Recently, Academy Award-winning director Errol Morris (The Fog of War) turned his incisive gaze upon Duke's beloved Mike Krzyzewski for a new American Express TV commercial to debut during March Madness. After several hours of grilling Coach K during a two-day shoot, Morris was successfully converted from Coach K skeptic to true-blue believer.
“I was worried because after the interview he lost several games, and I hoped I wasn't partially responsible,” Morris said. While it's doubtful that Morris’ patented interviewing technique had any effect on the outcome of Duke’s recent match-ups with Maryland and Wake Forest, Morris has played an integral role in the recent revolution in the popular appeal of documentaries.
A TV commercial director by trade—memorable campaigns include spots for Apple and Miller High Life—Morris' true passion belongs to the now-hot genre of documentary film. With eight critically acclaimed feature-length documentaries to his credit, Morris has established himself as a true auteur in the fast-expanding field.
The recent success of documentary film is evident in the sheer number of documentaries that are making it to theaters. Indicative of that fact was one of the most compelling stories in film last year: the release of Michael Moore's much talked-about documentary Fahrenheit 9/11. The film now holds the record for widest documentary release (2,011 theaters) as well as largest documentary gross ($222 estimated worldwide.) Aside from Moore's monstrous success, however, other documentaries such as Touching the Void and Super Size Me saw very favorable returns.
“It's one of those chicken, egg deals,” Morris said of the current gains being made by documentaries in theaters. “There's more films that are entertaining, that are taking risks.”
The bottom line, as is always the case in film, is that money talks, and as Morris points out, “Audiences are responding. [Documentaries] have done well in the marketplace.”
Increased revenues for feature documentaries have opened film distributors’ eyes to a new and growing desire on the part of audiences and will lead to more money allotted to filmmakers in the future.
Even the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has responded to the increased popularity of documentaries by changing the rules that govern the selection of films for the Oscars. Reacting in large part to the success of Fahrenheit, the Academy has eased its ban on the screening of documentaries on television, which would have previously disqualified a film. This move adds another level of padding to the difficult money game that all filmmakers must play.
As for Morris, he enjoys the success that he has had in commercial directing and appreciates the financial freedom that it provides him. Indeed, when given the opportunity to work with individuals like Duke's Coach Krzyzewski, it is hard to make an argument against it. “I was completely won over,” Morris said of Coach K. “I regretted I couldn't do more than a 60-second commercial. He's an amazingly sincere guy.”
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