The problem with Silicon Valley

American Experiece:  Silicon Valley
Directed by Randall MacLowry




I must admit  I almost gave up on this film in its first act , which is an overly methodical telling of the story of Shockley Labs and its increasingly erratic chief executive that led the rebellion of  8 young scientists who suddenly left the company to form a new one, launching  the entrepreneurial ethos of Silicon Valley.

Once  the men leave in act 2,  the energy of the film picks up considerably and it becomes a riveting tale.

The problem of the dutiful first act is a common one to big documentary stories, one I confronted in my years at Frontline many times.

I suspect the key to solving this problem in Silicon Valley, would have been , in retrospect, to have dramatically shortened the first act by as much as half, to give it more forward propulsion and not risk losing your audience before you get to the meat of your story . (television audiences can be very fickle if they are not pulled into the film early on.)

But despite the problems with the first act , I'm glad I stuck with it for the rich rewards of the rest of the film.

The entire film is available for screening here.