Wrapping it all Up

This has not been an easy documentary to make. There were most certainly times when I thought none of it would come to fruition. The story structure wasn’t there. There wasn’t a climax. There wasn’t enough footage.

All of that being said, I’m really proud of what we have produced. Ines’ story is compelling and it comes at a unique time in the history of this country. These stories of mixed-status families may be a thing of the past at some point, but for now they are incredibly important in the legislative progress of immigration reform. It’s an honor to be able to take part in that storytelling.

We are close to being done, but we’re not there yet. I think the biggest thing we really need to focus on is how we can drive home the emotion of this story. As an insider, privy to all the ins and outs of what is going on in the film, it’s easy for me to say that this is a compelling, emotional tale. But we have to make sure that our test audience and future audiences feel the same way.

One thing that will really help with that is music. If we get the music right, and we work towards crafting moments of pause and severity, this can end up being really emotionally effective. It is scary to have to part with this soon, as much as it has been a huge struggle along the way. But I’m thinking it will be worth it in the end. 

A Place for this Film

I’ve struggled with determining whether festivals or newsrooms should see this documentary first. I think it’s a personal, moving story that could definitely find a place at Sundance or some other festival that premieres short documentary work. At the same time, at its core, it is a feature based around news and the prospect of future immigration reform.

We will undoubtedly submit it to the Chicago Emmys and hopefully the national Emmys later this summer. I think it is in our best interest to first focus on news affiliates, including but not limited to CNN, New York Times Op-Docs and local PBS stations. At its heart, the story is about Chicago family so I’m hopeful that it can get some local airtime.

The current version will need to be significantly trimmed in time for Sundance and other festivals this summer. So, it’ll be nice that we can have the time to see what websites and publications are interested prior to submitting to any festivals. In the event that it is accepted by these websites, we would most likely have to reconsider festival play due to the lack of exclusivity rights.

It’ll be interesting to see how it all plays out. The film’s current length suits a longer television program format perfectly. But, we will most certainly have to make edits and amendments in order to distribute it as best we can. Ultimately, I think it is a story for a wide variety of audiences and can be insightful to a large community of viewers, whether online or at festivals. 

Choosing Characters

We are at a crucial moment in the production of our documentary, as we decide which character we are going to fixate on. After presenting our three concepts, it is going to be difficult to decide how to go forward. At this juncture, we are pursuing the immigration story with full force. It is rich, timely and different.

That being said, I don’t know what they are like as characters. Our first full-team conversation with the woman is coming up, at which point we’ll decide how to progress with her and her husband in hiding. Their story is remarkable but they have to be fantastic on camera as well.

Jim Goodman, who we spoke with already, is a terrific main character. He has a history rife with discovery and intrigue. But I’m a little concerned that he doesn’t present us with significant conflicts at this point. He is in the process of completing a lot of new inventions, primarily for community development in his neighborhood. It seems as though there won’t be any barriers to his accomplishing this though. He’s an established figure in the community who everyone likes. I’m interested in his history and exploring what really makes him tick, particularly during his old age, but I’m worried that we don’t have all that much to provide a cinema verite type situation.

We will most definitely keep in touch and continue to interview him and pursue his story through various avenues. But at this point, it doesn’t seem like the most promising lead.

His openness to speaking is vital though and we are planning to go back to his hangar soon to continue the story.

On my front, I will be speaking with Tomas Ramirez about attending another sweat lodge ceremony soon. I still am very fixated on the imagery that it could present for us. It would be so fantastic to get some audio inside there and have that experience come to live on film. Again, my concern is access. I think we will definitely reach some people associated but it will be tough to consolidate the story and channel it to a direct conflict.

So, overall it’s an interesting point in the documentary process. I have faith in the immigration story whether we make it to Michigan or not. It’s such a perfect time to explore this story and it really needs to be told in the current political climate. My previous reporting with immigration both in Jack Doppelt’s class and in Washington DC last quarter makes me feel very attached to this subject matter. I think that will come through in our production and make it a very relatable, intense and rich story.

But we have a long road ahead of us. It’s equally exciting and scary. 

The Cove

The Cove is a documentary that benefits hugely from the presence of a strong central character. Ric O’Barry is a complicated figure with a rich and interesting past that gives him both authority in the film and conflict immediately.

