GW IDEAS: THE KID STAYS IN THE PICTURE (2002)

Starting to develop my Global Warmning multi strand narrative installation I wanted to-revisit some texts that really inspired me. One of these was the incredibly subjective The Kid Stays in the Picture a documentary Nanette Burstein & Brett Morgan. (2002). The film is an award winning documentary based on the autobiography of the infamous Paramount studio head Robert Evans.

The obvious “talking head” documentary is side-stepped using only a voice over from the great raconteur Evans’ himself throughout. This is accompanied visually by clever use of a range of archive materials from digitally layered and superimposed moving photos and film clips and news footage as well as stylistic newly shot footage from the locations mentioned. It is also very playful with the idea of objectivity and subjectivity from the very start.



Reviewing the film Maitland McDonagh sums it up thus “The result is a snazzy kick that's never less than hugely entertaining and should in no way be mistaken for an unbiased account. But then, Evans is the quintessential Hollywood character, and what's more Hollywood than crafting your own legend”. This is summed up by Evans’ quote “There are three sides to every story: your side, my side, and the truth. And no one is lying. Memories shared serve each differently”. Morgan himself in interview also defended the subjectivity of the film and it being only Evans’ side of the story by dubbing it “cinema mythologica”.

The film was an influence for all of the above. I love the shameless subjectiveness as the whole story is purely from Evans viewpoint and perspective and is shameless about this. It is almost as though you have pulled up a chair next to him in a bar and he is telling you the story. Who cares if the facts are not all objective and Evans I am sure bends and stretches these. As I am working on a docu-drama whilst the facts will be true the delivery and perspective of them for my characters is fictional so this will be a liberating technique employed to some degree here.

The other technique I like that apart from a couple of archive interview clips you never see Evans. Clever use of the images mentioned earlier and especially animation of old photographs are a real triumph. I like the idea of creating a falsehood of footage from my fictional characters and I can draw on the techniques employed here. The not actually seeing the subject of the documentary is also really interesting and for the is he or isn't he IV style docu-drama it may be good to not actually see the subject as he is now also. It will leave a lot more to the audiences imagination and keep the mystery of my character too. Lots of food for thought and possible ideas and techniques to develop in my own work.