BACKSTORY:
Lilah is the 4th piece in my short documentary profile series.
Lilah is a psychic, about 55 years old, who has lived within the same 2 block radius in downtown Boston her entire life. Her neighborhood once rife with crime, drug abuse, strip clubs and prostitution, is now home to luxury high-rise buildings and multiple college campuses. Her business and home, and a few of the other area taverns and restaurants, are the last of the “old time” holdouts.
The idea of interviewing a psychic interested me early on in this project, as I pass several on my walking route each day. I worked up the nerve to buzz the psychic on the 2nd floor of one building in particular, and was immediately buzzed up. There I met Lilah who was very, very reluctant to be interviewed. I was quickly informed that 1-2 times each month she is asked for interviews by students, newspapers and magazines – and she turns them all down. I took my time, didn’t push, and enjoyed a 30-minute conversation about nothing much at all. I showed her the piece I did on Pat, whom she knows. At the end, she agreed to see me the next day but wouldn’t allow me to film her face. I reluctantly agreed. I suppose I could always film her hands?
The next afternoon, I showed up at the appointed time, and we discussed my approach and how I thought the interview could best reflect her story. After 15 minutes of visiting and some gentle persuasion, she agreed to let me film her – face and all. We chatted for a little over an hour, and the final piece is my impression of that time, boiled down to 5 minutes.
ARTISTIC STATEMENT:
This being the 4th in my profile series, I needed to ensure that it could stand on its own apart from the other three, but could also push the boundaries of the project. My approach to these profile pieces has been consistent, methodologically speaking: present and confirm a stereotype within the first minute and then break down that stereotype to reveal the human story.
Maintaining a consistent “look” trajectory while at the same time allowing for each piece to live and breathe on its own has been challenging. It’s difficult to know what might be perceived as gimmicky and what will genuinely add to the story. Shallow depth of field, natural lighting, hard edits and jump cuts, extreme close ups, color grading, musical flow, all seem to be emerging as a part of my personalized style. This was true for my piece on Lilah. This combination of elements is not unique, but I believe I’ve employed it in a way that helps me tell compelling stories with my signature embedded.
TECH:
I filmed this piece on a Sony EX1 with a Letus 35mm Adapter and a Zeiss Planar T* f1.4/85mm prime lens. I opted for a simple 3-way color correction in Final Cut Pro instead of magic bullet looks (my usual choice). The natural light turned out beautifully and very much reflected the mood of the room, and the interview.
BACKSTORY:
Lilah is the 4th piece in my short documentary profile series.
Lilah is a psychic, about 55 years old, who has lived within the same 2 block radius in downtown Boston her entire life. Her neighborhood once rife with crime, drug abuse, strip clubs and prostitution, is now home to luxury high-rise buildings and multiple college campuses. Her business and home, and a few of the other area taverns and restaurants, are the last of the “old time” holdouts.
The idea of interviewing a psychic interested me early on in this project, as I pass several on my walking route each day. I worked up the nerve to buzz the psychic on the 2nd floor of one building in particular, and was immediately buzzed up. There I met Lilah who was very, very reluctant to be interviewed. I was quickly informed that 1-2 times each month she is asked for interviews by students, newspapers and magazines – and she turns them all down. I took my time, didn’t push, and enjoyed a 30-minute conversation about nothing much at all. I showed her the piece I did on Pat, whom she knows. At the end, she agreed to see me the next day but wouldn’t allow me to film her face. I reluctantly agreed. I suppose I could always film her hands?
The next afternoon, I showed up at the appointed time, and we discussed my approach and how I thought the interview could best reflect her story. After 15 minutes of visiting and some gentle persuasion, she agreed to let me film her – face and all. We chatted for a little over an hour, and the final piece is my impression of that time, boiled down to 5 minutes.
ARTISTIC STATEMENT:
This being the 4th in my profile series, I needed to ensure that it could stand on its own apart from the other three, but could also push the boundaries of the project. My approach to these profile pieces has been consistent, methodologically speaking: present and confirm a stereotype within the first minute and then break down that stereotype to reveal the human story.
Maintaining a consistent “look” trajectory while at the same time allowing for each piece to live and breathe on its own has been challenging. It’s difficult to know what might be perceived as gimmicky and what will genuinely add to the story. Shallow depth of field, natural lighting, hard edits and jump cuts, extreme close ups, color grading, musical flow, all seem to be emerging as a part of my personalized style. This was true for my piece on Lilah. This combination of elements is not unique, but I believe I’ve employed it in a way that helps me tell compelling stories with my signature embedded.
TECH:
I filmed this piece on a Sony EX1 with a Letus 35mm Adapter and a Zeiss Planar T* f1.4/85mm prime lens. I opted for a simple 3-way color correction in Final Cut Pro instead of magic bullet looks (my usual choice). The natural light turned out beautifully and very much reflected the mood of the room, and the interview.