632. When Did We All Start Watching Documentaries?
· 54 min · Episode 632
Episode 632. When Did We All Start Watching Documentaries?
It used to be that making documentary films meant taking a vow of poverty (and obscurity). The streaming revolution changed that. Award-winning filmmaker R.J. Cutler talks to Stephen Dubner about capturing Billie Eilish’s musical genius and Martha Stewart’s vulnerability — and why he really, really, really needs to make a film about the New York Mets.
• SOURCES:
• R.J. Cutler, filmmaker.
• RESOURCES:
• Fight for Glory, documentary (2025). • Martha, documentary (2024). • "Reality Check: The Boom—or Glut—in Streaming Documentaries Has Sparked a Reckoning Among Filmmakers and Their Subjects," by Reeves Wiedeman (Vulture, 2023). • "Inside the Documentary Cash Grab," by Mia Galuppo and Katie Kilkenny (The Hollywood Reporter, 2022). • Billie Eilish: The World’s a Little Blurry, documentary (2021).
• EXTRAS:
• “Ari Emanuel Is Never Indifferent,” by Freakonomics Radio (2023).
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Links in the notes 8
- https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0191712/
- https://tv.apple.com/us/show/fight-for-glory-2024-world-series/umc.cmc.6x620ggn8n2yamemiuk7ys8yt
- https://www.netflix.com/title/81479059
- https://www.vulture.com/article/tv-documentaries-ethical-standards.html
- https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-features/documentary-streaming-age-filmmaker-debate-ethics-payments-1235221541/
- https://tv.apple.com/us/movie/billie-eilish-the-worlds-a-little-blurry/umc.cmc.5waz3hfo9r1133t8arap8b6nq?action=play
- https://freakonomics.com/podcast/ari-emanuel-is-never-indifferent/
- https://pcm.adswizz.com
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