Starwatchers is a fake documentary in form, dealing with a mostly staged and fictitious event and is in effect a hoax. The hoax is magnified and compounded by the inclusion of expressionist or TV series footage and stills from the fictional series Spacerunners. This fictitious material is incorporated in a traditional documentary manner. Many of the techniques used during filming were learned by myself, Naday, working as a camera assistant on NFB documentaries. As well, Claude Savarde our Director of Photography was a CBC news cameraman and therefore familiar with news techniques.
Some scenes are real, others are a more obvious parody, and a few are total comedy.
The blurring of the line between fiction and documentary is at the heart of the formal experiment inherent in Starwatchers . Apart from all the internal elements that make up the Film's content, the film's style should challenge the viewer to become more aware of the techniques used, and to think about the ramifications on the documentary form itself as a purveyor of alleged truth. Oh and you should also buy our merchandise, including Dennis' Books. All of it. That isn't much to ask.