Previously a trainer for the television show Flipper, he works as an activist to save the very dolphins which he had previously put at risk for his work. His stories are stirring, beautiful tributes to dolphins and the humanity that exists within their massive brains. O’Barry’s experience allows the viewer to see the world through dolphins’ eyes, giving us perspective on the trauma they experience at the hands of vicious traders attempting to sell their meat.

While The Cove presents a heavy-handed argument in favor of its opinion, it becomes believable to a great deal because of O’Barry. Protecting dolphins is a position most people can get behind, but it is great to see the connection the people in the film have with the species.

Most position films, or documentaries that postulate lack this central presence. They are often rife with opinions and voices from experts without a guiding complexity that drives the film forward. The Cove avoids the pitfalls of spending a lot of time on talk. Rather, it envelopes us in Ric O’Barry’s quest right away.

It’s interesting too that it incorporates a cinema verite style, focusing on the adventure of the quest as opposed to the issues at stake constantly. We are given very little coverage of the namesake cove, but it is enough to signify the importance of O’Barry’s mission, small glimpses around which to rally.

One thing that ran through my mind while watching this movie was whether there was a differing opinion on the sale of dolphin meat. How many people could legitimatize this for economic reasons? Do they have any other reasons? It’d be quite a tough sell, but I’m curious as to how the filmmakers would tackle that.

Definitely watching it again, I’m recognizing the importance of the unification of issue and character. Funneling a macro issue down to a palatable size with the assistance of a reliable narrator is integral to the success of message films like this. Extrapolating this to journalism in general, I had the revelation that no one understands complicated issues with multiple parties at stake, unless there is a central guiding voice. I suppose that is why television talk shows and CNN programs gain the viewership that they do.

In any event I digress, The Cove is a miracle because it integrates these two concepts so seamlessly. We are presented with a conflict early on and given a character to lead us through it. It’s a complicated issue but one that doesn’t garner a lot of diverse opinions. And Ric O’Barry doesn’t leave a lot of time to speak up against him. 

The Times of Harvey Milk

My first experience with the story of Harvey Milk was watching the feature film by Gus Van Sant in 2008. I was taken with his story immediately; one man with a huge heart and an even bigger personality trying to make a tangible difference in a time that allowed change.

            Watching The Times of Harvey Milk was an entirely different experience, bringing a sense of gravity, remorse and beauty to his story. What made the documentary so effective is the extensive research conducted by the team and the archival footage they were able to gather. I like being able to see stories as they happen and I think that is vital to the success of any documentary.

            The first footage we see is a series of interviews with people from different sectors of Harvey’s life. Some say he’s a madman and one woman even talks about him bringing her groceries after a miscarriage. It’s a strange and varied use of A-roll material, a hodgepodge collection of people involved in his life. But it is a perfect insight into the man we are about to meet. Harvey Milk transitions from a quiet, ordinary young boy with large ears into a loud and free-loving man living in the Castro district of San Francisco.  We see footage showing a bedraggled, bearded Milk openly kissing his partner in public. The filmmakers make this quick transition between photos of his youth to this moment, giving the audience a great sense of the things and people that made him, without spending a lot of time giving longwinded contextual background information.

            I always find that documentaries are the most effective and emotionally devastating when they don’t force me to feel compassion for their subjects. I frequently get bothered by these wonderful pieces of journalism that will engage me up until their last moments during which a URL appears on the screen. I don’t want to be forced to feel. And that’s what this movie accomplishes so effortlessly. The Times of Harvey Milk doesn’t want to politicize its subject. It doesn’t want you to support gay rights or marriage. It wants to relate to a man with a vision and a dream who wanted something better for himself and the people that he loved.

            The most effective moment in the film comes after Harvey’s death. We see a man being interviewed about his attendance at Milk’s memorial and he says that only a small amount of people had gathered to remember him and grieve for his death. Then we cut to a massive procession of people holding candles, walking in solidarity to honor the life of this man. It’s such a striking, beautiful image, one which ties together the importance of Harvey’s work and the individuals whom he directly impacted. The scene is so human and gorgeous that there is no need for some kind of narration summarizing his life and aggrandizing his importance. It’s one of the most indelible images I’ve seen on screen.

            The Times of Harvey Milk doesn’t present us with an historic San Franciscan; it doesn’t want us to support a gay politician; it urges us to remember that life is worth fighting for and dreams never die. The candles don’t go out.