A Rhythm Report Film – The Great Unsaid: Documented

I know many of you have been waiting for it. And to my patient patrons and Benjamin Barr fans, I present The Great Unsaid: A Documented Tale.

In March 2011, Barr produced and directed a music video to accompany the debut of his musically inclined alter ego Jim Truth's single "The Great Unsaid." The song is the sixth track on the album Caught and Held Fast, which Barr originally released under a different title in 2010 and re-recorded under its new moniker with the help of Bad Racket Recording Studio earlier this year.

Filmed at The Grog Shop in Cleveland Heights and Barr's Ohio City home, The Great Unsaid: A Documented Tale captures the escapades of the crew and cast during the two-day video shoot as well as the director's reflections on the production. The documentary premiered at the music video release party in June. This is the first time it has been released online.

The Great Unsaid: Documented

Run time: 10 minutes, 44 seconds

Produced and directed by Priscilla Tasker of The Rhythm Report and De los angeles Productions 

in association with Benjamin Barr and Failure Films

Standard definition Grog Shop footage shot by Priscilla Tasker

HD Grog Shop footage shot by Eric Leiser, Sian Wright and Len Ganley

Director interview filmed by Sian Wright and Eric Leiser

Watch the music video for Jim Truth's "The Great Unsaid," too.

The Great Unsaid from Benjamin Liar on Vimeo.

A music in film spotlight: Before the Music Dies

Bob Dylan's long-winded, socially critical compositions would not fit the modern recording industry's model for a successful pop artist, and yet, he is revered among musicians and fans for his brilliant storytelling and ability to capture an era with his music. But what if he had never been given the shot? How would the history of American music and Rock & Roll been affected?

The history of the music industry would not be the same without transformative artists such as Bob Dylan, Ray Charles, Stevie Wonder, among a multitude others.

Director Andrew Shapter and Producer Joel Rasmussen explore the disenfranchisement of the modern musical artists in the shadow of million-dollar pop entertainers funded and created by music recording and entertainment giants in the documentary Before the Music Dies, released in 2007.

This one-hour and 28-minute film features interviews with legendary musicians from a variety of genres and decades including Eric Clapton, Dave Matthews, Elvis Costello, Erykah Badu, Bonnie Raitt; Pop Music Critic for USA Today Edna Gundersen; CBS News Sunday Morning Contributor Nancy Giles; Secrets of the Pros, Inc. Founder Ken Walden; an anonymous Clear Channel executive; other recording industry professionals; and, of course, music fans from across the country.

Shapter and Rasmussen conduct an experiment to demonstrate how pop stars, American culture's prized celebrities, are created and hyped up with a formula that is evermore evident in today's entertainment industry.

The issues addressed in this documentary filmed five years ago still fester in the undercurrent of the growing indie music circuit.

With the advent of the internet and home recording software, musicians across the U.S. and around the globe have the power to write, record, produce and promote their own music records without the backing of recording industry conglomerates. However, the business motivation of titans like Clear Channel, among other entertainment corporations, affect how fans hear and discover music and musicians' ability to be exposed to the masses.


Watch the film on Hulu and share your thoughts about where today's music industry is heading in this article's comment box.