Devotional Cinema Response (Philip)

    In Devotional Cinema, Nathaniel Dorsky emphasizes how film form, more so than content, are largely influential in how we experience film.  Throughout the book he uses dramatic imagery and even stories from his childhood illustrating how impacting a few hours in a dark movie theater can alter ones perception of the outside world.  Before becoming a film student I always thought about movies in terms of “is this story believable and entertaining.”  Now in my Senior year as a Film Studies major I view films with a more discerning eye: “is this the best shot or the best cut to use in order to tell this story in the best way it can be told.”  After reading this book I am more aware that I need to pay just as much detail to the production of my own films as I do when watching others.  As a result, the experience of our film’s audience will be enhanced.
    Unlike in narrative, documentary film-making consists of fewer formal constraints in how to tell a particular story.  This book has brought to my attention that no matter what category of film-making, every shots composition in the frame and every cuts position on the timeline is important to telling a story.  The sky is the limit when it comes to the production of our film but we need to understand that every decision is vital to the experience of our film.  Even if there is a shot specifically placed in our film to describe something literally, if that placement breaks the spatial and poetic bounds of our film than we should setup another shot or re-cut that part of our film. 
    In shooting this documentary our film team could ‘get away’ with not being as meticulous in our production but instead by paying close attention to detail throughout the process, our story will not only be much more poignant but it will also be more effective at building a positive viewing experience for the audience.