Reference Material

I've been scouring the internet for documentaries that strike a chord with what I'm trying to achieve here, and thankfully I've managed to find two that I think would be phenomenal inspiration to me. I haven't seen either of these documentaries (although my colleague has seen one and highly recommends it) so I am basing this off first impressions from the trailers.

"I AM DIVINE" - 2013
Director:
Jeffrey Schwarz

I'm a big fan of Divine's work, and this documentary looks like it showcases the highs and lows of being such an eccentric and much-loved character. My dad claims to have seen her in a show in London's West End many years ago, something which I'm incredibly jealous of. This documentary uses a good deal of archive footage and photos to build up the audience's image of the subject, while jumping back and forth to interviews with those associated with the actor and queen. 

"BEFORE YOU KNOW IT" -2013

Dir. PJ Raval

Before You Know it caught by eye by the interesting thumbnail you can see in the video above. I was looking for documentaries about drag queens and not focusing entirely on the aforementioned issues such as gender identity and homophobia. This documentary follows the lives of three gay men entering their twilight years, and deals with how they live their lives in a culture dominated by the young and beautiful. We see how the elderly members of this community can often be forgotten and become 'invisible' as one of the subjects mentions. It's beautifully shot, opting for an observational style of filming than the flashback archive style of 'I AM DIVINE'.