Documenting

I had a surreal experience yesterday at BulletProof Film. Carmine, the guy who's in charge of the documentary I've been helping with, asked if I wanted to come back to the editing room and "look at some stuff." We watched a rough cut of the film, and he asked me to note down any problems I saw with it. I did this for a while, and then we got into a conversation about the main themes talked about by the interviewees.

The item in queston was one of the interviewees talking about how his father was killed in World War II. Carmine and I figured out a "storyline" that would start with his story, go to others who talk about the war, and end up with a section that talked about the beginning of the Cold War, using some of the public domain footage we found.

The crazy, surreal thing was that Carmine was listening to me. I'd suggest something, and we'd discuss it, or he'd just do it. Here was a professional filmmaker, with several films under his belt, asking my advice and acting on it. It was a great feeling, something I don't think I've ever felt before: the feeling of being competent among professionals.