Documentary Field Notes and Flashpoints

Model by Frederick Wiseman

A month ago I talked about several lists of ‘best documentaries’ on this blog, and seem to have started quite a discussion. Good, because these lists - all of course subjective - need to be discussed. And as always when you do something you learn someting, One of the many resources brought to my attention over the last few weeks is Lois Siegel’s terrific web site, which includes a list of documentaires. Lois has no particular pretensions with her list, but it’s one good source for people looking for good docs. I spoke to Lois about it:

How did you come to start your list ?

The Documentary Film List is part of my website Film Fanatics:
The site has all kinds of information on it: acting, animation, documentary films, feature films, filmmakers, funding, history, screenwriting, schools..anything that I think might be of interest to someone and it serves
as a good reference for me. and my video students at the University of Ottawa also have access to it and young filmmakers I mentor.

What are your criteria for including a film?

When I see films that I like, I often add them to the list.
I haven’t had time to add every film I like to the list. I add a bit at a time. I have a list of almost 200 films that I used to show in my classes at John Abbott College, and now at the University of Ottawa.
I still have to add films that appear on my Documentary Filmmakers site:
This is a work in progress. I need more hours in a day. I’m working as a freelance photographer, a musician and I teach, so my time is limited.
Sometimes the films I like reflect my personal interests… e.g. Model by Frederick Wiseman. I really like this film… I’m a photographer, so this film interests me, and I’m a filmmaker, and there’s a section on filming a
commercial in Wiseman’s production. I also like his film The Store because I grew up in department stores. My father owned them. Other people wouldn’t see this film the same way I see it because of my background.

We bring to films who we are, how we see the world, and what we understand about it. No two people have the same background. I like films about chess players because I played chess as a child. If you didn’t, then these films might bore you.

I have over 1000 pages on my main website now.
I have many interests. and I work on the pages a bit every day.

Lois Siegel

Do you try to find all films that correspond to your criteria, or you just
go with films you happen to see ?

I include films I see, but I’m always looking for interesting films. I view films all the time. And I went to the Montreal World Film Festival for years.
As a filmmaker, I wanted to see as many films as possible. When I worked at The National Film Board, I used to take 16mm films home to screen all the time, then it was VHS tapes. Now I borrow films from the Ottawa Public Library and the University of Ottawa library (VHS, DVD).
Teaching allows me to see films I might not otherwise have access to. I can request films for purchase or for viewing. I also see films at the Bytowne Cinema - press screenings, because I write reviews for my website
and for The Glebe Report (Ottawa).

Your site attracts a lot of traffic, do you know who visits?

My complex of web pages attracts 55,000 hits a day. (not just the documentary page).

People from all over the world visit my site.
Last October there were 1.5 million hits.