Team Janes’ Documentary is off and running…

The DOC CHALLENGE is on! This morning I woke up to the sun rising as my baby boy was screaming from his crib in the other room. He wanted attention, but all I could focus on was the clock. At 8am this morning I was to get my genres and theme. Last night I guessed they would be Sports and Experimental - what would I do with that. But to my great relief, I got the two that I would have picked if I was given the choice AND the theme was spot on too!!!

GENRE: Art or Social Issue/Political
THEME: HOPE and/or FEAR
(You can use just HOPE, just FEAR, or you can use both.)

 My strongest subjects are now sitting in front of me and I must choose one.  On one hand I have an amazing artist named Parisa Taghizadeh. Do check out her work. She is a portrait photographer. I have two ways to shoot her under this guideline.  Her most popular collection is her Makeup Iran series. I would look at her work, Iran and the idea of these woman wearing makeup. Another option is to look at her most recent work, she is doing a series on Mothers and their loss of identity after having children. There, we would look at her fear of loosing her identity.

My other subject is Linda P. Brown. She is a translucent theripist who is working with the spiritual world to effect a positive change in the world.  Her immediate mission is to transform fear. I would look at the news and the political climate at the moment (riddled with fear) and work with Linda to leave behind a message of hope.

All morning I have been on the phone with my producer and anxiously awaiting my writers and my husbands arrival to assist with the decision.

I know all the topics are ripe, but the real critical element is which subject can be clearly told in four to seven minutes.

Stay tuned….

An interview with Editor Micheal Horwitz of FUEL…

The press is alive with buzz about the Academy nominated films and if you want my two cents… I have to say I think they got it wrong this year. MY Oscar goes to Josh Tickell of FUEL. The heart, mind and message of this film are masterfully created and it is clear true filmmakers lie behind the celluloid (or tape).  I had the chance to catch up with Micheal just before the Academy made its decision.  Enjoy!

Hi Michael,

Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts with our readers. As I have told you, I am very impressed with your work on the Academy short-listed film FUEL. In many of my blogs I have written about the importance of an editor in documentary film. To me, the editor is the MOST important person on a documentary for the director to work with. So let’s begin….

Tell us a bit about your path to this point.

Thanks for the opportunity to share with your readers. So diving right in, my path to this point….If you had a time machine and you traveled back to 1997, UC Santa Cruz film school, found me wandering the halls of the communications building and said, Hi Michael, I’m from the future, and I’m here to tell you that 11 years from now you will be an editor and your first major film is an environmentally friendly documentary - I would have probably laughed in your face! At the time I never imagined myself as an editor. I wanted to be Spielberg or Coppola! The editing equipment at school rarely worked and when it did, it wasn’t properly maintained. But after graduating and doing a rather ambitious World War II love story for my thesis film, which was called Grand Central, I decided post production and editing was the best place to get a job. I started at the bottom and began as a runner and production assistant working for companies that produced movie trailers. I hung out with the editors, I learned to use the AVID and I was hooked.

How did you come to work on this film?

I came to FUEL from that world - creative advertising, editing trailers and TV spots for independent films and video games, a job I enjoyed and still enjoy very much but I was literally plucked out of obscurity. One of the producers I was working with at the time said he knew of this documentary project and it had something to do with oil and they needed a promo cut. I said sure, why not? I took the meeting, met one of the film’s producers and met Josh Tickell the director. When I first saw the footage, I was like, “WOW! This is amazing, truly eye-opening stuff, you guys are going to win an Academy Award!” I brought my bag of trailer editing tricks, cut the promo and when I was finished I wished Josh good luck with his film, never expecting to hear from him again. Apparently I made quite an impression, cause three months later, just when I was starting to feel a little job burnout, he called and asked me to come cut the movie.

I understand there were a few cuts. Even one after FUEL won the audience award at Sundance. Tell us a bit about that.

