WEBVTT 1 00:00:03.919 --> 00:00:08.839 You are listening to the IFH podcast Network. For more amazing filmmaking and screenwriting 2 00:00:08.880 --> 00:00:14.839 podcasts, just go to ifahpodcastnetwork dot com. Welcome to the Bulletproof Screenwriting Podcast, 3 00:00:14.960 --> 00:00:18.960 Episode number three seventy Build your own Dreams. If not, someone will 4 00:00:19.039 --> 00:00:24.559 hire you to build theirs. Farah Gray broadcasting from a dark, windowless room 5 00:00:24.600 --> 00:00:28.199 in Hollywood when we really should be working on that next draft. It's the 6 00:00:28.320 --> 00:00:33.759 Bulletproof Screenwriting Podcast, showing you the craft and business of screenwriting while teaching you 7 00:00:33.840 --> 00:00:38.399 how to make your screenplay bulletproof. And here's your host, Alex Ferrari. 8 00:00:39.920 --> 00:00:43.399 Welcome, Welcome to another episode of the Bulletproof Screenwriting Podcast. I am your 9 00:00:43.479 --> 00:00:49.960 humble host Alex Ferrari. Now, today's show is sponsored by Bulletproof script Coverage. 10 00:00:50.200 --> 00:00:55.719 Now. Unlike other script coverage services, Bulletproof Script Coverage actually focuses on 11 00:00:55.960 --> 00:00:59.679 the kind of project you are and the goals of the project you are, 12 00:01:00.039 --> 00:01:03.880 so we actually break it down by three categories micro budget, indie film, 13 00:01:03.880 --> 00:01:07.519 market and studio film. There's no reason to get coverage from a reader that 14 00:01:07.560 --> 00:01:10.599 she used to reading temp pole movies when your movie is going to be done 15 00:01:10.879 --> 00:01:14.480 for one hundred thousand dollars, and we wanted to focus on that At Bulletproof 16 00:01:14.480 --> 00:01:18.879 script Coverage, our readers have worked with Marvel Studios, CIA, WME, 17 00:01:19.280 --> 00:01:23.760 NBC, HBO, Disney, Scott Free, Warner Brothers, The Blacklist, 18 00:01:23.799 --> 00:01:27.359 and many many more. So if you need your screenplay or TV script covered 19 00:01:27.599 --> 00:01:36.400 by professional readers, head on over to covermiscreenplay dot com. Today's guest is 20 00:01:36.439 --> 00:01:42.319 Susan Cachera, and she is a documentarian and the director of Living in the 21 00:01:42.400 --> 00:01:48.359 Future's Past, starring the legendary Jeff Bridges. And I wanted to have Susan 22 00:01:48.359 --> 00:01:52.400 come on to talk about what the movie's about, but also her process, 23 00:01:53.239 --> 00:01:59.519 the importance of documentarians today, how she shoots and edits everything herself, and 24 00:01:59.560 --> 00:02:01.120 the kind of work that she's doing as a documentarian, and kind of get 25 00:02:01.120 --> 00:02:08.479 inside the process of a world class documentary filmmaker. So, without any further 26 00:02:08.520 --> 00:02:15.120 ado, please enjoy my conversation with Susan Kuchera. I'd like to welcome to 27 00:02:15.120 --> 00:02:16.759 the show, Susan Kuchera. Thank you so much for being on the show. 28 00:02:17.800 --> 00:02:22.319 Thanks for having me. So, can you first off tell us how 29 00:02:22.360 --> 00:02:28.240 you got into the business. Oh my goodness, Well, it's kind of 30 00:02:28.240 --> 00:02:30.280 a long story. I mean, I've been filming since I was nine. 31 00:02:30.360 --> 00:02:37.360 I started on a bolex, you know, by my side of my father's 32 00:02:37.400 --> 00:02:40.439 side on the Athabaska Glacier. He was a geologist, and we did a 33 00:02:40.479 --> 00:02:46.879 lot of filming for Britannica Films. Cool. And then fast forward, long, 34 00:02:46.000 --> 00:02:53.479 long time. I was getting a divorce and I was thinking, oh, 35 00:02:53.400 --> 00:02:54.919 okay, what am I going to do now? And the only thing 36 00:02:54.960 --> 00:03:00.439 I really knew how to do really well