SiCKO

Some hate him, some despise him, some like him. He is a man that stirs up a lot of feelings. He has taken a lot of crap and abuse, and mostly by his fellow countrymen, but what he does is great.

Hero is the wrong word, but I respect him and I admire his work. In my eyes he is a true patriot, and not that fake shit I can’t stand. He sees something wrong about his country, he investigates the problem, he makes it public to raise awareness, and he wants for his people to do something about it.

Michael Moore, you rock!

I’ve just watched his latest film called SiCKO. Moore sets out to investigate the health care system in USA, he talks to, and interviews people that has got some shocking stories to tell. One man, for example, after a work related accident actually had to choose if he wanted his middle finger, or his ring finger sown back on. He chose the one finger that would cost less to have back on!

Moore also went to Canada, England, France and Cuba to investigate their health care systems. In Ontario he met a man that had a similar accident as the before mentioned, but this man got all of his fingers sown back on for free. In England, they have a cashier at the hospital, but instead of you paying the hospital you get money from the hospital for things like parking, or having to take the bus to or from the hospital. In France Moore talks to a group of American’s that chose to make a life for themselves in France. When he discovers they have a minimum of five weeks paid vacation, and when a woman gets pregnant she can have the government send a maid to do stuff she couldn’t; like washing her laundry, he is in a complete shock!

All he finds out about during his trips to these places raises questions for him; why is USA the only western nation that hasn’t got ”free universal health care”, why do all of these other nations have a “we system”, and we got a “me system”?

I don’t care where you come from or what your views of Mr Moore are; you need to watch this film. You will be shocked, you will be entertained and you most certainly will be moved.

Here’s the trailer for starters.

Click my hamster!

Hello blogoverse!

This week has been great.

Monday: no school, just a quick briefing with my crew. Then I had lunch with two Texans.

Tuesday: I was a little worried and nervous about starting to shoot material for my first film, but my cameraman and technician was great! It was a little spooky when he had shot exactly what I wanted him to shoot without me having said anything. It was like he read my mind. We filmed at YLE, then we did an interview with one of the bosses. It was great. And this day was my first time riding around the city in a Subaru Legacy which was so much fun. Holy shit it was fast!

Wednesday: We met my films main character in Pasila, and filmed him getting ready to do his thing, then while he worked we, my crew and I, went for lunch. We ended up waiting three hours, but that wasn’t a problem. We drove around in the Legacy, and I was even more impressed with it, we had coffee and eventually three hours had passed and we went back to Pasila to shoot for another 1,5 hours.

Thursday: Post-production started. I have 120 minutes worth of raw material + archive material to cut down, and make an awesome ten minute documentary of.

Friday: I woke up, I showered, and right now I’m having my first coffee of the day and it’s going to be a long day of editing.

I’m… well, happy is too bland a word. I’m more than happy about my existence these days. I’m really living my dream. I’m doing exactly the thing I want to do, and at the same time it feels like this is what I’m supposed to do. I told my brother that yesterday, and in response he said:

-”I know. I can see it. You’re glowing.”

…but why do we make documentaries?

Excellent quote by Alan Rosenthal from the book Writing, directing and producing documentary films and videos:

“Working in documentary implies a commitment than one wants to change the world for the better.”