Moog (2004)

User Rating:

6.0/10   

Director:

Hans Fjellestad

Genre:

Documentary | History | Music

Plot:

Bob Moog shaped musical culture with some of the most inspiring electronic instruments ever created...

Plot Keywords:

Electronic Music | Rock Band | Concert Footage | New York City | Archive Footage

Cast

Charlie Clouser	...	Himself
Herbert Deutsch	...	Himself
Keith Emerson	...	Himself
Edd Kalehoff	...	Himself (archive footage)
Gershon Kingsley	...	Himself
Pamelia Kurstin	...	Herself
DJ Logic	...	Himself
Money Mark	...	Himself
Mix Master Mike	...	Himself
Robert Moog	...	Himself
Jean-Jacques Perrey	...	Himself
Walter E. Sear	...	Himself
DJ Spooky	...	Himself
Luke Vibert	...	Himself
Rick Wakeman	...	Himself
Bernie Worrell	...	Himself

Directed by
Hans Fjellestad

Produced by
Hans Fjellestad	....	producer
Gary Hustwit	....	executive producer
Ryan Page	....	producer
Adriana Trujillo	....	associate producer
Keith York	....	executive producer

Cinematography by
Elia Lyssy

Film Editing by
Hans Fjellestad

Camera and Electrical Department
Ryan Copeland	....	additional cinematographer
Jeremy Schonwald	....	gaffer: Los Angeles

Music Department
Ryan Page	....	executive music producer

Thanks
Chris McDaniel	....	special thanks

Production Companies

• ZU33

Distributors

• Nowonmedia (2005) (Japan) (theatrical)
• Plexifilm (USA) (DVD)

Runtime:

USA:72 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Filming Locations:

Asheville, North Carolina, USA

Company:

ZU33

Soundtrack:

You Moog Me

Lacks aim and structure and is dull and pointless as a result

Although I'm not a massive fan of electronic music but I have sufficient interest in the genre to check out this documentary on the inventor of the electronic synthesizer, Robert Moog. Watching this film was probably not the best way to try and find out more about the man, the instrument and its impact. As many others on this internet site have already pointed out, director Hans Fjellestad does a really average job of doing anything in this film.

The one thing he does appear to be good at selling himself to potential subjects because the film does have a reasonably good array of people on hand to discuss what they do with it and particularly Fjellestad has Moog pretty much on tap throughout the film. It looks like the plan has been to point the camera at whoever is talking, film it and work out the detail in the edit. Sometimes that works and of course with reality shows and the like that is pretty much all you can do but in the vast majority of cases it is a recipe for disaster. So it is here in a film that lacks structure to the point that if Moog wants to ramble endlessly while pottering round his garden then that makes the cut but hardly anytime can be found for many artists that one would associate with the synthesizer. OK, maybe rights to the music or access to the artists was an issue due to the low budget but this is not much of an excuse.

Astonishingly the film is barely over an hour long and it is testament to how poor it is that it feels like it never ends. God help us if we ever see an extended cut of this because imagine the footage that they didn't feel worthy of making it into this version! Anyway, I stuck with it but ultimately there is almost nothing of value here; my mind was open to learning more about the impact this instrument had had but it falls down in this regard with a lack of structure and aim that must be laid right at the doors of the director and producers. A totally missed opportunity.