I've got a killer idea for a documentary! Let's film it!

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/0..._n_114325.html

I just watched
Religulous.
It’s actually great.
It got me thinking that we could make a similar film right here in the States.
I don't personally have the time to take this on, but I really hope someone finds the drive to produce an American version.
The concept would be simple.
We’d go door-to-door—visiting Catholic, Baptist, Lutheran, and Pentecostal churches, then hitting up Jehovah's Witnesses, Mormons, and Orthodox congregations...
just asking them various questions about their faith.
The movie would work so well as a satire or a comedy...
mostly because I have so many questions for these people.
One question is better than the next.
Now I just need to find someone willing to film it.
Are there any students in here who might be interested?
Also, I highly recommend watching Bill Maher's Religulous.
Best,

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WmUvhKr9SPk

Check this out too.

Great. Now I’m pretty much certain I’m skipping this movie.

I caught that documentary and honestly, it wasn't half bad. It felt like Bill Maher had a hell of a time filming it because he’s just so unapologetically sarcastic and blunt when he starts digging into the core of religion and stuff like Jesus. It's such a touchy subject, and I can't imagine anyone in America having the guts to go out there and publicly speak like that or try to put together a similar doc....

bluerider63 said:I watched that documentary and honestly, it’s actually pretty good. It felt like Bill Maher had a rough time filming it—he’s just so blunt and sarcastic when he starts poking at the core of religion and stuff like Jesus. It's such a touchy subject... I really don't think anyone over here would have the guts to go out and film something like that publicly without causing a massive uproar....

You really think so? Documentaries are full of... well, freaks, if you want to call them that. I mean, look at the local characters we have dealing with this global phenomenon, or those types who act like they can just pay off some high-priced lawyer or a miracle worker like Simonica or Anthony to fix their lives through prayer... just try asking one of them about their faith. You wouldn't just have enough footage for one movie; you'd have enough material for three sequels... Religulous was pretty hilarious to me, but if you tried that approach here, it would just come off as pathetic.

briskhound2 said:You think so? A documentary about fanatics... well, let's put it that way. I mean, just look at the stuff we have here regarding this global phenomenon, those Malnar's nightmares, and all those characters who basically pay their way through life hoping Simonica and Anthony will solve their problems—just ask them about faith. You wouldn't just have enough footage for one film; you'd probably have material for two or three sequels.Religulous was pretty funny to me, but over here, it would just come off as pathetic.

I haven't seen the movie, but I get the point. I don't think a documentary like that necessarily has to be boring or weak here in America, and it doesn't even need to be trashy. I guess, if you want to be taken seriously—both in tone and quality—you really ought to find "ordinary" people. People who, because of their narrow-minded views and one-dimensional perspectives, set a "bad" example for their kids, their friends, and everyone else. Why does it always have to be caricatures like the ones from Malnar's "nightmare"?
There are plenty of "normal," actually quite successful people who lean toward the kind of fanaticism and intolerance that comes from that sort of upbringing. Just look at the movie "all be white in Barking"—those people are mostly racists, yet nobody really examines the actual mindset behind someone like Rojsov's, Vucin's, or Jaran's.
Btw, Alex Walker5—kudos on the idea. Don't give up. 👍If I had the experience and the money, I would definitely help 😁

Kenneth Williams60 said:I haven't actually sat down to watch the movie, but I get what you're getting at. In my opinion, a documentary like this doesn't necessarily need to be boring or lackluster, nor does it have to lean into being trashy. It’s really just about finding the right subjects. If the goal is to maintain a sense of seriousness—both in terms of the message and the production quality—you should look for "average" people. Specifically, those who pass on narrow-minded views and one-dimensional perspectives to their kids, friends, and community, essentially setting a "wrong" example. Why bother turning them into caricatures out of some Malnar's nightmare?
There are plenty of "normal," even successful individuals out there who lean toward the kind of fanaticism and intolerance that stems from that specific type of upbringing. Just look at the movie "all be white in Barking"—most of those characters are driven by racism, yet the film doesn't bother examining the psychological makeup of someone like Rojsov's, Vucin's, or Jaran's mindset.
By the way, Alex Walker5—kudos on the idea. Don't let anyone discourage you. 👍 If I had the experience and the capital, I'd definitely help out 😁

But what would the actual point of a film like that be? Or even better, what's the point of that Maher's film? To me, that YouTube link looks pretty fanatical too.

Alex Walker5 said:Honestly, I’d highly recommend checking out that Bill Maher Religulous documentary if you haven't already. It's worth your time. Bill Maher Religulous.
Hey there. How's it going?

What would even be the point of that movie? And honestly, what would the point of *your* movie be? If the whole goal is just to show us that religious fanatics are, in fact, fanatics... well, hello, Mr. Obvious. But if that’s not the angle, then what exactly are we looking at here? What's the actual point? 🤷

ruggedjackal46 said:What would even be the point of that movie, and more importantly, what’s the actual point of yours? If the goal is just to demonstrate that religious fanatics are, in fact, fanatics, then... hello, Obvious. But if that isn't the goal, then what is? 🤷

Did you just ask me the exact same thing I asked you, or does your post actually have some connection to my question above?

James Garcia58 said:Did you just ask me the exact same thing I did, or does your post actually have something to do with what I wrote above?

Oops, turns out I asked the same thing. 😁 Sorry about that—I didn't even catch your comment; my reaction just auto-fired based on the original post. 😬>

I think the whole point of the film should be to find those "ordinary," "normal" people—the ones who hold religious or educational authority here in America, and who set a poor example for their kids and friends because of their narrow-mindedness and one-dimensional views on life.
The goal is to show that people still believe in all sorts of things.

