David Licata | April 16, 2012
I met Jim Robbins when I followed David Milarch around a grove of Redwoods in Northern California in the fall of 2007. It was a tense shoot (you can read about it here), and Jim’s cool presence did a lot to settle my nerves. We’ve kept in touch, and when he comes to NYC, we [...]
David Licata | April 12, 2012
Did you read yesterday’s New York Times Op-Ed Why Trees Matter, written by friend of A Life’s Work Jim Robbins? No? Well click the link and check it out. You may be surprised to learn (or re-learn) all the good things trees do for the planet and its inhabitants. I re-learned that aspirin comes to [...]
David Licata | May 27, 2011
Documentary filmmakers frequently encounter a dilemma: how do you know when to say, “production is over.” You can always shoot more, especially now with video. For Grey Gardens, a film I reference frequently, the Maysles shot more than 70 hours of footage over the course of six weeks. That’s film, not video. And film stock [...]
David Licata | May 17, 2011
In previous posts, I wrote about other people and projects I considered for A Life’s Work and why I chose four subjects instead of three or five or twenty-seven. But neither of those posts address why I chose these four people. A Life’s Work is very simple, really. It’s me searching for an answer to [...]
David Licata | April 29, 2011
Here’s a clip I put together just for Arbor Day. The bulk of this clip was shot on our first visit with the Milarchs in 2007. (Please pardon my little artsy interlude which was shot elsewhere.) This is one of my favorite bits of footage and I’m so glad cinematographer Wolfgang Held kept rolling, even [...]
David Licata | April 10, 2011
In your Sunday New York Times, an article on Archangel Ancient Tree Archive’s efforts. On your monitor, a segment from the documentary, A Life’s Work (in post-production), featuring David Milarch of AATA (then known as Champion Tree Project). And while you’re here, why not take a look at 10 Ways to Support A Life’s Work. [...]
David Licata | March 14, 2011
Yesterday the Associated Press ran a story about the Milarchs efforts to clone the biggest and oldest trees for reforestation projects, and now it’s everywhere. Here it is on the NPR web site. I thought this might be a good opportunity to revisit a clip from A Life’s Work, so here you go: David Milarch [...]
David Licata | February 18, 2011
Four years ago this week Wolfgang Held and I ventured to Michigan to interview David and Jared Milarch. It seems like both yesterday and a lifetime ago. I hear you: “David, Michigan in February? Why didn’t you go in May?” We had shot Soleri in the desert the previous fall, now I wanted contrast. I [...]
David Licata | February 8, 2011
Dear Filmmaker, Actually, this question didn’t start that way. When I first sit down to interview someone for A Life’s Work, I have a few things I mention before I ask the first question. One of those things is, “If you have a question for me, please ask it.” When we spoke with David Milarch [...]
David Licata | February 1, 2011
I recently went to my doctor and we got to talking about A Life’s Work. He asked me if I knew Cicero’s treatise, On Old Age. I didn’t. He paraphrased a passage about trees. “Oh, that’s good,” I said. “I’m going to use that in my blog.” When I came home, waiting in my inbox [...]