First off getting a cut to Sundance was no easy feat. Everyone talks about getting their film into Sundance and we were no different. And our presence at Sundance was huge! Not because we had celebrities with us, we just had a lot of volunteers - people on main street spreading the word, passing out schwag bags with buttons, beanie hats and coffee mugs and also the Veggie Van driving around was a big hit and so we were popular. (It’s fun to be popular, I was never the popular kid) Our film spoke to people, inspired people, educated them as well as provided entertainment, and even after winning the audience award, we knew would go back and tweak the film. What we weren’t prepared for was what was happening in the world outside of Sundance in regards to biofuels. Within 48 hours after the end of the festival there was a huge, world wide media blitz on the potential dangers of biofuels - biofuels are causing deforestation in the rain forests and starving children in Mexico and Africa. The topic of Food Vs Fuel was everywhere with the finger pointed at Corn based Ethanol. Suddenly it was bracketed by the media and even by environmental organizations that ALL biofuels are bad, including biodiesel. We didn’t address this in the film, we didn’t know! And in making a documentary, as filmmakers, you have a responsibility to provide people with the whole story as unbiased as possible. If we didn’t address this issue, we would not be fulfilling our duty as filmmakers. So we went back to re-cut, more research, more fundraising. And in the process, like a caterpillar emerging from its cocoon into a butterfly, the film went from a little happy, hippie biodiesel movie to a really beautiful, deeper, thought provoking conversation on alternative energy, sustainability and most importantly providing SOLUTIONS that all of us can participate in our every day lives today.

The first cut I saw was a few years ago and when I had the opportunity to see this version, there were only three shots I recognized. What was it like to see all your work on the cutting room floor?

Its a process. You get attached to some things and have to let them go. And the more I got invested in the footage, there were certainly things that got cut, that I really wanted to keep in. I fought hard for a whole section on Australia and what they’re up to with biodiesel, but in the end, you have to let it go. The Katrina rescue mission was originally longer and cut in a far more heroic and exciting way, but ultimately it didn’t serve the story acurately. (I saved it for my reel) There are a number of things to consider and you don’t want to make a three hour documentary. We had well over 800 hours of footage, we had enough footage to make six different films - and I’ll bet you all of them would have been really good. But only one would have been great, and that is the one you see in the final cut of FUEL.

Josh is a very passionate individual and incredibly smart. What was it like to work with such a director? 

First off, I’m very grateful to have worked with Josh on this film, not only is he my director, he’s my friend and he’s my teacher. I’ve gotten a SERIOUS green education from working on the film with him, more than I ever would from any college course. In the beginning the process is always rocky because you’re testing the chemistry with your director, you’re pushing each other, you challenging each other, you argue, you agree, you try things that work, things that don’t work, etc. And you have to work out those kinks because an editor / director relationship is one in which you’re gonna be spending a lot of time with one another, more than your own girlfriend or family. There were quite a few marathon editing sessions that lasted 24 hours straight! The secret? Chocolate covered Espresso Beans and those keychain 2GB USB flash drives! Needless to say we got to know each other pretty well. I am also a very passionate person and I bring that to the table in any film project I commit to, but Josh’s passion is for green energy, being an environmentalist and an activist. My passion is for filmmaking, storytelling, movies, music and so we balanced each other out.

What is the message FUEL is delivering?

FUEL is delivering the message that sustainable green energy is not only possible, its available today and you reading this very article right now can get involved. Through Josh’s incredible journey, we learn that everyone has the ability to do something in their lives and in their communities to make changes to get us away from petroleum based, pollution fuels and gasoline to clean burning, green energy technologies and fuels to create a better world for our children. The one technology we explore in the film that I think is the most amazing is fuel from Algae! Yeah, the stuff that grows in your pool or the side of your aquarium if you don’t clean it. Fuel from algae, who knew, right? Ultimately though, the message of the film is one of compassion and hope. I am always amazed how after screenings people feel so personally inspired.

How has working on this film directly affected your life?

I was in the dark on these issues prior to this film. I was locked up in my happy little trailer editing cave and then suddenly it was like KABOOM! Welcome to the revolution. I’ll never forget Josh’s words, “so Mike, are you ready to take the green pill?” And even though I still drive a gas car, my next car will either be a used 2006 Jeep Liberty CRD (Common Rail Diesel) or if I go brand new, it will be the 2009 Jetta TDI wagon, a diesel car which I can run on sustainable biodiesel - there’s no question about it. I may have to go out of my way initially to fill up, but I think its more than worth the effort.

