Gavin Parks

Hans 320

11/29/02

Startup.com: The Thin Line between Documentary and Film

"Startup.com" is the perfect addition to a critical look at Documentary across Media. The documentary follows the rise and fall of an internet start up company, during the very recent phenomenon of the "internet bubble" that eventually burst. This documentary is a valuable addition to our class discussion on what defines the documentary form. This documentary, which was released last year, raises many questions about the future of the documentary and challenges several conventions of the works we have already examined.

The story of "Startup.com" is one that has been told all too often in the past year. Two entrepreneurs who were lifelong friends, Kalil and Tom decide to start an internet company. The internet company, govworks.com, is designed to streamline the functions and services of a local government. The company is designed make it easier for someone to pay a parking ticket, buy a fishing license, renew a drivers license, or do anything else one may need to do in their local government offices, by making it all online. The documentary follows the beginnings of the company and the success and failures that they encounter. The story is centered around the friendship of Kalil and Tom and as the company falls apart, so does the friendship. After watching Startup.com several times, the discussion doesn’t immediately become one of whether or not the documenters were biased. The story behind the documenting of this company is important to realize when watching this film and comparing to other documentaries. Originally, the documenters thought that they were following a rags to riches story. A story about the rise of a new company for a new age. However, as the bubble burst for the company the original story burst for the documentary. The story evolved as the documenters were filming it. This fact alone raises many central questions to the documentary form, especially in this age of new medias and new forms of mobile communication. Should the documenter have an idea bout what the story will be about, what he wants to portray, what he believes will happen? The documenters must have had an original plan of what the documentary would look like, however as the story evolves so must the documentary.

I did not believe the documentary to be critique of any kind. I felt like they did not frame the entrepreneurs or any members of the company in any particular way, negative or positive. The many sides of the characters are explored through seeing them in all of their environments whether it is home, office, gym or car. "Startup.com" had a basic form like "High School," especially in regards to having no narrator. However, unlike "High School" the people in the company did regularly acknowledge that they were being documented. The idea of recognizing the cameraman and interacting with the camera is a crucial difference. Several times during the film, Kalil or Tom will ask the cameraman questions or tell them whatever it is on their minds. The distinction is important because it allows the viewer to see a new aspect to the documented. The introspection and the discussions that occur when the people are alone with the documenter and telling them what they are feeling are crucial to the success of this documentary. Through the different interactions between the documenter and the documented, "Startup.com" becomes a well-rounded and engaging story.

I think this documentary would also be a good addition as it is a very current documentary that students could interact with on many levels. For example, one can still go to the govworks.com , and see what has happened to the remainder of the company and what is happening in the real lives of the two entrepreneurs. The very fact that it is so recent would allow students to immediately understand the event surrounding the story. The ability to critique and discuss the positive and negative aspects about the documentary could also lead to a discussion of whether on not the documentary appropriately portrayed a story that student would all know.

Students could also interact with this documentary on another level. Although, it may not be in the budget, Kalil and Tom are going around to schools and local communities discussing the documentary and their experiences with the internet economy. The knowledge gained through discussing the documentary and the events with the people who were documented would be an invaluable addition to any discussion on the nature of the documentary form.

My personal experiences with the documentary could definitely make for an interesting form of presentation of the documentary. In class, present the documentary as either a documentary or a mockumentary, and leave it up to the students to determine whether on not this documentary is real. When I first watched the movie, I watched under the assumption that it was fake. As I watched the story unfold it seemed too good to be true. One scene, which was an interaction between Kalil and President Bill Clinton, was not able to convince me that this documentary was real. In today’s technology, it is possible to show an interaction between a character in a movie and a real person, even if it did not happen. In fact, that scene made me feel that the documentary must not be real, it just seemed too impossible. The discussion that could be sparked through watching the movie and then guessing whether it is in fact real, would be an indeed be priceless.