Documentary review:
AMY.
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AMY was a deeply moving, sad and heartbreaking. It paints an intimate portrait of the extremely talented as well as troubled, Amy Winehouse. The archive footage of Amy in her young adult life, as well as her early studio recordings/performances and interviews from friends, give us a glimpse into her rise to fame and how to she tried to manage her unanticipated and somewhat unwanted success.
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Something I really loved about this movie was the use of archived film. There was just so many amazing shots of Amy in her element, so natural and relaxed. It wasn't like paparazzi cameras, she was comfortable and funny, so it felt like you where actually getting to know her. It felt very personal, which was actually one thing that I kind of didn't enjoy about the movie. It was very personal, all of Amy's dirty laundry was out for everyone to see. Thats what made it so sad, knowing she had no say it what went into the movie. The music in the movie was FABULOUS because it was all Amy's music, including make raw performances, given in places like; cars, friends houses, studios, night clubs, etc. I love that you can hear how her music evolves, the sound, instruments, even her inflection on certain words. The shots of her early gigs are amazing because she is just such a natural performer.
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Interviews
Would I recommend this Doc?
YES! I would definitely recommend this movie for the music alone, but also to better understand what really went on behind closed doors in Amy's life. If your'e a jazz fan, you will love this movie because you hear the way Amy talks about these famous jazz musicians like Tony Bennett, Dinah Washington, Billie Holiday, and how much her music was shaped by there music. Even if your not a fan of jazz, this movie leaves you with a deeper appreciation for the music. Being a big Amy Winehouse ever since I was little, this movie to me was absolutely amazing as well as jarring. I had always known she had a troubled past but never knew how severe it was until I watched this movie. Its a classic tale of the talented and the troubled, it was heartbreaking to watch her problems be amplified by her substance abuse. Ten out of Ten would recommend.
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interview 1 River interviewing Tommy, Matt behind the camera
So this interview was the closest I got to being behind the camera, I adjusted the lighting a bit and helped set the frame.
Interview 2 Me interviewing River, Tommy behind the camera
Here is my interview with River. It was such an easy interview because he was really comfortable in front of the camera and answered all the questions clearly. I honestly had such a hard time coming up with good questions. We had another minor problem with this group, Matt interviewed me but doesn't have the footage so there isn't an interview of me with that group. Since there was 4 of us in the group I was never actually behind the camera, but I interviewed and was filmed. The editing process was so fun, I really enjoyed it. I liked playing around with the opacity of images and looking at different background music.
interview 3 Stephanie interviewing me
Originally I was in a group with Stephanie and Parker, but when I interviewed Parker we either never pressed record/lost the footage :( So, technically I did interview 2 people (Parker and River) but I only have River's interview. Parker was behind the camera with Sarah while Stephanie asked me questions. I was a lil nervous and felt like really sweaty in front go the camera. For future interviews I would probably try to loosen up a bit. I liked the b-roll Stephanie used! Good