Documentaries: Lift & Catfish

Lift by Marc Isaacs

Write a synopsis for the film

A filmmaker spends his days in a lift watching and eventually getting to know people in an apartment building and their interactions with each other and himself.

Write a review for the film

Lift is an interesting documentary that shows the social interaction of people who all live together yet many don't talk to each other. The tension and awkwardness is very clear at the start but as we see more recurring characters/ people and we, the audience, find out more about them the tension changes giving us comical elements as well as intrigue and sympathy.

What style of documentary is it?

The documentary is observational, especially at the start, as the filmmaker takes a 'fly on the wall' approach not speaking to people only watching and there is no voiceover however later on we hear the filmmaker ask questions which then suggests the doc is interactive. The characters have their say in the lift however unlike pure observational documentaries this film has been edited to show relevant pieces pertaining to the recurring characters. I would also consider the film to be reflective as it is about the filmmaker too and you feel like your in the lift with him. 

Thinking about the proximity and awkwardness of the filmmaker and location to the filmmaker do you think that this helps the narrative form naturally or do you think it forces a story?

I think the confinement of being in such a close proximity to the filmmaker is what makes people start talking, even if it does just start off as pleasantries which aren't shown in the film but develops into something that helps form the narrative as trust or familiarity builds between the character and the filmmaker. The awkwardness was caused by the people not knowing what to do with the filmmaker and camera watching them, as the film develops and people one up and talk and answer his questions the awkwardness is less.

If it had involved the specific level of planning that you usually associate with the factual genre and used footage of the people outside of the lift do you think it would have been as good? Or better?

I think the film works well because it was not planned down to the very last detail which allowed for the actions and words of the characters to be very natural and the genuineness of the interactions with the filmmaker. If more planning had been done it wouldn't be as realistic or raw, it would have felt more directed and set-up in terms of that it wasn't spontaneous. In addition, I do not think it would have been any better if lives outside of the lift had been shown, I feel like the confinement created in the lift was the best way to show and represent that person in the least amount of time - for example, you had the drunk who was looking for a girlfriend, the friendly old lady just wanting to talk to someone and the kind gentleman offering the filmmaker food; it wasn't needed to see them in their flats to work out the type of people they are, I also think it was a more intimate way of learning who they are because, there wasn't much time to see their actions and they weren't worried about putting up a facade as some people do in their houses or try to be someone they're not, they had no reason to they were only in a lift going down to ground floor or up to their flats.

Catfish (2010 film) by Henry Joost & Ariel Schulman 

Write a synopsis for the film
Filmmakers start documenting their colleague's, Nev's, unique online friendship with an artist and her family, despite being very close they had never met in life. When they finally meet Nev and the filmmakers discover that things are not as they originally seemed. 

Write a review for the film
Catfish is a great documentary that sums up and reflects upon life now and the connections people make; highlighting the dangers of online interactions as well as the positives - making friends and sharing important and personal things, in this case artwork. The documentary works really well as the audience are not expecting the twist that occurs but interest is kept when it is suggested the story is not what you originally think. The film has a large build up to the climax of finding out that Nev was lied to and everything he believed was fake; however the climax, although surprising, lacked drama and seemed weak or small compared to the buildup that as created. But this shows that the documentary was real, as if it was fake, like some audience members think it is, then wouldn't they have wrote a more dramatic climax? You'd think so. 

What style of documentary is it?
There is no voiceover explaining what is happening on screen and there is no explicit facts being given to the audience therefore it is not expository; although it may seem observational at times, by it focusing on what Nev was doing, the filmmakers do ask questions to Nev and edited the doc to show the important and interesting parts therefore meaning it's an interactive documentary. Also, it is a reflective documentary because the filmmakers go a long with Nev on his journey and are involved in the doc. 

Looking at the opening quote of the movie, what significance does this have to the way that the movie concluded?
The quote was very significant because by the end of the documentary all of that actually happened, it just wasn't planned to happen. The film concluded with Nev sitting down and talking to the woman who catfished him, during the documentary they gathered materials and emails and Facebook conversations to show, at first, the friendship and relationship that started but then to show he was being lied to. If they had started the documentary after finding out about the catfish it would be a completely different doc, it would be more expository and interactive than reflecxive; it wouldn't have the emotional involvement or the drama that was created as the filmmakers would know the ending rather than find it out as they were filming. It would have also had a different audience response affecting the popularity of the film.

If it had involved the specific level of planning that you usually associate with the factual genre do you think it would have been as good? Or better?
I think the way the documentary played out, if real and not scripted, was something that couldn't have been predicted or planned out. The twist could have been a thought the filmmakers had early on without telling Nev and decided to make a doc to see what would happen but as the doc shows they are very surprised when they find out the untrue things and how Nev was catfished. The planning they did do when they decided to meet the family and when things started to get suspicious was a necessary level without it being too much. I think if any more planing had been done it would have felt more scripted and manipulated rather than the raw and real documentary that it is.