The Shot That Got Away
In the last post, I revealed two of my favorite shots. I wish there was a third clip there. When we were filming Jill Tarter at the SETI Institute’s offices in Mountain View, CA, we also had the opportunity to … Continued
Why Do I Love These Shots?
[cross-posted at extracriticum.com] I was looking through the Extra Criticum archive and being a person who would rather look at images than read, I clicked on Rolando Teco’s “Why Do I Like This Shot?” It made me think of a … Continued
Four Minutes of A Life's Work: A Clip
In the spring I worked with editor Cabot Philbrick and constructed a 27-minute work-in-progress sample of A Life’s Work. I’m delighted that Cabot is including a portion of that work on his editor’s reel and you can view it online. … Continued
"What the Hey Were You Doing in Chicago?" Part 1
I went to interview the next subject of the documentary, Robert Darden, founder of the Black Gospel Music Restoration Project. Robert is a writer and professor of journalism at Baylor University, a deacon at his church, and a passionate gospel … Continued
Another Adventure
Wolfgang Held and I are on our way to Chicago. We return late Monday evening. I’m nervous and excited and I don’t expect I’ll get much sleep this weekend. I received an e-mail last night from Wolfgang. The last sentence: … Continued
The Readiness Is All
Friday, August 7th, I’m heading to Chicago to do the next interview. You’ll forgive me if I don’t reveal the subject by name yet. I will in time, perhaps after I’ve had time to digest the interviews. There is a … Continued
Cloning Redwood Trees?
You bet. That’s what David Milarch of Champion Tree Project has in mind. In November 2007 I went to northern California, video camera in hand, and shot the proceedings. You can read what Jim Robbins of The New York Times … Continued
I Write in the Best Notebooks
If you’ve read the About the Filmmaker page you’ll notice that I am a filmmaker and a writer. This means I have attributes of both. (I’m forgoing the deep psychological stuff for now because that’s not where this post is … Continued
"Don’t you want to make a REAL film?"
People have actually said that to me after I tell them I’m making a documentary. I’m usually rendered speechless and sometimes I can’t even manage to raise an eyebrow. Of course I know what they mean. They mean a narrative … Continued
From Concept to First Day of Shooting
I was having lunch with my friend and colleague, cinematographer Wolfgang Held (who shot Tango Octogenario), and I told him I was thinking about making a documentary. Wolfgang’s background is in documentary film, so naturally he wanted to hear more. … Continued