Partying with a Purpose
BY ALEC HART, PHOENIX, ARIZONA, USA - Last night, we had a party. It was for all the Supporters of the Zambian film projects, the Arizona "Friends of Zambia." When you're making a documentary film, there's no such thing as just a party. Even a party has a purpose!
If you look at the photo collage, you can see cinematographer Shawn Downs getting footage of the event. For the documentary, we have to capture critical moments in the making of the film. We look for those moments when the crew is working well together (like the party). We also watch for the moments of greatest conflict. Drama is, after all, dependent on conflict. Since we're about a month away from leaving for Zambia, the number of dramatic moments are increasing.
Being the child of the producer, I probably see more dramatic moments than most people. I see the exciting moments when we find out the Zambian Ambassador may be able to visit Phoenix or that the Arizona Governor has been briefed on the project. I was there when it looked like Mesa Community College would be able to start a faculty exchange program with Lusaka U and the Evelyn Hone Technical School.
There are those other times, too. I also see the difficult moments as Cyndi works to get all of the money, supplies and logistics we'll need to make TWO films in Zambia. It's a pretty monumental project so there are many people who really want to go. Even worse, the number of people wanting to go keeps growing. Now that the films have gained a lot of support, more and more people try to "attach" themselves to the project. This is the challenge of producing.
I've been hearing about filmmaking, screenwriting and producing since I was a baby. I had always heard about how difficult it was to "attach" the right people in the beginning of a project (like cinematographer Nancy Schreiber) and how easy it was to attach interest after the project was underway. I see it now. I understand producing in a very different way. I understand why you bring your crew together for an informal gathering ... a chance to get to know each other more informally, to bond with the directors (we have two of them, Jabbes on the feature and Cyndi on the documentary), to try and see where there might be problems in the future. Much better to find them here in Phoenix than when we get to Zambia.
For the producer, everything has a purpose.
(Photographs by Michael Montesa)