Off to VCCA
I’m off to the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts. I’ve been there twice before and it’s always been good to me. Why am I going this time? To write. I’ve been working on the film all summer and need … Continued
Ross McElwee
For your reading pleasure, here’s some non-A Life’s Work work. Here’s a link to a short interview I conducted with Ross McElwee for Filmmaker Magazine. And my review of McElwee’s most recent film, Photographic Memory for Extra Criticum. The short version: … Continued
Editing a Setback Sequence – Process
Previously, on A Life’s Work blog In a previous post I wrote about the process of editing a clip from the Black Gospel Music Restoration Project Program section of A Life’s Work. Since I’ve been working on the subsequent section of … Continued
Lost Gospel Music Clip – Process
Before I get to the clip, some background. My first meeting with Bob Darden of the Black Gospel Music Restoration Project was in Chicago, August 2009. During our sit down interviews it became clear very quickly that I would have … Continued
Los Straitjackets and Yasujiro Ozu
I recently saw Los Straitjackets perform (with special guests the World Famous Pontani Sisters, a burlesque act) here in NYC. I’ve seen them several times before and they always manage to entertain. But somewhere in the middle of one of … Continued
Bristlecone Pines, Good Luck, and ALW
What’s that saying? It’s better to be lucky than good. But being lucky is one thing, you then have to recognize what you stepped in. I’m not always lucky, but one day on my shoot in California’s White Mountains . . … Continued
Where Are the Experts?
Dear Filmmaker, Are you interviewing experts who are critical of your subjects’ work? If yes, who? If no, why not? N.E. Dear.N.E. This is an excellent question. I am not interviewing experts. I decided early on that though the projects … Continued
“Her Life’s Work” – By Kate Hill Cantrill, Guest Blogger
I’m reposting Kate Hill Cantrill’s guest stint because her short story collection, Walk Back from Monkey School, is NOW AVAILABLE, and that’s how we treat our guest bloggers here at A Life’s Work headquarters. Kate Hill Cantrill’s writing has appeared in … Continued
Blind Willie Johnson Meet Blind Lemon Jefferson
Robert Darden’s excellent book, People Get Ready: A New History of Black Gospel Music, is one of those books that educates and entertains. If you’re interested at all in gospel music or American roots music, this is a must read. … Continued
Interview with Filmmaker Kathy Leichter on Filmmaker Magazine
Over on the Filmmaker Magazine web site you can find an interview I conducted with documentary filmmaker Kathy Leichter. Kathy’s film, Here One Day, was born out of grief, as was A Life’s Work. Though our inspiration may have been the same, we … Continued