Do you have any advice for up and coming editors? 

Don’t do a documentary for your first film! Haha! Unless you are ridiculously ambitious like me! Seriously though editing a documentary is a nightmare because you have so much footage that you will be driven to the cliffs of insanity! (Anyone get the movie reference?) Luckily we brought on a co-editor, the lovely Tina Imahara who had come out of AFI grad school and cut documentaries before me. I learned a lot from her and couldn’t have done my job without her. But I would advise any up and coming editors to really get hands on with film, if you can. Go out of your way to learn the old school ways and then apply what you learn to the digital world. I had the benefit of learning to cut actual film on a moviola in film school and I’m very grateful to have learned that process. Now with digital editing as the standard, the creative results are enormous. I I don’t know how many film schools still have the old flatbed editing systems around but if you can dig one up, research where to take a class, learn that and benefit from that, I think you will feel more like an editor and a filmmaker for having that knowledge. I say it often and I know a lot of people agree with me, just because you have Final Cut Pro and a laptop, that doesn’t mean you’re an editor. This new generation is standing on the shoulders of the great filmmakers of today so we can be the great filmmakers of tomorrow and I think its our responsibility in some part to use their tools and methods to enhance ours. Spielberg still cuts on a flatbed, okay he’s the only one in Hollywood doing it, but I think holding the actual film in your hands and working with it gives you something Final Cut Pro or AVID can never give you - humility for the evolving art of editing.

When I saw Cassavetes film Shadows, I knew I had to become a filmmaker. Was there a film like that for you?

Is it too cliche to say “Raiders of the Lost Ark”? There are just so many films that have inspired me, so many different filmmakers that to choose just one would seem unfair to another. Like so many I grew up fascinated by Spielberg’s body of work but even more so by watching his craft mature into balancing historical and serious subject matters with popcorn entertainment. I love Hitchcock for his classical style, Cameron Crowe for his witty humor, Alfonso Cuarón for his sense of wonderment, Ridley Scott for his epic vision and hands down anything that comes from Pixar.

Thank you Michael!

How I shot myself in the foot… PAL!

So in an attempt to be all artsy fartsy, I screwed myself! Over the past few years I have been shooting a documentary on this great little HD camera and skillfully selected 1080i50 to shoot in. Now, don’t ask why, it goes back to my undergraduate days in Colorado. Days that tend to be a bit blurry due to circumstances of my control:).

ANYWAY, I am shooting away and loving the footage and the subject. I get into FCP and throw the baby on a timeline and edit away. FIRST mistake was editing the whole forty minute film on a 1080i60 timeline thinking the conversion would be just fine. After all, one doesn’t have to render that conversion on the time line anymore! Great! Right?! NO.

So, I get all the way done, do an huge render and another huge render to find out that the conversion is less than sufficiant. I know what you techie type are thinking at this moment and well, keep those thoughts to yourself, or don’t! I would love to hear your solution. But this is my journey and damnit it has become my mission to stop anyone else from having to go down the long and winding road I traveled.

Here is where my research journey begins. I hop on line hoping to find the quick fix and nothing. Or at least very little. Digging through the depths of Google I happened upon a great website, CreativeCow.com.  You see, my first attempt was to do a direct conversion from my FCP timeline to compressor.

