Wyatt in the World

Last night I went over to a friend’s house to see some folks who were visiting from out of town. When I arrived, I was told we’d be watching a documentary film entitled, The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters. It’s about these rival Donkey Kong players. Yep. Not a movie I would have picked up off the shelf myself, but I do have a lot of techie friends, so it’s not absurd that I would find myself watching this type of movie.  I was OK with watching it, since I need to watch a lot of documentaries over the next couple of months and analyze them.

I was not expecting much, but I was pleasantly surprised that it turned out to be pretty good! There weren’t many fancy tricks or shots, however there was drama, conflict, and a bunch of interesting characters, including a “villain” and an “underdog”. It had an an appealing beginning, an unexpected middle and a satisfying end, which I read somewhere is a good thing for a movie.  Even if you don’t like anything to do with video games (which is me), it’s worth a watch, simply because it is a fairly well told story.

I have started the quest of making my first feature length film.  It will be a documentary about the Caribbean island nation of Dominica where my mother is originally from and where she currently resides.

I think I’m a very process-oriented person. I believe in the old saying “Plan Your Work, Work Your Plan”, so I started this quest with making a  plan which is (very cursorily) outlined here:

1. Development - Research and identify all things related to the making of this film.

2. Pre-Production - Get ready to shoot the film.

3. Production - Shoot the film.

4. Post-Production - Edit the film.

5. Martketing/Distribution - Get the film out for the world to see.

Someone recently asked me why I wanted to do a film about Dominica. In the midst of all this planning, I didn’t have an answer. I wasn’t even entirely sure what this film was going to be about. Should it be a general essay on Dominica and its people?  Dominica on the geopolitical stage? Eco-tourism and Dominica? Dominica and China relations? What????

I think a lot of people making documentaries maybe start out with a bit of ambiguity, but I must say it was driving me bonkers. I’m a planner. I have to have at least some semblance of a plan for what the movie is about and why I’m making it, even if the plan is going to change. I have to start with something. Some direction.

So this weekend I’ve thought a lot about the “why”, and I finally have an answer. I love to tell stories. I’ve been fascinated with the art of story telling for a long time, and I admire people that can tell great stories.  I want to tell a story through film about something that I’m passionate about, somewhere that I have roots, somewhere that is a part of me - Dominica. I want to introduce everyone to this little known place and it’s unique people. I want my story to be something that people will remember and reflect upon and think about. I want my story to be great. I want to be a great storyteller.

I also spent some time brainstorming with my family and friends on the theme of my documentary and the bones or exposition - the who, what, where, when and why of the film itself. I need to noodle over the output some more, but I feel that I am at a point where I now have an idea of what this film will be about. It may change, but I’m OK with that. As long as I have some idea of where I’m going, that’s a good start.

I watched this film the other day at the Seattle International Film Festival. It is called Encounters at the End of the World by Werner Herzog. It’s about his trip, sponsored by the NSF, to the South Pole, and what and who he encounters there. My favorite quote from that film was from a Caterpillar driver who also happened to be a philosopher. He said that a lot of people that are at the South Pole are “full-time travelers and part-time workers.” Brilliant. That’s exactly what I want to be. Although maybe not as hard-core as some of the people in the film.

I’m definitely not the backpacking type. I like to experience the finer things in life when I travel, however I can travel on a budget. I’ve never stayed in a youth hostel in my entire life, though. Nor do I plan to stay in one.

Anyway, welcome to my blog. Here I will post journal entries and videos about my travels and my experiences as a filmmaker. I’m open to your comments and questions. Enjoy!