was film. The one camera had 37 00:03:00.560 --> 00:03:05.039 just come out, actually it hadn't even come out. I got on the 38 00:03:05.080 --> 00:03:10.520 list to get one. Okay, I thought, I can handle this. 39 00:03:10.520 --> 00:03:16.479 This takes good old fashioned filmmaking. You can actually use cinematic lenses. It's 40 00:03:16.960 --> 00:03:23.240 it was a lot like an actual film camera, not a point and shoot 41 00:03:23.319 --> 00:03:28.879 camera. And so I got it. I made a documentary called Trading on 42 00:03:28.960 --> 00:03:30.560 Thin Air, and I thought, oh, you know, I'll just see 43 00:03:30.560 --> 00:03:35.400 if I can do this, and and it got picked up by Netflix, 44 00:03:35.479 --> 00:03:38.240 and so I thought, okay, I think I think I can probably do 45 00:03:38.319 --> 00:03:43.319 this. And so this film that I just did with Jeff, it's my 46 00:03:43.520 --> 00:03:49.000 fifth documentary. One of the ones I did, though, was a nonprofit, 47 00:03:49.800 --> 00:03:53.199 so that that didn't circulate in a lot of places, but it's been 48 00:03:53.280 --> 00:03:58.599 it's been a wonderful experience the last what ten, ten, twelve years? 49 00:03:58.639 --> 00:04:02.159 Now? Now, what made you get interested more into documentary filmmaking as posted 50 00:04:02.199 --> 00:04:10.240 a narrative filmmaking? Well, I hmm, that's a good question. I 51 00:04:10.599 --> 00:04:15.360 have written screenplays, and I know how difficult it is to get films made. 52 00:04:15.680 --> 00:04:20.279 And when you're made, yeah, really, I know, surprise you 53 00:04:20.360 --> 00:04:26.959 have a screenplay? What? Actually, that's how I have It's so funny, 54 00:04:26.959 --> 00:04:30.759 all these little points that take you in these different areas. So that's 55 00:04:30.839 --> 00:04:35.319 why I ended up with an agent, because that screenplay had gotten some interest 56 00:04:35.519 --> 00:04:42.639 and I was still a full time mom then. But as I said, 57 00:04:42.680 --> 00:04:49.720 divorce kind of forces you to get with the program, and I she she 58 00:04:49.800 --> 00:04:54.240 was able to find a home for my first documentary, my my agent, 59 00:04:54.519 --> 00:04:59.120 and that I just took off from there and I really enjoy it. It's 60 00:04:59.600 --> 00:05:03.240 I I have one camera and I can move around with one camera much more 61 00:05:03.279 --> 00:05:08.920 easily than a giant crew, and I film all the time. I just 62 00:05:09.040 --> 00:05:15.680 love I love the act of filming and it's like hunting, right, You're 63 00:05:15.759 --> 00:05:20.360 capturing things that only exist in a split second. And aren't there again, 64 00:05:21.040 --> 00:05:26.319 So like the grizzlies in the film, you can't queue a grizzly, right, 65 00:05:26.439 --> 00:05:29.000 So I happen to be in the right place at the right time. 66 00:05:29.439 --> 00:05:32.480 You could try to queue that going to work real well for you? That's 67 00:05:32.560 --> 00:05:38.720 right, that's right, And it's just a it's an interesting process. All 68 00:05:38.839 --> 00:05:44.480 all of us documentary filmmakers just add to the cultural narrative the best we can. 69 00:05:45.319 --> 00:05:47.920 And so it's very gratifying that way. And now what do you shooting? 70 00:05:48.040 --> 00:05:49.759 So what do you should doing with? Now? You shoot with a 71 00:05:49.800 --> 00:05:55.160 red epic or it's an epic. W I can't keep track of them. 72 00:05:55.199 --> 00:05:57.959 There's too many, I know, I know, isn't that crazy? All 73 00:05:58.040 --> 00:06:02.519 this dragon and monstro and whatever. I know. I guess. On the 74 00:06:02.600 --> 00:06:08.879 upside, we get to recycle our hard drive, so there's no physical film 75 00:06:09.279 --> 00:06:14.279 in that sense, correct, correct, it is. It is difficult. 