Blogging and filmmaking

HERE’S an interesting Los Angeles Times article on documentary filmmaker AJ Schnack, whose blog has taken on a life of its own.

Shnack’s latest documentary is “Kurt Cobain: About A Son,” which we blogged about in Soundtrip. Here’s an excerpt from the LA Times story:

Though the blog began in the summer of 2005 as a direct outgrowth of working on “About a Son,” it has since taken on a life of its own. Schnack has become something of an authority figure for the world of documentaries, covering various issues faced by nonfiction filmmakers. In particular, he has written about the recent changes to the Oscar qualifying rules for documentary features, giving close attention to the newly mandated 14-city theatrical rollout for all potential nominees. Unlike many in the documentary community, Schnack has largely been in favor of the rollout, because it promotes theatrical exhibition of documentary films.

Bruce Davis, executive director of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, said that the rollout rules will likely be “streamlined” for next year, in no small part because of the response the academy has gotten from the documentary community, both online and in a series of meetings between AMPAS governors and filmmakers.

One sign of the growing influence of Schnack’s blog is that while “About a Son” has played at more than 50 film festivals, the filmmaker has begun to be accredited as a journalist at some festivals where his work has not been shown.

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