(robert altman) we had 4 assassins incarcerated and had for years. there's not one person alive, nor has there ever been, who can sit and really tell you why any of these people did the act they did. (gunshot) so my assassination was politically inspired, but it was not a political assassination, because i'm saying it doesn't make any difference. okay, everybody, sing! somebody, sing! (screams from the crowd) (narrator) in 1968, haskell wexler used the riots surrounding the democratic national convention in chicago as a backdrop for a feature film. "medium cool" employed real and fictional elements to explore the impact of tv on the 60's traumatic event. (screams and commotion from the crowd) the title "medium cool" is derived by marshall mcluhan, who spoke of television as being a "cool" medium. (haskell wexler) what was happening was happening in the street and there were other cameras shooting. i had a camera where my actress was involved in the situation. (crowd chanting) people in the streets recognize that their validity would not be certified