76 00:06:14.399 --> 00:06:19.560 You end up on a on this sort of treadmill. Absolutely, I'm done. 77 00:06:19.560 --> 00:06:23.000 I think I have the camera that I'll just keep for the rest of 78 00:06:23.000 --> 00:06:30.720 my life. So you say that now, I'm definitely done. As long 79 00:06:30.759 --> 00:06:33.040 as it keeps working, you'll be fined. Yes, exactly, that's right. 80 00:06:33.439 --> 00:06:36.600 Now do you also edit your own work. I do, what do 81 00:06:36.600 --> 00:06:40.519 you cut? What do you cut on? And how do you feel that 82 00:06:40.639 --> 00:06:44.480 helps you as a documentarian, because I know a lot of documentarians that don't 83 00:06:44.480 --> 00:06:47.639 have that skill as far as documentary shooting or editing. How is it working 84 00:06:47.800 --> 00:06:53.160 in the kind of work that you're doing? Well, My process is very 85 00:06:53.279 --> 00:06:58.959 organic, and so I if I edit myself, which I do, and 86 00:06:59.000 --> 00:07:05.480 I'm still on Final Cut ten, Okay, I'm not in the forward realm 87 00:07:05.800 --> 00:07:11.680 of whatever they're using now, all the fancy stuff, but I'm assuming Final 88 00:07:11.680 --> 00:07:15.079 Cut with the latest version of Final Cut ten. Yeah, the latest version 89 00:07:15.079 --> 00:07:18.480 of Final It's a very powerful piece of software. Don't don't knock it's Oh 90 00:07:18.519 --> 00:07:23.160 no, I'm not knocking it. I'm just I'm just laughing because a lot 91 00:07:23.160 --> 00:07:25.160 of people's, oh, you know, why are you still using that? 92 00:07:25.240 --> 00:07:30.079 And it works? They just don't know. They just don't understand. And 93 00:07:30.199 --> 00:07:35.879 so I've become obviously, I'm very familiar with the imagery that I have that 94 00:07:36.240 --> 00:07:40.720 already I have quite a I've been filming for ten years, so I have 95 00:07:40.839 --> 00:07:44.199 a lot of imagery that I that I can get, you know, at 96 00:07:44.199 --> 00:07:47.680 my fingertips. So if i'd handed all of that to somebody else, I 97 00:07:47.680 --> 00:07:53.439 think that would be very difficult for them to try to navigate. And the 98 00:07:53.439 --> 00:07:58.079 the interviews. I used to transcribe all the interviews, and I found that 99 00:07:58.279 --> 00:08:03.519 to be a little bit difficult because what people say when you read it, 100 00:08:03.519 --> 00:08:07.639 it's different than when it's in person and how they say it, et cetera, 101 00:08:07.680 --> 00:08:11.360 et cetera. And so I kind of gave up doing that, and 102 00:08:11.399 --> 00:08:16.399 I just become very very familiar with what all of my subjects are saying, 103 00:08:16.399 --> 00:08:22.360 and I do my best trying to weave weave a story together. And I 104 00:08:22.439 --> 00:08:26.720 and I have I mean, Living in the Future's Past. It's it is 105 00:08:26.360 --> 00:08:33.120 more on the poetic side, although it certainly has an impact on people when 106 00:08:33.159 --> 00:08:35.159 they see it. Now, let's talk about that. Your latest film, 107 00:08:35.159 --> 00:08:37.879 in the in the Living in the Future, in the Futures Past. How 108 00:08:37.879 --> 00:08:41.480 did it come about? And what is it all about for people who don't 109 00:08:41.519 --> 00:08:46.799 know, Well, it's a film, as Jeff likes to say, it's 110 00:08:46.840 --> 00:08:50.759 a film that takes a good look under the hood of humanity. And we 111 00:08:50.759 --> 00:08:54.799 we we had a great executive producer. His name is Jim Swift, and 112 00:08:54.840 --> 00:09:00.559 I'd worked with him before and actually he sort of had the lot of, 113 00:09:00.919 --> 00:09:03.279 well, you know, why do we do what we do in the face 114 00:09:03.320 --> 00:09:07.679 of large environmental issues that we are, you know, have in front