UT professor Andy Garrison's class East Austin Stories screening had the essence of the charms of short docs. It was consisted of 13 short docs which is no longer than 8 minutes. It was impressive that although the docs were short, they were full of characters. With many strong characters presenting themselves in a relatively short time, the docs had a very distinctive rhythm in them, which was fast and lighthearted.
These docs by UT students were mostly about the people in East Austin, and the filmmakers make this part of the city a place full of history, drama, and variety. As well as the charms of the short docs, the screening process, which simply showed the audience the 13 docs in a row, was very impressive. The screening, which was a combination of 13 short docs can be viewed as an hour-long omnibus documentary about east Austin. The undefined culture of east Austin is shown in the screening, as a various mix of multiple cultures. There are docs about the Petanque and French culture in east Austin, the Filipino restaurant with its special hidden recipe, the Hispanic girl’s dramatic moment of receiving the art award in front of her grandma, the Mexican festival shop which sells the piñatas, the Chinese-Mexican family's 5 generations in Austin, and such.
Those were all very vivid in the story and forms of interviews. The interview-based features were common. However, many of them are aimed toward creating the mood of each piece rather than the informational function of interviews. Interview, with a good music background, provides the characters with warmth and lightheartedness. It all happens very rapidly since the beginning of each piece, when we see the stylistic opening sequence. The filmmakers do a great job making the pieces consistent from the opening to the ending. Thus, those short docs make us feel the east of Austin rather than necessarily learn some information such as locations. It’s a short glimpse into those people’s lives, and it makes the screening full of life.
No comments:
Post a Comment