After a million different tests on my own, I finally found this one guy on creativecow.com who had the answer. Thank you Mike Shea…

Export movie directly from fcp to compressor

Choose Advanced Format Conversion - dv ntsc

Go to the inspector window, and in the encoder pane, click on video settings and change scan mode to - Progressive ( this gets rid of motion artifacts)  (I SKIPPED THIS STEP BECAUSE I SHOT IN 1080I50 WHICH IS INTERLACED)
Go to Frame Control Pane and set Frame controls to on. Using the Standard default settings will lead to fast processing time, changing settings to better or best will lead to a long, long wait (83 hrs for best setting on my macbook pro) *SEE BELOW FOR SETTING I USED

When the processing is complete, put your ntsc movie back in compressor, choose the 90 minute best quality dvd setting, change gop setting from 15 to 7 ( this stops any pulsing of image in certain shots) I also add a noise reduction filter and the sharpen edges filter ( I set it to about 20, as I found the ntsc conversion lead to a softening of image across the project)

END SCENE

After a nail biting 24 hours of rendering it came out spotless! I was so impressed and relieved. Too bad there was a glitch on my end that I didn’t see while previewing the film so I knew I was going to be up against it again.

In the process of doing research I came across another option… Nattress.com   A ton of people thought this was the better option and was supposed to save me time. So in a huge time crunch to get my project off the computer for the film festivals I decided to give Nattress a run the second time around. Mistake? Maybe.

Graeme, the owner, was very helpful in the beginning as I bumbled my way through the program. Then my emails stopped being answered leaving me quite frustrated.  Below is the process I used to get marginal results - there is still a ton of trailing on the image.

Make my 1080i50 a quicktime movie like you said.
Putting that clip into a 1080i60 timeline and placing my clip on it.
I put on the conversion filter and open the filter menu on the clip.
my settings are as follows 1920 x 1080
not nested
upper
upper
pal to ntsc
not anamorphic to letter
high quality is checked
not ntsc dv
not progressive output
de itnterlace normal
tolerance 10 (as it comes)
Anti alias 0 (as it comes)
motion blur 15 (last time it was 100)
pulldown offset o

put the clip in the source clip box

I then”render all” on the time line - It appears there is another way to do this from watching your video, but I can’t quite figure that way out.

that rendered clip i export as a quicktime movie

and place it in the compressor using dvd 90 best. and render.

END SCENE

Like I said, not great, but good enough for the time being. As I am going back to make one more adjustment to the film, I will use the compressor again as the results were really good. But the time was forever and it ties up my FCP while doing it.

So I leave you with this information and invite EVERYONE with any knowledge on this subject to speak up!

And in the future, shot NTSC for US distribution.

CHEERS!!!!

Enough already!

So I did it. You know the saying, it takes a village? Well, I am happy to say it does and it did. I have worked this little gem of a film into a tight 38 minute piece that really sings. And boy was it hard.

I have to say there are some really good scenes that are sitting on my cutting room floor. Oh, if you could only see the grave yard scene. It rocks! But… at last, it won’t be there. Or the 3rd and 4th birth! So good and so much drama. They too hit the cutting room floor.

My friend was right, it is all about what moves the film. How do you keep the emotional drama moving?

I had the distinct honor of showing the 42 minute version of the film to Michael S. Murphy who rocked my world. Yeah, go ahead, check out his credits and then come back to me. He looked at me at the end of the show, giggled and said, “You have no problem knocking out two minutes.”

I quivered and I quaked. This cut was becoming utterly precious to me. EVERY shot was important and said something - whether anyone noticed or cared - but I did.

He went on to remind me that VO from a talking head can slide easily under my establishing shots. And we don’t really need to see Kaziah walk from here to there. It is OK to move some time.

Being an “artist” I found throughout the cutting process it difficult to cut up shots too much as I didn’t want to over manipulate the audience so many of my shots ran - what some might call - long. (I would call European.) I was able to see his point in many of his notes. A few, I reserved my right to my decision and didn’t speed up the shot 300%. That felt just a little too, I don’t know, MTV.

All in all, I heard the film. It really did speak to me and said… BACK OFF. It is time to fly.

I should be hearing from Sundance any day now…

When is enough… enough?

How do you know when you should quit editing? I wish you could tell me. I know I am close but…

Ever feel this way. I know I have. And well in fact feel it right now. I am in the process of finishing a short documentary on Kaziah - the prolific artist who has painted over 500 fallen soldiers.

My first cut came in at 52 minutes. Not bad but Sundance has a cut off of 50 minutes if I wanted to submit it as a short film. And I think I do as it is really a short feature, it doesn’t have enough time to play in a theater and quite frankly, the story doesn’t lend itself to much more. In other words, I would be forcing the story if I tried to make it a 70 minute film.