of 115 00:09:07.720 --> 00:09:16.240 us. And so we wanted to work with Jeff And who is this Jeff 116 00:09:16.279 --> 00:09:20.080 you speak of? Oh, Jeff Bridges? Sorry, is he a new 117 00:09:20.080 --> 00:09:22.799 actor? I haven't heard of him before. I know he's one of these 118 00:09:22.919 --> 00:09:30.559 supply by nights right. He is such an amazing human being. What a 119 00:09:30.639 --> 00:09:35.039 what a great gift. He came on board and we started from scratch and 120 00:09:35.200 --> 00:09:41.440 we created this beautiful piece of work and we did actually watch a lot of 121 00:09:41.480 --> 00:09:48.519 other documentaries. Jeff was very involved. We didn't want to just contribute another 122 00:09:48.720 --> 00:09:54.240 kind of doomsday or scary thing that gives you a lot of information but doesn't 123 00:09:54.320 --> 00:09:56.000 sort of you know, you don't know, you just want to crawl under 124 00:09:56.000 --> 00:10:01.559 your bed after you hear that. We'll be right back after a word from 125 00:10:01.559 --> 00:10:11.000 our sponsor, and now back to the show. So we start. We 126 00:10:11.240 --> 00:10:16.960 decided to look at the whole human meta story, where we've been, where 127 00:10:16.039 --> 00:10:22.879 we are, where we're going, and we we have emergence in there, 128 00:10:22.919 --> 00:10:30.919 and entropy and ecology and evolution all the ease right energy, We looked at 129 00:10:30.919 --> 00:10:35.240 the flows of energy, how that actually works in our society. So it's 130 00:10:35.440 --> 00:10:43.399 just a really different and usual film that you keep thinking about it days later. 131 00:10:45.000 --> 00:10:48.320 Now, how how did you get Jeff Bridges, a legend like Jeff 132 00:10:48.320 --> 00:10:52.200 Bridges to be involved in your movie? Well, as I said, we 133 00:10:52.240 --> 00:11:00.039 wanted to work with someone who had a name, and so my agent and 134 00:11:01.279 --> 00:11:05.639 actually it was Jim thought of Jeff actually first, which is kind of cool. 135 00:11:07.200 --> 00:11:11.679 And the agent did reach out to Jeff, and Jeff watched another film 136 00:11:11.720 --> 00:11:15.519 that I had done, called Breath of Life, and he liked it. 137 00:11:15.799 --> 00:11:18.799 And so I got a call. I was walking up the road and I 138 00:11:18.840 --> 00:11:22.840 got a call and it said, oh, hey, just hang tight, 139 00:11:22.919 --> 00:11:24.399 I've got Jeff Bridges on the other line. And I said, oh, 140 00:11:26.360 --> 00:11:31.440 I'm totally out of the blue. And we just kind of hit it off 141 00:11:31.480 --> 00:11:37.879 on the phone and we just we just created this thing, and we collaborated 142 00:11:37.879 --> 00:11:43.360 through FaceTime. We took our time because Jeff was working on a number of 143 00:11:43.360 --> 00:11:48.080 films at the time, and so he would kind of disappear for a while 144 00:11:48.120 --> 00:11:50.399 and I would do stuff, and then he would come back and I would 145 00:11:50.399 --> 00:11:54.960 show him stuff, and we just went back and forth like this, and 146 00:11:56.000 --> 00:12:03.080 then as the film narrowed down towards the end, and he lent himself to 147 00:12:03.120 --> 00:12:07.159 the film too, so he's in it. He's in it as well. 148 00:12:07.440 --> 00:12:11.000 Yeah, that always helps. It definitely helps. So he's just not a 149 00:12:11.080 --> 00:12:15.519 narrator, he's actually on screen kind of taking you through a little bit of 150 00:12:15.519 --> 00:12:18.559 the journey, right, And I should have given him a crew credit because 151 00:12:18.600 --> 00:12:24.679 he actually carried the tripod when I filmed. Jeff's been just been doing this 152 00:12:24.720 --> 00:12:28.600 for how many years? I mean since he was a kid. I mean 153 00:12:28.679 --> 00:12:33.679 he's been