Go watch the movie Religulous online.
You can find it with American subtitles too.
I really want you guys to see what kind of film I’d love to make myself.

I’d love to show that people still believe in all sorts of things.
And they’re even teaching others to believe in them too.
My main focus would be on the Catholic faith and its dominance, cults, and other similar organizations.

Does anyone here have experience with filming?

Look, man... first off, most of the people actually participating in this debate have already seen the documentary... so congrats on discovering warm water. It’s truly groundbreaking. Second, I don't think you’re even remotely ready for the kind of work you claim you want to do. You express an "opinion" just by quoting other people to validate their words... that’s what kids in middle school do. And while you went on about wanting to film something like this and gave us your glowing recommendation for the doc, you didn't say ABSOLUTELY ANYTHING else. Nothing about yourself, nothing about your actual project. That’s not how this works, and frankly, it's proof that—no offense intended—you're just being amateurish and impulsive.
Personally, I'm down to work on a project like this. But I'm talking about a project involving serious people—people who might not have decades of experience, because hell, I don't either, but they have the drive to make up for it.

Alex Walker5 said:he’d love for us to prove that people still believe in absolute nonsense.
and they even go as far as teaching others how to swallow those lies.

Look, this right here is proof you're stuck at age fifteen. If you aren't, then this is just the intellectual level you've decided to operate on.

Look, I’ll say this: I applaud anyone brave enough to try making something like this, whether people call it "small-time" or not. At least there's an intention to communicate, and I guess that's really the whole point of art. So, please, enlighten me, you forum experts—why else do we even make documentaries? Is it only for when we discover a new planet or finally make contact with aliens?? Come on, 🙄 even Michael Moore—who isn't exactly "trendy" right now, though this whole genre basically saw a revival because of him—constantly tackles obvious stuff, like Bush's stupidity and questionable decisions, terrible healthcare policies, the arms trade, blah blah blah. And honestly, good for him; you can never overdo that kind of thing. It would be better if we all just became these lethargic, bitter forum dwellers who sit around waiting to dismiss everything as "seen it before," "unoriginal," or "impossible."
As for calling the person who started this thread "unprofessional"—that's just hilarious to me. I mean, the entire American film industry is practically built on semi-professionalism.
If someone wants to make a movie that doesn't revolve around the American Civil War or the traumas stemming from it, I am fully behind them. It shouldn't matter if they're working with a single camera and a few thousand bucks or if they have the entire budget of PBS at their disposal.

Alex Walker5 said:The whole point of the movie would be to find those "ordinary," "normal" folks—the people who hold religious or educational authority here in America, setting a "bad" example for their kids, friends, and everyone else just because they have narrow-minded, one-dimensional views on life.
To show that people still believe in all sorts of nonsense.

If you decide to filter out every single one-dimensional perspective just because they’re "wrong," you're basically just left with your own one-dimensional perspective.

James Garcia58 said:Well, if you go around tossing out every single-dimensional viewpoint just because they’re "wrong," I guess you're still just left standing there with your own single-dimensional view.

This is starting to feel like a bit of a deep philosophical debate, I suppose, but fine. 😁 I don't really get it—why would anyone even try to shut down a one-dimensional perspective, or why would they even have the capacity to do something like that? And besides that, if you perform this fatal "shutting down"—this uprooting, or whatever you want to call it—of one-dimensional stances, why on earth would one-dimensional stances be the only thing left? 🤷 If you break up the kind of "religious monopoly" the Catholic Church holds here in America, it doesn't mean you've automatically imposed a new monopoly on everyone; actually, it's quite the opposite.
And honestly, that rule applies to most things... obviously, I'm not suggesting any specific action here, I'm just talking about how things work in theory, I guess. 😛

Kenneth Williams60 said:We’ve drifted into some light philosophical territory here, but fine. 😁 I don’t really follow—why would anyone want to shut down a one-dimensional perspective, or even have the capacity to do such a thing? Beyond that, if you supposedly "uproot" those shallow viewpoints, wouldn't you just be left with more of the same? 🤷 If you break up the religious monopoly held by the Catholic Church here in America, it doesn't mean you're automatically forcing a new monopoly on people; quite the opposite.
And honestly, that rule applies to most things... mind you, I'm not suggesting any specific course of action, just speaking theoretically. 😛

Fair enough, but do you realize that the movie misses the point entirely? The people I’d actually want to interview certainly aren't going to budge on their religious views no matter how hard you try to shake them (the exceptions would just prove the rule). Meanwhile, the people who would actually enjoy the film—the ones who already agree with its premise—would only end up doubling down on their own beliefs, which just leads back to a mild form of fanaticism.

James Garcia58 said:Look, I just don't think you get it. That movie doesn't really have a point. I mean, if I were out there actually interviewing people, those folks wouldn't budge on their religious views no matter how hard you tried to shake them—well, maybe an exception would prove the rule, I guess. And the people who *would* actually like the film? They already agree with the message, so they’d just dig their heels in even more. It all just leads back to some mild form of fanaticism.

But wait, who ever said that I—meaning, Alex Walker5—was even trying to shake anyone's convictions?
And honestly, why would any of the people being interviewed feel the need to change their minds at all??
In my view, that movie definitely has a clear purpose. I mean, not everyone has to undergo a total worldview shift for a piece of art to be meaningful... also, I think you might be taking the word "fanaticism" a bit too heavily. But hey, that's just my take. 😉