Movie-of-the-Week Docudrama; Pirates of Silicon Valley

1. How does movie-of-the-week (MOW) filmmaking differ in form (in look, rhythm, overall “feel”) from feature film docudrama? How is the sense of space, for example, different in Pirates from the way cinematic space is presented in Call Northside or JFK?

2. What (according to your reading) are some of the defining characteristics of MOW docudrama? How do these appear and function in Pirates?

3. What are some of the consistent MOW docudrama story types? Where does Pirates fit into these sub-genres?

4. Documentary film—and docudrama—tend to frame characters as victims. Is this true in Pirates? How is this different from what you read in Custen about those who often appear as the subjects of biopics? What is the film’s overall argument about fame?

5. We have seen a tendency—in 13 Rue Madeleine, Call Northside, and JFK, for example--for docudramas to be about documents (they are films that at moments, literally, are dramatizing documents)—how does this work in Pirates? What does this do in the case of MOW docudrama?