around doing this stuff. So I'm sure he didn't mind picking up 154 00:12:33.679 --> 00:12:39.360 a tripod. No, No, he really gave his all and it shows 155 00:12:39.480 --> 00:12:43.840 and the film I think we're both very proud of. So what are you 156 00:12:43.879 --> 00:12:48.360 hoping for with the film? What is your end goal with people who watch 157 00:12:48.440 --> 00:12:52.559 the film? Well, we decided to shake things up a bit. As 158 00:12:52.600 --> 00:12:58.080 I said, we approached this in a different way. And when you go 159 00:12:58.159 --> 00:13:03.879 to see this film, actually learn a lot about yourself, and not in 160 00:13:03.919 --> 00:13:07.279 a blaming way or or why are you a human kind of way, but 161 00:13:07.519 --> 00:13:16.200 actually how your brain thinks, how interesting things like talking about capitalism in terms 162 00:13:16.200 --> 00:13:24.000 of optimal foraging theory, which people often don't think about, like if you're 163 00:13:24.039 --> 00:13:28.200 a if you're a wolf, you and you're spending energy, you don't want 164 00:13:28.240 --> 00:13:33.480 to spend the same amount of energy getting a mouse if you could spend the 165 00:13:33.519 --> 00:13:37.879 same amount of energy getting a deer. And so and we look at that 166 00:13:37.960 --> 00:13:41.200 in terms of the stock market and just kind of how our whole society functions, 167 00:13:43.679 --> 00:13:46.279 not not whether it's good or bad, just you know, this is 168 00:13:46.320 --> 00:13:52.440 it and so so you know, interesting concepts like that. We're we're always 169 00:13:52.480 --> 00:13:58.279 looking at ourselves comparing ourselves to how animals operate, and so you just you 170 00:13:58.399 --> 00:14:03.879 just get an interesting eye idea of humanity this way. And it also allows 171 00:14:03.919 --> 00:14:09.799 people who are feeling vulnerable. Sort we meet people where they're feeling vulnerable and 172 00:14:09.919 --> 00:14:15.559 we kind of look at why things are the way they are. And as 173 00:14:15.639 --> 00:14:18.919 I said, well for me, the whole energy aspect of it really opened 174 00:14:18.919 --> 00:14:24.679 my eyes. And so now I'm thinking about my decisions differently, I'm looking 175 00:14:24.720 --> 00:14:30.919 at the world differently, politics, everything. So it's just it's just it's 176 00:14:31.000 --> 00:14:35.759 kind of eye opening, as I mentioned. And well, first of all, 177 00:14:35.799 --> 00:14:41.799 how important are documentarians in today's world? I mean, there's so much 178 00:14:41.840 --> 00:14:48.919 stuff going on, we live in a crazy time, and I think sometimes 179 00:14:48.960 --> 00:14:56.320 the news is so busy covering the show that it's difficult for them to actually 180 00:14:56.360 --> 00:15:01.840 do a lot of the journalistic things that they used to do back in day, 181 00:15:01.440 --> 00:15:05.639 which aren't as flashy. And I think documentarians have picked up a little 182 00:15:05.679 --> 00:15:07.759 bit, if not a lot, of that slack. Would you agree, 183 00:15:09.399 --> 00:15:11.919 Oh, I definitely agree. If you can spend an hour and a half 184 00:15:13.600 --> 00:15:18.960 unpacking a thought right or different aspects of something, you're certainly obviously going to 185 00:15:20.080 --> 00:15:24.639 learn a lot more. And if you've just got ten or fifteen minutes to 186 00:15:24.919 --> 00:15:28.840 listen to a SoundBite here or there, and so yeah, I guess documentaries 187 00:15:28.879 --> 00:15:31.799 do. I mean, it's whatever turns our brain on right, and people 188 00:15:31.879 --> 00:15:37.600 are unfortunately we're also busy. Sometimes it's hard to get the bigger picture. 