OK - I've finally managed to watch the first three episodes in their entirety.
For full disclosure, I'm a documentary maker, having directed over 20 hours of network broadcast films for all the BBC channels, Channel 4, NatGeo, Discovery etc before leaving the industry in disgust at corporate working practices.
I have a top level observation.
There is no such thing as a "fly on the wall" documentary. Everything broadcast on network TV is edited. Editing creates meaning, narratives, And when I say "creates", editing can quite literally change what happened by 180 degrees. It's one of the reasons I left network TV, because I have red lines I'm not prepared to cross.
The only real "fly on the wall" is some geezer turning on the camera on his mobile phone and recording three minutes of actual uninterrupted footage before hitting Stop. And we all know if another person is filming with their mobile from a different angle, perhaps starting a minute earlier, and you compare those two unedited pieces of footage, then they may tell two very different stories.
So, "All or Nothing" is artifice. A constructed narrative. It is not "pure reality", whatever that means.
Reaction shots and cutaways may be edited in from different settings and time periods to create the mood or emotion that the director, and whoever (Levy?) had ultimate editorial control, desired.
But, having said this, the series has an incredible level of access to certain events. You do feel inside the dressing room, and key meetings, and that is compelling, especially for us Spurs fans.
The footage with Dier after he's subbed on 29 minutes, and with Sonny after the chavski red card. is astonishing access. These are incredibly emotional moments for both players alone in the dressing room, and we are shown it.
Also, getting snatches of the 1:1 meetings between Mourinho and Kane, Dele, Dier is revealing and fascinating, even though the scenes have been edited to create a certain narrative.
Kane wants to be a global superstar and Mourinho wants to help him. Dele is a lazy trainer and inconsistent, and Mourinho tells him careers are short. Mourinho deliberately speaks with Dier in Portuguese, and Dier responds fluently and articulately.
However, just as important is what is omitted, what we don't see.
So, we don't see the 1:1 between Eriksen and Mourinho.
What we are shown is Levy speaking with Mourinho and saying, I paraphrase, "Eriksen is controlled by his agent and none of us know what he really thinks". Levy then encourages Mourinho to have one last attempt at persuading him to stay. Amusingly, in the edit, they could not find any footage of an enthusiastic Jose agreeing to do so.
So, in short, there is some compelling and revealing access which lets us see our Spurs players and coaches at their most vulnerable. And in real situations, such as half time in matches we watched live.
There are also events , such as the Eriksen contract situation, where we are not shown what happens and instead are given a narrative constructed around some exchanges between Levy and Mourinho.
I look forward, with some trepidation, to the rest of the series.
For full disclosure, I'm a documentary maker, having directed over 20 hours of network broadcast films for all the BBC channels, Channel 4, NatGeo, Discovery etc before leaving the industry in disgust at corporate working practices.
I have a top level observation.
There is no such thing as a "fly on the wall" documentary. Everything broadcast on network TV is edited. Editing creates meaning, narratives, And when I say "creates", editing can quite literally change what happened by 180 degrees. It's one of the reasons I left network TV, because I have red lines I'm not prepared to cross.
The only real "fly on the wall" is some geezer turning on the camera on his mobile phone and recording three minutes of actual uninterrupted footage before hitting Stop. And we all know if another person is filming with their mobile from a different angle, perhaps starting a minute earlier, and you compare those two unedited pieces of footage, then they may tell two very different stories.
So, "All or Nothing" is artifice. A constructed narrative. It is not "pure reality", whatever that means.
Reaction shots and cutaways may be edited in from different settings and time periods to create the mood or emotion that the director, and whoever (Levy?) had ultimate editorial control, desired.
But, having said this, the series has an incredible level of access to certain events. You do feel inside the dressing room, and key meetings, and that is compelling, especially for us Spurs fans.
The footage with Dier after he's subbed on 29 minutes, and with Sonny after the chavski red card. is astonishing access. These are incredibly emotional moments for both players alone in the dressing room, and we are shown it.
Also, getting snatches of the 1:1 meetings between Mourinho and Kane, Dele, Dier is revealing and fascinating, even though the scenes have been edited to create a certain narrative.
Kane wants to be a global superstar and Mourinho wants to help him. Dele is a lazy trainer and inconsistent, and Mourinho tells him careers are short. Mourinho deliberately speaks with Dier in Portuguese, and Dier responds fluently and articulately.
However, just as important is what is omitted, what we don't see.
So, we don't see the 1:1 between Eriksen and Mourinho.
What we are shown is Levy speaking with Mourinho and saying, I paraphrase, "Eriksen is controlled by his agent and none of us know what he really thinks". Levy then encourages Mourinho to have one last attempt at persuading him to stay. Amusingly, in the edit, they could not find any footage of an enthusiastic Jose agreeing to do so.
So, in short, there is some compelling and revealing access which lets us see our Spurs players and coaches at their most vulnerable. And in real situations, such as half time in matches we watched live.
There are also events , such as the Eriksen contract situation, where we are not shown what happens and instead are given a narrative constructed around some exchanges between Levy and Mourinho.
I look forward, with some trepidation, to the rest of the series.
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