Hey guys. So here’s a quick update on some of my personal projects. I’ve began researching a topic that i’ve sort of become obsessed with as of late. (as some readers of this blog may be aware of) Although i’m not really convinced that the majority of the 9/11 conspiracy theories hold any water, I do find the whole thing very interesting. There are people out there that have dedicated their lives to uncovering the ‘truth’ behind the September 11th terrorist attacks. Organizations such as www.911truth.org are convinced that there’s something the government isn’t telling us. While some of their claims are a bit of a stretch, they do raise some interesting questions. But i’ll tell you right now, i’m not interested in an investigative report in regards to what ‘really’ happened on 9/11. I’m simply interested in the people doing the reporting. What does it feel like to truly believe that your own government had a hand in one of the most horrible terrorist attacks in history? Just the idea of sitting down with some of these folks and picking their brains would be great. Something along the lines of the early films of Errol Morris. Think Gates of Heaven or Vernon, Florida. No investigations, no attempts at finding the truth, no news footage of the towers…simply listening to interesting people discuss unpopular theories passionately.
I do have my eye on a few possible interview subjects at the time being. Hopefully down the road i’ll be able to figure out what exactly I want to do with this and be able to start making some contacts. And then of course there’s the money. We’ll see how this one goes.
It sounds like a great idea, but I think there’s a chance you will be disappointed. There’s a big risk that most of the people involved with this are more interested in the idea of uncovering a conspiracy, than the conspiracy itself.
But I guess you can sort the sensationalists out… You’d only need 3 or 4 topics, and they shouldn’t be hard to find. Good luck?
Great idea, you got my attention for that doc.
I think you would have to discuss the validity of their claims. This is what would help the viewers decide how we feel about the characters. If we feel they’re crazy or not. Certainly they’ve been called crazy. It would be important to discuss why. Which would be investigative.
When Errol Morris originally cut ‘Mr. Death’ he only used interviews from Fred Leucher. After people watched the film they actually thought the Holocaust WAS a hoax. So he went back and conducted more interviews.
btw, See ‘Protocols of Zion’.
Good luck. Sounds interesting. If you’re in DC and need camera work, let me know. john@videokitchen.tv
I do think I would interview at least one or two people who totally disagree with the theories expressed by those people trying to uncover the truth. As for the validity of the claims made by the conspiracy theorists; although i don’t want this to be a make or break sort of interview, I do want to talk to people who have done their own research and truly believe there’s something we don’t know. I’m more concerned about the audience believing that they truly believe this and are passionate about it. Whether or not they believe the actual theories…that’s a whole other ball game that I think would require an investigation that’s already been conducted by such folks as Popular Mechanics Magazine. This isn’t about debunking, it’s simply showing some examples of how 9/11 affected some people in completely different ways I suppose.
I guess in theory, I just don’t want techniques in the film to convince or put off people in regards to these theories…I want it to be the people IN the film that do that.
I’m still thinking about this. These are very early stages and i’m sure things will take shape over time. And if anyone has any fundraising ideas or contacts with people who may be interested in an interview, let me know. And again, all comments/suggestions/criticisms are welcome.
Best fundraising ever:
Move in with your parents for a year?
I don’t know really…How much do you figure a project like this would cost? Would you have to buy a new camera + sound equipment? What about the editing?
To save money, I’d recommend trying to get a deal done with a school somewhere. They may not be able to spare any equipment, but teachers are usually happy to let aspiring filmmakers use their editing equipment, when there’s nobody else using it.
for a short while i think i was one of these conspiracy theorists at some level…
but the more i learned, the more i realized it was all completely full of shit. theres an article, i think it was from Popular Science, that debunked pretty much all the big claims so well that i pretty much never looked back at these claims afterwards.
9/11 was caused by pissed off Muslims. someone could speculate the government deliberately exploited it in a secret “yesss” way, or perhaps that they let it happen not realizing how it would have actually knocked the towers down… but actually involved in organizing such a thing? not a chance.
For humourous – albeit hard-htting and full of profanity – commenting on the 9/11 conspiracy, check out maddox’s site.
http://www.thebestpageintheuniverse.com
It was Popular Mechanics. They did a special podcast about it and released a book as well.