TV Documentary roundtable: ‘Afghan Dreamers,’ ‘Murdaugh Murders,’ ‘Stolen Youth,’ ‘Wild Life’ [Exclusive Video Interview]
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The creative forces behind four of the documentary films and shows that are hoping to compete at this year’s Emmys took some time to chat with Gold Derby and discussed several topics including their favorite documentaries, surprising subjects covered by docs and the changing nature of what documentaries can be. This was part of Gold Derby’s Meet the Experts panel on TV Documentaries that included Ellen Goosenberg Kent (“Afghan Dreamers”), Michael Gasparro (“Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal”), Zach Heinzerling (“Stolen Youth: Inside the Cult at Sarah Lawrence”) and Jimmy Chin (“Wild Life”).
You can watch the TV documentary group panel above with the people behind these four programs. Click on each person’s name above to be taken to each exclusive interview.
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Gasparro sighted classic documentary films like “The Thin Blue Line” as his entry point into the genre but also cited one that was a milestone for documentary series. “I mean, ‘Making a Murderer’ was obviously the one that changed the business as far as series go.” Chin brought up the Bob Dylan doc “Don’t Look Back” and the Formula One racing film “Senna.” Of the latter, he says, “I think that was a big one for me because I was never interested in racing and it brought me into this world in a way that really showed me a whole new world and made me empathize with a character that I would normally never think that I could relate to.”
Along with “Let’s Get Lost” and “Brother’s Keeper,” Kent was very partial to Barbara Kopple’s film, “Harlan County, USA,” which made her realize that this is what she really wanted to do. “I started out as a journalist but I realized I wanted to collaborate. I wanted to have a team and I wanted to tell stories and bring people into worlds that they wouldn’t ordinarily see.” Heinzerling brought up the classic film “Grey Gardens” but also found “The Act of Killing” to be incredibly inspiring. “I didn’t know that anybody could do that. The lengths that the filmmaker went to creating something with this historical wealth of knowledge and research, but also with a really interesting premise that pushes the audience to really think about themselves was awesome.”
In looking at what have been the biggest changes for documentaries, Gasparro reflected on the changing nature of how people find and view the genre. “The consumption of docs, doc films, doc series is at a high peak and it’s becoming like scripted in a way. People love them and I think reality and docs are starting to get a little closer to each other.” Kent echoed this in saying there was more opportunity to tell these stories than there has been in the past. Heinzerling likes that docs are now able to be made about very esoteric subject matter. “I think if you’re getting to talk about these really niche subject matters, that means that the field that we’re in is thriving.” Chin brought up the new technology that’s not only less restrictive but can also open the doors for new prospective filmmakers and democratize the entire genre.
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