The film is an emotive-styled documentary that follows the members of the band 'Hillsong United' as they prepare of the biggest concert of their careers. Sadly, the film has very little drama or conflict. Nor do I ever feel that anything is ever at stake.
Yes, I understand it's a documentary and the filmmakers we're dependent on real life for there drama, so I sympathize with their situation, but they were tying to make a type of documentary that more interesting in engaging their viewers heart than head, and those type of docos are reliant upon more tradition fiction style of storytelling to be successful. This doco has very little drama or internal conflicts nor did I ever felt anything was at risk.
In very general terms: stories are about people facing the biggest internal and external problems of there life. They use everything they have to overcome these problems and become better people in the process.
This documentary is about people who have both internal and external conflicts (but don't worry, God will solve it) and use there skills (well, technically, it's not there skills but God working through them) and overcome really mild problems and they stay exactly the same as a results. I'm not saying that there is anything wrong with doing that, just the act of pray and the action of an Omnipotent God doesn't translate too well to the visual medium of film.
Also, God doesn't do anything too remarkable in the doco. I'm not here to debate the existence of God, but you get the feeling that if God didn't exist everything in the doco would have played out exactly the same. Nothing that happens the doco that non-Christians haven't already done without the aid of God.
So, what's the big external problem of the film. Hillsong UNITED has to play the biggest concert of there careers and things aren't going to plan. They've had a late night bump-in, running on a few hours sleep and a couple of songs still need to be finish.... sounds like regular band stuff. It's drama but nothing so unique or interesting that it requires to be filmed and retold.
What make things even less dramatic is when you realize they're probably playing to a very friendly Christian crowd and will overlook any mistakes.
So from there we go back in time and learn about the origins of the church and the band. The majority of the doco focuses on the band members of Hillsong United. So, this is were we come to the other big problem. All the main character are pretty much the same. With mild exceptions they have the same backstory, motivations and problems. Plus, they all give similar types of answers, most of which are "God" and it never really gets explored past that.
We then learn more about the main band members see them try and record a new album. They all seem like nice people but they come across being very 2-dimensional.
The doco has once scene that jumps out and kinds of overshadows everything else. The head Pastor (Brian Huston) talks about when his father Frank (ex-head pastor) confessed to him about being a child molester, and having to fire him. I'm not blaming Brian for the actions of his father, but I am blaming for him not calling the police. It's unconscionable conduct. I don't think Hillsong (who produced the film) really understands how bad this scene plays out.
This is a doco that didn't need to be made. It's not a story that's desperately needed to be told. It's an expensive promo video for Hillsong. That's probably not going to convert anyone (No one is getting past the whole 'not reporting the child molester' subplot).
The doco feels like the equivalent of engaging in polite chit-chat with a person you meet at a party. They seem happy and nice but they conversation wares thin towards to end and you know for a fact you have no desire to ever talk to them again, but you wish them well in life.
Yes, I understand it's a documentary and the filmmakers we're dependent on real life for there drama, so I sympathize with their situation, but they were tying to make a type of documentary that more interesting in engaging their viewers heart than head, and those type of docos are reliant upon more tradition fiction style of storytelling to be successful. This doco has very little drama or internal conflicts nor did I ever felt anything was at risk.
In very general terms: stories are about people facing the biggest internal and external problems of there life. They use everything they have to overcome these problems and become better people in the process.
This documentary is about people who have both internal and external conflicts (but don't worry, God will solve it) and use there skills (well, technically, it's not there skills but God working through them) and overcome really mild problems and they stay exactly the same as a results. I'm not saying that there is anything wrong with doing that, just the act of pray and the action of an Omnipotent God doesn't translate too well to the visual medium of film.
Also, God doesn't do anything too remarkable in the doco. I'm not here to debate the existence of God, but you get the feeling that if God didn't exist everything in the doco would have played out exactly the same. Nothing that happens the doco that non-Christians haven't already done without the aid of God.
So, what's the big external problem of the film. Hillsong UNITED has to play the biggest concert of there careers and things aren't going to plan. They've had a late night bump-in, running on a few hours sleep and a couple of songs still need to be finish.... sounds like regular band stuff. It's drama but nothing so unique or interesting that it requires to be filmed and retold.
What make things even less dramatic is when you realize they're probably playing to a very friendly Christian crowd and will overlook any mistakes.
So from there we go back in time and learn about the origins of the church and the band. The majority of the doco focuses on the band members of Hillsong United. So, this is were we come to the other big problem. All the main character are pretty much the same. With mild exceptions they have the same backstory, motivations and problems. Plus, they all give similar types of answers, most of which are "God" and it never really gets explored past that.
We then learn more about the main band members see them try and record a new album. They all seem like nice people but they come across being very 2-dimensional.
The doco has once scene that jumps out and kinds of overshadows everything else. The head Pastor (Brian Huston) talks about when his father Frank (ex-head pastor) confessed to him about being a child molester, and having to fire him. I'm not blaming Brian for the actions of his father, but I am blaming for him not calling the police. It's unconscionable conduct. I don't think Hillsong (who produced the film) really understands how bad this scene plays out.
This is a doco that didn't need to be made. It's not a story that's desperately needed to be told. It's an expensive promo video for Hillsong. That's probably not going to convert anyone (No one is getting past the whole 'not reporting the child molester' subplot).
The doco feels like the equivalent of engaging in polite chit-chat with a person you meet at a party. They seem happy and nice but they conversation wares thin towards to end and you know for a fact you have no desire to ever talk to them again, but you wish them well in life.
