Living Iraq

I lived in the Middle East for two years back in the 90's so I find this interesting. It would be nice to see some of the positive sights that took place in Iraq like weddings, celebrations, prayers, etc. to give it more balance. Timely Pod. GL.

I like the story and its well put together but the B roll video is way to contrasty and dark. Oh and get rid of the keyed over interview part. Redo and you have a killer POD

Looks like an incredible documentary. So beautifully shot and such an important subject. Good idea to interview this filmmaker. GL

I like James. He made a beautiful film, and was quite brave under the circumstances. It's nice to hear from him. He made "Iraq in Fragments" at the same time we made our doc, "Nice Bombs," about our family in Baghdad. Having seen the movie I know first hand the kinds of risks he took to capture his vision, and he's an admirable subject for a pod.

I had the pleasure of seeing "Iraq in Fragments" in Chicago Film Festival where it won the Gold Hugo for best Documentary. I highly recommend the film. Only Americans like James Longley can win the hearts and minds of people in Iraq, not the war-mongering oil-thirsty Bush and his puppets.

Another job well done… This was very informative and production issues aside, I loved it. I’m going to try to see the documentary.

Great interview. GL from me for sure.

Interesting profile piece. I like the background vector masking.

"In the United States, we have.....been presented with the simple version...."


IMHO, this should be your opening line. I agree with Charlie G about the keyed over interview visual - it's really distracting....I want to see IRAQ!!

Also, I'm confused - did YOU shoot this pod, or are you using someone else's footage? Is this really a trailer for another film masquerading as a pod?

The subject of this film is very, very important, relevant and timely. I'd like to see a better produced pod, personally. I also thought your music choice was a little......off, but now i'm just nitpicking.

Again, your very last shot should be your first, IMHO. That's really the meat of the message, so to speak.

I look forward to your future pods. :)

really well done pod - the footage from the film in Iraq is really amazing. but i found the music distracting, not the intro music, but the fact that it continues througout the whole piece - i think the piece is strong enough on it's own not to have it. it forces a mood that would be there anyway with most people. but this is just my opinion, i don't like to use music much, i always think less is more. but nevertheless well done, GL.

Hi, Jeremiah: The Iraq footage is, of course, from James Longley's film. The footage featuring Longley himself is from an interview I conducted with him a couple of weeks ago. Much as I want people to see Iraq in Fragments -- it's stunning both in its visuals and its content -- what I wanted to convey in this pod is the experience of a man who spent two years living with and getting to know the Iraqi people, and who has a perspective on the country's sectarian politics and the dangers of partitioning that aren't being conveyed in the "simple version" we're generally being given here.

Thanks to everyone who has GL'd so far. Longley's achievment in venturing out into a country where most journalists prefer, for their own safety, not to stray too far from home base is, in my opinion, an act of genuine courage, and I hope some of that comes across in this pod.

Amazing work Dan!!

I'm truly sorry that I have been away from Current and I missed the chance to vote on this pod!

Did you process that interview footage so that the background was black and white or is that just a really grey location? It was a good choice either way. He really stands out as the most saturated part of the shot.

WOW! Picked for air two weeks in a row -- I'm flabbergasted... but in a good way, of course.

Congrats to the other producers who joined me in this great, Thanksgiving surprise -- Living Iraq is in the company of some damn good pods (most of which I greenlighted). And thanks to everyone who provided the GL's that got me to this position -- I really appreciate it.

Oh yeah... Thanks, too, to the Current staff for making this my all-time favorite Thanksgiving. You folk are terrific!

Happy holidays to all,

Dan

Any coverage of this war takes guts. Thanks for the courage on everyone's behalf. So many stories from this tragic waste of life - good work on overcoming the difficulties and getting this important work out. Too late for a green light - but I give one anyhow!

Beautifully shot. A great story would be told even if there were no words. Thanks Dan for taking us on the inside. Thanks also for giving Crazed: The Belly Dance your GL. Looking forward to seeing you on TV.

This is an inspiring video. Gets my GL. Congratulations! Also thank you for your feedback and comments on my Death Trumpet Pasta. I appreciate it and am excited that we are getting better. More to come. -James

honest, informative, and the imagery is beautiful
thankyou

luv it

What a moving story ... glad Current is putting it on the air.
Thanks for your comment on my shark diving video ... they really are friendly!

This guy james Longley is an insipration to all filmmakers with a dream and no budget. He shot the whole thing hand-held with two DVX100's. The reason his doc is so good, is because of his desire to tell the story. It was good to see an interview with him.

Wow, you done good! This was amazing. -zen

This is a much-needed glimps into the reality that seems never to make the mainstream TV. Congratulations on your great work!

People need to hear about reality!
Great work and congratulations!

congrats on your videos.

Love all your work Dan, and your thoughtful comments on my pods and others, you are a valued member of this wondeful community and I thank you. Getreel

