SYNOPSIS:

A seasoned mainstay of the LA documentary scene, Brett Morgen takes Keith for a walk around his charming Rustic Canyon neighborhood. Brett is the filmmaker behind major releases like MOONAGE DAYDREAM, JANE, COBAIN: MONTAGE OF HECK, ON THE ROPES, and the animated Hollywood tale, THE KID STAYS IN THE PICTURE. Just two weeks into his empty-nester era and newly back in his house, post-LA-fires, Brett is ready to walk and doc. 

He opens up about his MOONAGE DAYDREAM process, how the film was inspired by Bowie's death, and how for him, docmaking is a writing exercise—that the edit room is about the juxtaposition of shots—and real storytelling happens before all that.

Keith confesses that Brett’s approach to re-creation in CHICAGO 10 opened up creative opportunities, but Brett defers to Flaherty and NANOOK OF THE NORTH, sparking a question of authenticity, documentary ethics, and why the “doc police” are waiting to come for you. The heart of this walk is all about the heart attack that Brett suffered at a TOWER screening that bonded him and Keith for life. And he ends up sharing what David Bowie taught him about living once he came out the other side. Plus: THE SWORD IN THE STONE, WILLY WONKA, the future of immersive audience experiences (stadium edition), and advice for a 21-year-old musician that we can all take to heart.

DISCUSSION LINKS

ON THE ROPES (1999) | THE KID STAYS IN THE PICTURE (2002) | CHICAGO 10 (2007) | CROSSFIRE HURRICANE (2012) | COBAIN: MONTAGE OF HECK (2015) | TOWER (2016) | JANE (2017) | MOONAGE DAYDREAM (2022) | ROADRUNNER: A FILM ABOUT ANTHONY BOURDAIN (2021) | RICOCHET (1984) | ZIGGY STARDUST AND THE SPIDERS FROM MARS (1983) | THE MAN WHO FELL TO EARTH (1976) | NANOOK OF THE NORTH (1922) | WALTZ WITH BASHIR (2008) | THE EYES OF ME (2009) | THE SWORD IN THE STONE (1963) | WILLY WONKA & THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY (1971)

TIMESTAMPS

00:00 Keith’s intro from the Uber
01:43 Rustic Canyon
02:14 The mudslide that took Brett’s house
03:26 Near misses, and Keith’s intro to Brett
05:09 Empty nester, a little under the weather
06:02 How MOONAGE DAYDREAM started in Austin
08:29 The Bowie archive and “the audience created David”
11:02 Bowie, the Velvet Underground and postmodernism
13:17 RICOCHET and the Southeast Asia footage
16:04 Writing the movie before the edit room
17:36 The Odyssey, a train from Albuquerque and the hero’s journey
20:36 Brian Eno as Yoda
21:25 CHICAGO 10 as the go-ahead for TOWER
23:07 Is it still nonfiction? THE KID STAYS IN THE PICTURE
25:02 CHICAGO 10’s cast and the mo-cap problem
28:10 NANOOK OF THE NORTH and the doc police
30:18 The New York Times, AI and why all documentaries lie
34:16 All art is autobiography
38:50 Turning down bio docs
39:43 What’s changed in 25 years of documentary
42:24 Theatrical, streaming and Keith’s first film
44:17 The IMAX math
45:47 Arenas, three screens and a new business model
50:10 The day we met
55:54 Coma, a Marvel pilot and the aftermath
59:34 What Bowie taught him
1:02:17 Gateway drug films
1:04:50 Advice for emerging filmmakers
1:07:47 Goodbyes