So I had the fortune of time to watch a documentary and a docu-series this long weekend....and I just had to shake my head at both of them.
Just for reference, I taught documentary film making for several years, I've been working in film, television and advertising for 20 years now. So when I talk about documentaries, I'm not just looking at it for entertainment value as most user reviews. So some of the things that bother me, might not bother you.
First off, knowing some of this was shot over 10 years ago with a minimal budget, the post-production processing is great. The director was moving from news tv to documentary, and he had some nice lighting set ups early on. So many props to him.
The subject matter is stellar. The whole persona and history of Teddy Hart is veryy compelling. He is absolutely a character and that's why I watched the series, because something that unique, even in a bad docu-series is entertaining.
It really all falls apart after that.
First off, the director puts himself into the documentary, which by definition makes it investigative journalism not a documentary. (If you're influencing the film or show and producing it, you simply can't say you're documenting it, you're an active part of it.) I understand this is common. I also understand it can be very entertaining for example, Michael Moore, Kevin Spurlock and recently Matt Walsh. This director, however, is not compelling, rather he's just whining and complaining. He feels sorry for himself more than he assists the story.
If you take out the director, you have a, for the most part, a very solid documentary, however, they went for more money and made a series. So when it feels like it's dragging on, and they're repeating things and giving you information that is pointless....that's because they're trying to fill time. It hurts the product.
Now the main point of the series is the missing girlfriend (Samantha Fiddler), who we don't even meet until 15 minutes into episode 2. Now, with respect, the investigative journalism is lacking. You walk away saying "There's a lot of speculation...but there actually isn't any proof." I'm not defending Hart or his associates, they're pretty crummy, but the girlfriend wasn't a saint and could easily have been mixed up with other people (which is something the director never explores. He seems committed to prove it was Teddy, rather than being open minded exploring different avenues.) So there's no resolution, you're just screaming "What is your obsession with this guy, go look for evidence."
Lastly, I have to criticize the director. This is someone who does not have the personality and leadership traits to do these types of documentaries. He's a sad, dishonest, pathetic person. (My opinion.)
Sad, because he seems more fixated on wallowing in his own self-pity than his documentary. (He literally asks people "Do you think my documentary caused all this?"...dude, get over yourself and do your job.)
Dishonest, because in spite of the fact of his wanting to feel sorry for himself, he certainly seemed eager to get shots of the girls naked and exploit them.
Pathetic, because any producer or director knows, you can't let the talent walk all over you or push things in the direction they want it to go. The director is a pushover. That's why his reality show didn't get made. Executives saw he was weak and despite the compelling subject, they knew he was getting pushed around. That's why there's no evidence of any crime in his footage, because he wasn't asking the right questions, he was just doing what Teddy told him to do. He even admits he was "under Teddy's spell"...yeah because he was so desperate and pathetic he couldn't command the situation.
If you're a wrestling fan, I imagine this is good stuff. If you love crime docu-series and can't find anything else (I would honestly suggest, the first 48 or forensic files before this, but whatever) I can see value. Otherwise, you'll be disappointed.
Also, very strange, but literally in the last 3 minutes they present this one guy and try to make you think he had something to do with the murder. I had to research him, but it was really, really dishonest. They present him like a republican, white-supremacist (maybe he is, IDK, but none of that had anything to do with his involvement.) I watched the podcast they referenced, and he's accusing Teddy Hart of the murder, and frankly doing a much better job at asking questions about the murder than the director of this series and he even lays out evidence. So I kind of feel like the director wanted to put something on him because that podcast was far more interesting this series.
Just for reference, I taught documentary film making for several years, I've been working in film, television and advertising for 20 years now. So when I talk about documentaries, I'm not just looking at it for entertainment value as most user reviews. So some of the things that bother me, might not bother you.
First off, knowing some of this was shot over 10 years ago with a minimal budget, the post-production processing is great. The director was moving from news tv to documentary, and he had some nice lighting set ups early on. So many props to him.
The subject matter is stellar. The whole persona and history of Teddy Hart is veryy compelling. He is absolutely a character and that's why I watched the series, because something that unique, even in a bad docu-series is entertaining.
It really all falls apart after that.
First off, the director puts himself into the documentary, which by definition makes it investigative journalism not a documentary. (If you're influencing the film or show and producing it, you simply can't say you're documenting it, you're an active part of it.) I understand this is common. I also understand it can be very entertaining for example, Michael Moore, Kevin Spurlock and recently Matt Walsh. This director, however, is not compelling, rather he's just whining and complaining. He feels sorry for himself more than he assists the story.
If you take out the director, you have a, for the most part, a very solid documentary, however, they went for more money and made a series. So when it feels like it's dragging on, and they're repeating things and giving you information that is pointless....that's because they're trying to fill time. It hurts the product.
Now the main point of the series is the missing girlfriend (Samantha Fiddler), who we don't even meet until 15 minutes into episode 2. Now, with respect, the investigative journalism is lacking. You walk away saying "There's a lot of speculation...but there actually isn't any proof." I'm not defending Hart or his associates, they're pretty crummy, but the girlfriend wasn't a saint and could easily have been mixed up with other people (which is something the director never explores. He seems committed to prove it was Teddy, rather than being open minded exploring different avenues.) So there's no resolution, you're just screaming "What is your obsession with this guy, go look for evidence."
Lastly, I have to criticize the director. This is someone who does not have the personality and leadership traits to do these types of documentaries. He's a sad, dishonest, pathetic person. (My opinion.)
Sad, because he seems more fixated on wallowing in his own self-pity than his documentary. (He literally asks people "Do you think my documentary caused all this?"...dude, get over yourself and do your job.)
Dishonest, because in spite of the fact of his wanting to feel sorry for himself, he certainly seemed eager to get shots of the girls naked and exploit them.
Pathetic, because any producer or director knows, you can't let the talent walk all over you or push things in the direction they want it to go. The director is a pushover. That's why his reality show didn't get made. Executives saw he was weak and despite the compelling subject, they knew he was getting pushed around. That's why there's no evidence of any crime in his footage, because he wasn't asking the right questions, he was just doing what Teddy told him to do. He even admits he was "under Teddy's spell"...yeah because he was so desperate and pathetic he couldn't command the situation.
If you're a wrestling fan, I imagine this is good stuff. If you love crime docu-series and can't find anything else (I would honestly suggest, the first 48 or forensic files before this, but whatever) I can see value. Otherwise, you'll be disappointed.
Also, very strange, but literally in the last 3 minutes they present this one guy and try to make you think he had something to do with the murder. I had to research him, but it was really, really dishonest. They present him like a republican, white-supremacist (maybe he is, IDK, but none of that had anything to do with his involvement.) I watched the podcast they referenced, and he's accusing Teddy Hart of the murder, and frankly doing a much better job at asking questions about the murder than the director of this series and he even lays out evidence. So I kind of feel like the director wanted to put something on him because that podcast was far more interesting this series.