So, I found myself in this really interesting position. I knew I could shave off 2 minutes to make it, but wanted to invite group of trusted individuals to view it. You know, make sure it was working. Well after the screening, I received such great notes and wonderful feedback, I began to believe I had an uncut diamond in my hands. On person even said, “you know this could really have a chance for a short Oscar.”

Well, it doesn’t take much for me to take on a challenge - or to stroke my ego. So that meant I had to cut it to under 40 minutes to make that qualification! That is a whopping 12 minutes.

I find myself sitting in front of the computer saying… is it worth it? Can I do it? Where do I begin.

Well a great editor and good friend suggested that I sit down and watch every single scene and ask myself what it adds to the film. He suggested that I then write down everything. Read it and see what the film says.  GREAT ADVICE!!!! So I am off to do it and hope that the 40 minute version will emerge.

Fingers crossed.

 

CHECK OUT OUR SITE!

http://kaziahthedocumentary.moonfruit.com/#

Let’s talk about RIGHTS!

So the most important thing to consider when trying to get a film distributed is what rights do you have. I don’t mean are you more privileged than the next person, I mean what did you have to give away to get your picture finished?

In the case of “As Seen Through these Eyes” we had to give away our TV rights for seven years. At the time it was all we could do to get “another Holocaust film” finished. To our credit however, we did broker one of the biggest deals Sundance has made in terms of finishing funds. So cool, that means TV is gone and we have the rest of the world.

Well, spliting rights becomes a pretty tough deal. I can say that at one point we had rights split even further than that. We had someone picking up theatrical, someone picking up video and then TV with Sundance. That seemed like a dream and a complete mess at the same time. Now most of you probably know that without the TV rights you aren’t that bad off as far as the securing a theatrical release goes. (Because we all know that that is the prize.) But having the video in the hands of a third party made the hunt for a theatrical distributor very, very tough.

Well, look at it this way. A theatrical release is a very expensive ordeal. A company will loose money on this if they try to get any recognition. I would say a small indie opening up in a few theaters needs to spend between 20 & 40k. Then they have to make that back. Most companies would use worst case scenerio and say they won’t make that in the theaters, or if they do, they won’t make a ton of profit. So then they will get it back on the dvd. So if they don’t have both, what is the point?

Right? You need your rights. So the goal is to get your film made with all rights in place and sell them together. Your film become much more valuable.

BUT let me tell you, a small indie can find its way. “As Seen” will be officially having its NYC debut on December 12. We are now negotiating what the rest of our rights are worth with our theatrical distributor. Our dvd fell apart, so they are back on the table. Now our distributor may not see that he is just doing us a favor, but may see green in the future.

Please vote on TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 4th.

 

Our Debt to Documentary Film I.O.U.S.A.

Did you know that the nation’s debt is $9.6 trillion and rising? The nation’s debt now accounts for 66% of the gross national product! Does this make you as sick as it does me?  If so, keep reading…

Director Patrick Creadon (Wordplay) has done it again. He has crafted a documentary film that is getting a ton of attention, and a theatrical play.  I.O.U.S.A (great title) opens August 22 around the country and hopes to draw a crowd that will be willing and ready to swallow the horrors that this film shines a light on… The US of A is in serious financial trouble.

I am cheering for this one to go all the way up the box office charts, not only for the good of America, but for the good of the documentary genre. You have my opening weekend dollars.

My concern, however, lies in the “misery theater” aspect of the information I.O.U.S.A is sharing.  How many people are going to drag themselves out to the theater to see just how bad the state of affairs is due to our hero, George W. Bush and others like him? Will this film be just one more film that distributors can call on as a theatrical failure?   Now I have not seen the film, therefore I am not knocking it, just a bit concerned.

“I.O.U.S.A. is the kind of film that is so timely, so immediate in its concerns, that it should air on network television tonight, rather than go through a lengthy festival and theatrical run.”