189 00:15:37.759 --> 00:15:43.759 But if one can spend the time, put in the time, new ideas 190 00:15:43.039 --> 00:15:48.759 emerge. And I think that's the role of documentarians to an art also, 191 00:15:50.240 --> 00:15:54.559 I mean, this is an artistic film too. Art can sometimes shake us 192 00:15:54.639 --> 00:16:00.320 up and make us jolt us out of our sort of typical way of thinking. 193 00:16:00.519 --> 00:16:04.080 And so that's another thing that we tried to do. Now you you 194 00:16:04.080 --> 00:16:08.120 you did, you were the cinematographer on the film as well. Yes, 195 00:16:08.840 --> 00:16:12.039 yes, images are gorgeous in this film and they're really really stunning. I 196 00:16:12.080 --> 00:16:15.960 mean, how did you learn? Who taught you? How did you teach 197 00:16:15.960 --> 00:16:21.039 yourself to make these amazing images, which are for most of them, for 198 00:16:21.080 --> 00:16:25.240 the most part, with natural light. I know, well, uh, 199 00:16:25.519 --> 00:16:30.320 money, money did you did you pay the sun? How did? I 200 00:16:30.360 --> 00:16:33.600 would have loved to have had a crew right, all lights, everything and 201 00:16:33.720 --> 00:16:37.840 made everything perfect, But then you're making a documentary and you're on a budget. 202 00:16:37.840 --> 00:16:41.480 I have to get really creative, and so the film. I didn't 203 00:16:41.480 --> 00:16:45.960 go to China and I didn't go to Dubai. There's some shots you little 204 00:16:45.960 --> 00:16:49.360 shots from there here and there, and there's obviously a lot of archival footage 205 00:16:49.399 --> 00:16:53.879 in there too, and some stuff from NASA. But the rest is just 206 00:16:55.720 --> 00:16:57.840 when, as I said, when I see things and they're unusual, I 207 00:16:59.480 --> 00:17:03.080 have my ca and were with me, and so I've been able to capture 208 00:17:03.159 --> 00:17:08.519 things that you would have a hard time putting together with a crew, right, 209 00:17:08.559 --> 00:17:12.920 Because you said quickly, yeah, I utilize my daughter. You know, 210 00:17:12.960 --> 00:17:18.039 there's I usialize two dancers, so we could kind of whenever I was 211 00:17:18.039 --> 00:17:25.279 trying to just show humanity and different aspects. I don't know. You just 212 00:17:25.279 --> 00:17:30.160 get creative and you and it came out well. But I think just because 213 00:17:30.200 --> 00:17:32.960 I've been filming since I was nine, I just I guess I just have 214 00:17:33.039 --> 00:17:36.279 an eye got it, got it? Now. There is a lot of 215 00:17:36.359 --> 00:17:40.160 archival footage in the film. Can you talk a little bit about the process 216 00:17:40.400 --> 00:17:47.240 of getting archival footage if like for documentary documentarians listening to finding archival footage, 217 00:17:47.279 --> 00:17:49.119 dealing with the legalities of it, buying it, the whole, the whole 218 00:17:49.160 --> 00:17:52.599 process, because I think it's a little mysterious for a lot of people. 219 00:17:52.119 --> 00:17:56.319 Yeah, it's it's not so bad. If you get to the level where 220 00:17:56.359 --> 00:18:00.319 you're actually releasing a film like we did in the theater. It's out in 221 00:18:00.359 --> 00:18:06.799 the theaters today, then you have to pay a little extra that's for for 222 00:18:06.839 --> 00:18:11.119 the license license. But a lot of that archival stuff, I hope they 223 00:18:11.119 --> 00:18:17.000 don't mind me plugging them. They're called Critical Past and a lot of their 224 00:18:17.079 --> 00:18:22.720 footage is from the US government. It's in the public domain, and you 225 00:18:22.799 --> 00:18:26.279 pay them. They've done all the work finding all of this stuff and making 226 00:18:26.319 --> 00:18:33.119 sure that it's broadcast safe, because a lot of it's obviously very old and 227 00:18:33.240 --> 00:18:37.279 so that's a very good resource. And what's the name of the Critical