Analysis: "Street Books"

Street Books is an American documentary based in Portland, Oregon. It was released in 2011 by Travis Shields.  The film documents the activities of Laura Moulton, a self-professed 'street librarian' who runs a 'bicycle-powered mobile library for people who live outside', giving homeless people the chance to read. The service is based entirely on trust. You can read more about Street Books and their efforts at streetbooks.org.

The film is beautifully shot, and begins with Laura setting up the library in the street and then follows her as she is visited by 'customers'. Attention is payed to detail, and we see lots of close-ups of books, the mobile library and its customers, as well as the surrounding areas she has set up in. These are specifically chosen to seem quite grand and and serene, which supports the films key message: that homeless people are more sophisticated than society assumes. 

Laura Moulton and the Street Books library

Originally used as a kickstarter film to raise money for the service, the film could be potentially biassed as it aims to show Street Books and homeless people in a positive light. For example, we are told that the service is based solely on trust, but we do not hear of any instances in which this trust has been broken. This again helps to portray homeless people in a more positive way that subverts the stereotypes held over such individuals. Regardless of its potentially constructionist nature, I feel that the film succeeds in representing both Street Books and their clientele as loving, respectable people. 

It seems to have been a successful film, as the campaign raised over $1,000 more than it had intended. Coupled with the touching subject and considered cinematography, I feel that Street Books is an accomplished, sophisticated and generally lovely little film.

Analysis: "The Archive"

The Archive is an American documentary, released in 2008 by Sean Dunne. It is set at RECORD-RAMA, the largest vinyl collection in the world. The film discusses the struggles of the owner, Paul Mawhinney, who fought to keep the store open despite developing blindness. Unfortunately, he has since had to close Record-Rama's doors and has been trying for several years to sell the store. However, despite being worth an estimated $50,000,000, Mawhinney is receiving little interest - even at an asking price of just $3,000,000.

An interview shot using a deep focus to emphasise Mawhinney's surroundings

Whilst the film may serve as an advertisement for the store's sale, the story of Mawhinney and his fallen archive is used as a vessel for a larger, more global message: the fall of the record itself. This is mentioned and drawn upon throughout the film, such as in instances where Mawhinney compares vinyl and CD, claiming from a decidedly biassed perspective that vinyl is superior to modern, electronically-printed music. 

Formal elements of the film are used to reinforce this message. For example, the use of old classics in the soundtrack harks back to another era and is reflective of the time when vinyl was at the top of its game. This is supported by the shot of the record player which becomes a stylistic element of the film, with a new record being simultaneously seen and heard playing with each new 'chapter' of the documentary. The cinematography is highly poetic, particularly the scene in which the lights of Record-Rama are turned off, which holds denotations of darkness and connotations of sadness and death. This could potentially help audiences who perhaps might not be invested in vinyl to attach themselves to the story, as the emotive use of cinematography allows them to feel sympathetic for Mawhinney and his situation, even if there is no particular care for vinyl itself. On an entirely superficial level, the film makes nice use of depth of field to emphasise the vastness and variety of Mawhinney's collection.

The motif of a record player introduces each section of the film

I think The Archive is an enjoyable film that really connects with audiences; its strongpoint lies in that it is an instant winner amongst vinyl fans, but builds enough on Mawhinney's personal story to stop non-vinyl fans from feeling alienated and allow them to participate emotionally with the film.