Documentary filmmaker Ross McElwee was one of the keynote speakers at the Nonfiction Now conference. What's a filmmaker doing at a writing conference? His style of narrative and documentation parallels what nonfiction writers do -- his tool just happens to be a camera instead of paper.
I must admit I'm quite embarrassed to say I wasn't familiar with McElwee before the conference. Now I am a huge fan. We watched one of his documentaries, "Bright Leaves," on Thursday night. Check it out if you can find it. His entire style really mimics what you might find in a good narrative.
I always knew I enjoyed documentaries, but it wasn't until Thursday night that I realized why. It goes along with my love of nonfiction. You can give me any memoir and I will eat it up. You can put any documentary in front of me and I will be completely absorbed. Because of "Bright Leaves," tobacco and North Carolina are now my favorite subjects!
Check out McElwee at http://www.rossmcelwee.com/
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Marysburg, rural Madison Lake
Cross and sky
Marysburg, rural Madison Lake
About
- Rachael Hanel
- My memoir, WE'LL BE THE LAST ONES TO LET YOU DOWN, will be available April 2013 from the University of Minnesota Press.
1 comment:
I too discovered Ross McElwee at the Nonfiction Now conference. Not only was his film and his style of narrative fabulous, but now I can talk to my mother -- who is a huge old movie buff -- about the old film he referenced so well in his documentary!
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