ABOUT THE FILM

FILMMAKER Q & A

In the credits you are both listed as producer/director/editor. How did you coordinate the various tasks on the project?
Phil: As David mentioned, we had developed our creative relationship 10 years ago working at Georgia Tech, so we were able to move very quickly into the process again with this project. Throughout the development and completion of the film, David and I wore each of these hats interchangeably, often from day to day, hour to hour. The shift is pretty easy for us—"You do this, I'll do that. OK?" I tended to focus on narrative issues, music and the larger producer tasks while David worked on visual elements, the archival library and editorial tasks. But even those roles would flip-flop as needed, depending on our strengths or availability. It's a great way to work if two people can coordinate the dance moves. And you can always play "good cop-bad cop" when needed.

David: While Phil and I were very experienced in the process of producing a presentation of this nature, we had never collectively created something so long, with so many variables and components, and with such a complex narrative. We would have daily informal meetings in the morning to plan our day and discuss key issues. As we got deep into the process, the ability to bring two perspectives to the difficult issues, tasks and decisions involved in creating a piece of media of this nature was absolutely invaluable to the project…and to our sanity. I would recommend a partnership model to anyone.