Research- The Archive

The Archive is a short documentary by Sean Dunne, about the worlds largest record collection and the strange but entertaining man who owns them, Paul.  The documentary delves into the world of collecting, obsession but also all the memories that come with each vinyl.

Lighting plays a key role in this short documentary and evokes a lot of emotion in my eyes.  The low key lighting symbolizes the sorrow the man is feeling as he slowly letting go of his collection but also the memories.

Paul him self really brings the story alive as he is quite a character and interesting to watch. As he talks about he’s memories he’s not static but also uses a lot of gestures as he speaks. This really engages the audience and keeps you interested. I also like the fact the director chose to keep the fact that he is blind a secret to the end, sometimes directors play on disabilities as a way to evoke emotion but Sean doesn’t, the fact that his blind doesn’t add or take away anything from the film.

Overall I think is is a really good short documentary, it evokes emotion, passion but also obsession. The use of a verity of tracking and static shots help to create a sense of atmosphere which is sometimes lost in documentary’s.