— AJ Schnack | All These Wonderful Things

I have to agree, based solely on the topic, this is a documentary made for television. We are wanting eyeballs here, as many as we can get. People just aren’t running to the theaters anymore to see topics that depress without a huge hook - like Michael Moore.

YES! This film must be seen, by everyone with a head on their shoulders. People need to know what is going on in the real world around them.  Playing Wii Tennis does not mean you are playing tennis!!! Get out of the house. In this case, drag yourself to the theater and support our local filmmaking heroes. I.O.U.S.A. needs your support and so does our economy.

So for your country - do it! Take yourself to the theater, buy yourself a ticket and listen. Spread the word. Our country needs you! So does the state of affairs of the documentary theatrical market. YIKES!

Do Documentary Filmmakers come with Opinions?

Opinions are like a–holes, everyone has one. So yes, yes and yes.  I do believe that every filmmaker comes to the table with an opinion on the subject they are examining.  This is especially true if the filmmaker is putting themselves in the film.

Take Supersize Me or Sherman’s March. Both of these films had something to say about the world around them at a specific time. But as Tamie points out in the comments from last week, all documentary filmmakers approach their subject with an opinion.

Therefore, the question then becomes, what sort of objectivity are these filmmakers bringing to the table? Are they being true to their subject and the world around them or are they crafting the story to fit their needs?

Enter Frederick Wiseman. This legend made 36 films in 38 years. In 2006, Mr. Wiseman received the George Polk Career Award given annually by Long Island University to honor contributions to journalistic integrity and investigative reporting.

Many, including Wikipedia, would say that this great documentary filmmaker shoots in a style referred to as cinema verité, or as some like to call it the “observational mode”.  However, Wiseman begs to differ…

What I try to do is edit the films so that they will have a dramatic structure, that is why I object to some extent to the term observational cinema or cinema verité, because observational cinema to me at least connotes just hanging around with one thing being as valuable as another and that is not true. At least that is not true for me and cinema verité is just a pompous French term that has absolutely no meaning as far as I’m concerned.

At least he is honest. In 1968, Wiseman shot a little doc called High School for PBS. This film follows the “typical” day of students and faculty at Northeast High School in Philadelphia. Well, not so typical my Aunt Philomena would say. Why does she have the authority to challenge? She is the teacher in the film caught scolding the young lady for wearing a skirt that was too short.

One family party, I was privy to the inside scoop on the making of that film and let me tell you, her veins were a popping as she filled me in. Turns out that Wiseman went to the school and graciously pitched his story to them. This was to be a film about the schools in America and he felt Northeast High School was a great place to show typical behavior. The staff bit.

Upon completion of the film, they knew they had been had and they were furious.

(Remember, Wiseman had just come off the film Titicut Follies which found itself banned in all states bar Massachusetts. It was declared as “80 minutes of brutal sordidness and human degradation.”)

Now he had teachers and administrators buzzing around him like a swarm of angry bees. Their major complaint came was how the film was edited, causing them to look like barbarians reigning over their students like raw meat.

A great example is the scene where the principal is walking down the hallway. He stops to ponder and gazes through the gymnasium door to see the students engaged in sport. At this point there is a very suggestive cut that implies the thoughts and feelings of this administrator. (Won’t spoil… must see it.)

Wiseman has just done what he set out to do… build drama through editing to get his point across- however- with no regard to the truth, BUT to be taken by the viewer as truth to prove his point. This is really the gray area of documentary filmmaking in my mind.

You see, Wiseman never entered Northeast High School to paint a pretty picture. No. He had a very definite opinion of what the school systems were all about. He had set out to show how poor these schools were run. Another institution in his mind that was failing the people.

Journalistic integrity and investigative reporting? I wonder…

Check out the film and let me know what you think.

MUST READ THIS WEEK****  The Editor *** he really knows his stuff!

