Extra Credit: DOC NYC Screening of "Going Clear"

I attended a screening of Alex Gibney's documentary, Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief as part of DOC NYC on Thursday, November 19. The film is about the organization of the religion of Scientology and delves into its creation and recent scandals. It interviews experts on religion and history, as well as many former members of the church. It is narrated by Gibney and employs many standard documentary techniques. There are reenactments of events, as well as "talking head" interviews. A lot of archival footage from events, interviews, and news clips are used. For most of the film, the camera is steady and set up on a tripod. The movie uses extreme close-ups for emphasis and interviewees were shot from multiple angles at once. Subjects are under low-key lighting and half of their faces are often in shadow. The editing is very linear and most shots are connected by jump cuts, rather than using transition effects. There are several uses of a helicopter shot above one of the Scientology centers in Los Angeles. The film also has sections of B-roll footage while excerpts from an interview or narration are played over the images. The music that scores the film gives it an eerie feel and underscores emotional and important moments. One motif used throughout the movie to divide it into sections is a shot of key words being typed out by a typewriter onto paper, such as “Rehabilitation Project Force.” I thought the film was interesting and informative and got its point across effectively.