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artemis6
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The future of global information exchange .
- 3 years ago
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artemis6
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bigred5
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The future of film.
- 3 years ago
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bigred5
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pjacobs51
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Great idea, he'll get much more exposer this way.
- 3 years ago
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pjacobs51