My week in Documentary Film - The “Pickup”

This week was a wild ride that started at 4:30am on Monday. I was on my way to Utah to do the much needed pickups for the documentary on Kaziah and I had less than 48 hours to do it…

My morning started off in line at McDonalds desperate to try their new Iced Coffee everyone has been raving about. Yes, this might seem like an easy/simple thing to be so excited about but remember, I still have a little one expecting wholesome milk from my breast.  He/we prefer the decaffinated version  :0).  Today and tomorrow I will be pumping and dumping.

So there I am slugging down my coffee, coming to terms with the fact that this beverage is no better than one would expect coffee to be coming from McDonalds. Enough sugar to supersize me. I digress…

On the plane I go over my notes. Having been sorting through over 15 hours of tape I realized there were some big story holes in the doc. This is my last chance to get everything I need to not only make a great film, but also hit the much covited Sundance deadline. How am I going to incorportate myself into the media gracefully? How can I get Kaziah to talk about her painful past which she wouldn’t do on our first trip?  If she looks different, how will I make that work? High on caffine, questions are buzzing through my mind.

One thing comforts me, the idea that this is a very blessed project. Kaziah May Hancock has painted over 500 hundred fallen soldiers as gifts for the families. She is a true Christian and has enough grit and grizzle to feed the entire US military. I will get what I needed if I trust myself, keep my ears open and press -gently of course - but the full court press is indeed the move to make.

So the PICKUP begins…

I arrive in Utah to be met by producing partner Kathleen. “Kathleen Dolan, please pick up a white courtesy phone” comes over the airport loud speaker. Trouble?! Already?!! Can’t be. Please, no.

I get out of the terminal to find that our ride, Kaziah, is lost in the Salt Lake Airport.  Small town girl lost in the chaos of the big city. She is at the other terminal and having trouble finding ours. We come to learn that until this year, a sixty year old Kaziah had only been to the airport two times.  After a few minutes she found us. Kaziah was frizzle fried but super happy to see us. Our journey began.

Her life has changed drastically since 9/11. She found the need to adopt a nation and started sharing her gift of painting with those in desperate need. In the past year she has been on a plane over six times to receive awards for her work as an artist. (This is an example of her work.) At least 10 news crews from all over the country have been to her farm to document her as an artist. In fact, one news station won the nation Emmy on her piece! The world wants to thank Kaziah and know more about her. So do I…

“So Kaziah,” I start on the two and a half hour drive back to her goat farm, “we are going to have to ask you some really tough questions this time to make our story work. We need people to know you and love you as much as we do. The good and the bad.”

A recent aquantance of hers had brought some suspision into her head. Kaziah realized that this all was going to go on her permanant record. And not all of her life was made up of roses.

This is the main catch with documentary subjects - gaining trust and remaining trustworthy. I found myself at a point where I had to prove myself again. I couldn’t risk having a closed subject. I don’t have the time or money.
Kathleen brough Kaziah into my life quite a few years back, in fact, before the war. We have been working together to get a narrative film mounted on Kaziah’s life. Proving difficult and being doers, we started working on our documentary one year ago. Up until this point she has been very trusting and lovely, and we wanted to keep it that way.

So since I knew I had a rough road ahead of me, I decided to do something I rarely if ever do, show my subject some footage. Now this time I felt great doing it because the footage is good, if I do say so myself. There is one take where Kaziah speaks about what it is like to paint so many fallen soldiers. Her passion and soul are bare naked on the screen left open for the world to judge and the gavel can only fall on the side of pure beauty and kindness.

Needless to say, she was blown away by herself and the delicate nature of the camera work. “Hell”, she said, “at least it is honest. Fat ass and all. At least it is honest”.  A filmmaker couldn’t ask for a nicer comment and a subject couldn’t feel any better than that.

I got her back in my court and the clock continued to tick.

 Come back next week for more…

 But in the meantime, check out STEVIE by Steve James and let me know what you think. One must look at (and question) the relationship of filmmaker and subject in this film.

ATTENTION FILMMAKERS… Tax Incentives for CA

Over the weekend, California artists and execs met with Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger about the problem of runaway production.  Schwarzenegger pledged to push for statewide tax breaks.

If you live or work in California, do your bit by thanking the Governor for his support. And spurring him on. gov.ca.gov/interact

Thank you for your time!

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