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 … Continued
Someone else shoots and someone else edits. So what exactly do I do on A Life’s Work besides sit opposite these amazing people and ask them a bunch of questions? I make a lot of decisions. Who, what, where, when? … Continued
First there is a lot of procrastination. I’m not a procrastinator by nature, but something about editing really brings it out in me. Like now, as I’m writing this, I have Final Cut Pro open and I should be working … Continued
I was watching Gimme Shelter for the billionth time the other night and I wondered what it was about that film that is so enduring. I came up with several reasons: The Maysles’ masterful cameras capture The Rolling Stones at … Continued
This clipping is from The New York Times Magazine, July 9, 1995. It was in the “Questions For” section, which was newish then and given significantly less ink than it gets today. In this column the questions were for choreographer … Continued
While I was at Blue Mountain Center I edited a Black Gospel Music Restoration Project section with headphones on so as not to disturb my fellow residents. Unlike the clip that’s online, this bit takes place at Baylor University (Waco, … Continued
My residency at the MacDowell Colony ended March 19. So did I accomplish what I had hoped to accomplish? Yes and no. I selected the sit down content for the remaining two-thirds of the film. I erred on the long … Continued
Most residencies provide a bed in the studio. In the past I’ve used the bed to sneak the occasional nap. I liked treating my studio like a place of work, a factory where I went and made stuff and when … Continued
This is my bedroom at the MacDowell Colony. Since I’ve been sleeping in my studio, I use the bedroom as a waystation and closet. When I first saw the room I assumed that behind the curtain was a place to … Continued