America's real war aims are another matter entirely, and they are coming into focus as the situation on the ground develops. After all, why assume that what is currently happening in Iraq isn't part of the program? Surely the Americans knew the dismemberment of the Iraqi state would have to mean Shi'ite hegemony, an empowered Iran, and the prospect of a regionalized conflagration. It defies belief that they didn't: our rulers may be evil, but they sure as heck aren't stupid,We have every reason to believe that the death and decomposition of the Iraqi state is precisely what they had in mind when they decided to invade in the first place. Furthermore, a civil war had to be the outcome of a sudden vacuum of legitimacy, and it was bound to be a religious conflict, pitting Sunnis against Shi'ites. Looked at in a larger context, it makes perfect sense that the War Party is now playing the "Shi'ite card," as the visit of Abdul Aziz al-Hakim to Washington indicates. Hakim, leader of the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI), met with the president, chatted with Condi, and took a tour of the Pentagon. If we're looking for the true origins of the "surge" strategy in Iraq – the prospect of adding some 30,000 troops to "stabilize" Baghdad and rebel provinces – we need look no further than Hakim's Dec. 4 speech [.pdf] to the U.S. Institute of Peace:
The War Party is desperate to provoke the Iranians into a military conflict, and they are pulling out all the stops to do so. With economic sanctions against Iran already in place, and likely to be ratcheted up – along with the anti-Iranian propaganda campaign – the likelihood of war with the mullahs of Tehran is an eventuality that seems almost fated to occur, whether or not the American people support it. Less than half now believe a war with Iran in the next year is likely: however, I predict that number is bound to increase as 2007 drags on. The chances of war rise as we examine the positions of various prominent candidates for president on the Iran question, with even alleged peacenik Barack Obama openly musing that American military action is an "option."
George W. Bush has been savagely criticized and mercilessly mocked for declaring "mission accomplished" at the very moment when the anti-American insurgency was birthed, but in retrospect this makes perfect sense – if one realizes that our mission was the utter destruction of Iraq. As a dress rehearsal for the larger event – the coming Sunni-Shi'ite civil war that will go down in history as comparable to Europe's Thirty Years' War pitting Catholics against Protestants – Iraq is truly a "model" for the rest of the region, albeit not in a way anybody but the perpetrators of this criminal policy expected.

Dan,
I am a new member to the current tv community and feel like I could use all the help I can get to understand how to make better pods. It appears that not only do you know what you are doing when making a pod, but you also give great feedback to the community which I need very much!
I would really appreciate any kind of helpful feedback you might have on my most current piece called, "Shoe Shine Man".
Jaime
link

Hey Dan, you're local to me in NYC aren't you? Can you swing by the North Jersey message board at current or drop me an email at zenbeer29(at)verizon(dot)net I wanted to ask you a question about a shoot I'm trying to pull off in the city in a very public place, you might know the legal answers to my query. -zen

Hey Dan,
You posted a comment on my video on Proposition 63 yesterday telling me you wouldn't green light it because I didn't have enough substance. Well I have been bombarded from angry emails from the "big boys" and encouraged by the counties in California that tell me to keep digging there is a really big story here. You should at least green light me for the tremendous pressure that I am now under because I am shedding light on something that no one else had the courage or the knowledge to confront. What do you think? Will you send people my way to green light my pod?

Hi, Tracie,

I re-watched your pod, and feel my original critique stands. But that doesn't mean others might not feel differently, so people should check it out here.

Have a look and vote on my documentary.



Scented Testimony

This is really gripping ... alot of great insight, solid footage, good score, and it offers something we never get on the "mainstream" news networks.

Bravo! It definitely deserves to appear on Current TV.

MrJS

absolutely incredible. thank you!!!

Note to m y SALC video.

Okay, to all the cynics out there, the message of moral courage is lost on many people. Do the right thing, make the right choice. The reason much of this was edited out of the video was because current.tv will not allow "Public Service Announcement" material. In fact, this video was REJECTED because they said it sounded like a PSA, which they don't allow to be posted. The Fahrenkamp organization is a grass roots effort to help kids make smart choices, like not being bully's in school...reaching out to a friend and being honest to them when they are not being smart...not to suffer under peer pressure....stay true to your parents and love them and seek to understand them, not just rebel against them.

The reality is that we don't know the main reason why Colin died. He might have been reaching for his cell phone while trying to drive, he may have been imparied, he may have not completely buckled his seat belt. But for any of these reasons or dozens of others, Colin Fahrenkamp was a young man who helped save lives and his parents didn't learn about it until AFTER his death. Wouldn't that have been nice to know while he was alive.

This is in the early stages of development, but the bottom line is that ALL people could make better choices. The comment about not allowing condoms in high school is a rather poor analysis.

I appreciate everyone viewing this video, if nothing else to see how IRONIC it was that this young boy downloaded a song called "How to Save a Life," as one of the last things he did before he died.

If you view the video and do not like it, I understand. Everyone has an opinion. But must only NEGATIVE comments be posted. If you like the video, or feel the emotion that was emitted, I'd love to hear from you too.

My response to the comment below is posted in the comments section for SALC

Woderful work & coverage. Nice soundtrack . Good to see this type of coverage. GL

Great piece, Dan. Thanks for your GL.

Dan, I re-edited my Pipes of Peace pod... let me know what you think.
Nice work!

Aww come on, now how am I suppose to compete with this. This probity won festivals already.

Hi Dan: I look forward to seeing the whole film.

Thanks for the GL on Sister B!

We wanted to establish her character and suggest the possibility of a series on Cable. Sister B could do interviews with guests in the area of art, popular culture, politics, current affairs - ala Da Ali G show (our guests would be in on the joke) or Colbert ....Brian is an alumni of Second City with Catherine O'Hara, John Candy & Martin Short.

Hopefully, people can see the potential.

Hi again Dan,

We appreciated your feedback on our last pod.

Please check out our latest, "Pacino Teaches Beckham to Act" and GL us if it gives you a tickle!

Cheers,
The Dingo Report!

thank you for your feedback but you must bear in mind the act of you scanning digitally through my work directly involved you in interacting with my work and therefore the screen, which is a fundamental purpose of this work. for me its not so much about trumping, rather an understanding/appreciation of the way each technology affects the viewer/user.
cheers