Past 228 00:18:37.599 --> 00:18:41.440 Critical Past okay dot com. Yes, I will definitely put that in the 229 00:18:41.440 --> 00:18:45.599 show notes because it's it's rough. It's rough looking for footage, especially archival 230 00:18:45.640 --> 00:18:52.279 stuff for documentarians. Did you ever see the movie Atomic Cafe? No? 231 00:18:52.440 --> 00:18:56.400 I didn't. Have you ever heard of it? I have heard of it. 232 00:18:56.480 --> 00:19:00.160 Yeah, it's I saw it in my video store when I was working 233 00:19:00.200 --> 00:19:04.160 there, and as a movie completely made of archival foot really, the entire 234 00:19:04.440 --> 00:19:10.799 movie is made. They told a narrative story with archival footage of the bomb 235 00:19:10.880 --> 00:19:15.720 dropping and it's kind of like a satire. Oh interesting. Earl has to 236 00:19:15.799 --> 00:19:18.279 check that out. Yeah, I know. I would go on their website 237 00:19:18.279 --> 00:19:22.559 and sometimes I'd just get lost watching stuff. Wow, this is fascinating. 238 00:19:22.960 --> 00:19:26.000 How long, by the way, how long did it take you to shoot 239 00:19:26.039 --> 00:19:30.160 this? I put it all together? Well, let's see, from the 240 00:19:30.200 --> 00:19:34.640 beginning of working with Jeff is that was about two and a half years ago, 241 00:19:36.200 --> 00:19:40.000 maybe a little longer. I mean the film came out in festivals in 242 00:19:40.160 --> 00:19:45.559 February and it's been infestivals since February. It traveled all over the world, 243 00:19:47.000 --> 00:19:48.599 not me, but in the film. I know it would be nice if 244 00:19:48.599 --> 00:19:55.359 they would, they would let you go to and the So yeah, I 245 00:19:55.359 --> 00:19:56.559 get a little fuzzy on the time. So yeah, I would say about 246 00:19:56.559 --> 00:20:03.240 two and a half years. It probably took a year to edit. We'll 247 00:20:03.240 --> 00:20:11.000 be right back after a word from our sponsor and now back to the show. 248 00:20:11.519 --> 00:20:15.759 And in doing so, as during the process of editing, obviously I 249 00:20:15.799 --> 00:20:19.079 didn't have all the footage that I needed, so I thought, Okay, 250 00:20:19.119 --> 00:20:23.559 I'm gonna have to get other stuff I need. I need something, you 251 00:20:23.599 --> 00:20:27.839 know, just just something just right. So I would I would do that. 252 00:20:29.079 --> 00:20:32.559 But but I again, I'm just lucky. I since I've had this 253 00:20:32.680 --> 00:20:37.640 camera or you know, this type of camera for some time, just being 254 00:20:37.640 --> 00:20:44.519 able to dig into my own library was extremely helpful, right, And what 255 00:20:44.559 --> 00:20:48.160 I find also fascinating about your story is, you know, to find someone 256 00:20:48.200 --> 00:20:51.880 like Jeff, who's obviously a legend and an Oscar winner and all this kind 257 00:20:51.880 --> 00:20:55.839 of stuff to be a part of a movie like this, you literally just 258 00:20:55.920 --> 00:20:59.319 had your agent call them and and call his agent and go, hey, 259 00:20:59.400 --> 00:21:03.079 this is a product. And people never think of just calling up and saying, 260 00:21:03.119 --> 00:21:07.039 hey, I've got a project. Maybe they'll be interested. Right, 261 00:21:07.480 --> 00:21:08.720 Yeah, I don't know. We'd have to ask her. I don't know 262 00:21:08.759 --> 00:21:15.640 what her secret is, but she was great. Yeah. And then he 263 00:21:15.839 --> 00:21:19.039 again he watched something that I had done, but he was really turned on 264 00:21:19.200 --> 00:21:25.640 by the subject obviously, and the subject that we were interested in telling, 265 00:21:25.720 --> 00:21:29.079 which was a little more in depth, and just here's all the bad news, 266 00:21:29.240 --> 00:21:32.599 you know