The Interrotron

First off, I wasn’t particularly moved by this movie. I don’t have strong feelings of liking or disliking the film. It was very informative to me though. I did not know much about McNamara or details of the Vietnam War before seeing the film. Having seen the film now, I feel like I know more about the subject.

The interrotron is an interesting way to interview someone. It does allow for a more personal connection between the viewer and interviewee because it makes it seem like the person being interviewed is looking directly at the viewer. I think this helped me to pay more attention to the film. Even though the interrotron helps to create a bond between the person being interviewed and the viewer, I feel that it would be a very strange experience while the interview was in progress. It might feel like a camera is interviewing him/her. I feel that this would create a little bit of a false sense of intimacy between the interviewer and interviewee. Even though they are in the same room, they aren’t necessarily facing or engaged with each other. I do see how for the purposes for viewer that the interrotron is a good way to capture the audience’s attention right away. I found this interview with Morris about the making of Fog of War and thought this question was interesting.

Q: Did McNamara like it? (“it” being the interrotron)

A: Well, you have to remember that we are talking about someone who has been interviewed a thousand times. He walked into the studio and said, "What is that?" I smiled and said, "The Interrotron." He said, "Well, whatever it is, I don’t like it." But then he sat down, and we proceeded to record over twenty hours of interviews. I guess he came to like it, too.