what, crawling to your bed. Now we've had we had, 267 00:21:32.640 --> 00:21:36.000 We've had plenty of those documentaries. I've watched many of them. I'm 268 00:21:36.039 --> 00:21:40.960 like Jesus no, I yeah, it doesn't feel very well. Of course, 269 00:21:41.039 --> 00:21:45.640 information is helpful, sure we need that. But also I think there's 270 00:21:45.640 --> 00:21:51.000 a quote in the film it isn't so much what we're thinking about the world 271 00:21:51.039 --> 00:21:53.240 we live in, it's how we're thinking about the world we live in. 272 00:21:53.480 --> 00:22:00.119 And there's all sorts of interesting philosophy through this film about how to just to 273 00:22:00.359 --> 00:22:06.200 see things slightly differently. But then it's but there's also a hardcore here. 274 00:22:06.319 --> 00:22:14.440 Here's the reality, and we're obviously stuck with resources the way they are. 275 00:22:14.680 --> 00:22:18.680 Energy it is, and so it's it's sobering, but it's also exciting, 276 00:22:19.240 --> 00:22:22.839 very cool. Now I'm going to ask you a few questions. I asked 277 00:22:22.839 --> 00:22:26.680 all of my guests. What advice would you give a filmmaker wanted to break 278 00:22:26.680 --> 00:22:30.960 into the business today? Make a film. That's what I did. I 279 00:22:32.880 --> 00:22:38.839 invested in myself. I just decided I would Trading on Thin Air was my 280 00:22:38.960 --> 00:22:42.720 first film, and I didn't know if people would like it, but I 281 00:22:42.839 --> 00:22:47.599 gave it a try and it was definitely low budget, but it worked out. 282 00:22:47.640 --> 00:22:55.119 Okay, So that's one option. Obviously, hooking up with interning with 283 00:22:55.359 --> 00:23:00.160 people who are working in this field is really helpful, but getting out and 284 00:23:00.599 --> 00:23:03.759 doing it very good. Now, can you tell me what book had the 285 00:23:03.759 --> 00:23:11.799 biggest impact on your life or career? Oh my gosh, that's hard. 286 00:23:11.640 --> 00:23:17.680 Aside from the books that I've been reading lately, who are that are mostly 287 00:23:17.799 --> 00:23:21.960 from the people who are in the movie? Right? I was like, 288 00:23:22.000 --> 00:23:25.039 I don't know if I can even think back that far. Oh my gosh. 289 00:23:25.279 --> 00:23:27.960 Any any book that comes to mind that really had I? Okay, 290 00:23:29.000 --> 00:23:33.920 So there's a there's a book by Timothy Morton that I actually read as I 291 00:23:33.000 --> 00:23:37.480 was sculpting this film, and man, I'd have to look at what it 292 00:23:37.559 --> 00:23:42.200 was. It's his latest book is called Being Ecological, But there was enough 293 00:23:42.279 --> 00:23:47.759 one before this one shoot. I don't have it handy in my mind. 294 00:23:48.359 --> 00:23:52.240 But he the reason it was so powerful, his pros in there. It 295 00:23:52.319 --> 00:23:57.519 really made you reach your You really had to think and it was a challenge 296 00:23:57.559 --> 00:24:02.279 to get through. And but when you come out the other end, you 297 00:24:02.319 --> 00:24:07.960 have all these aha moments. So yeah, I guess I just have to 298 00:24:07.240 --> 00:24:15.400 plug Timothy Morton's work. Okay, very interesting. Yeah, Now what lesson 299 00:24:15.480 --> 00:24:18.640 took you the longest to learn, whether in the film industry or in life. 300 00:24:19.160 --> 00:24:22.240 Oh well, the moment I had my daughter, I realized that I 301 00:24:22.240 --> 00:24:30.640 really didn't know Diddley squads. The kids have that effect on you. And 302 00:24:30.759 --> 00:24:36.519 so yeah, she's twenty four now, she's working on her PhD. And 303 00:24:36.559 --> 00:24:44.000 I would say the process of watching another human being develop gives you some pause 304 00:24:44.200 --> 00:24:49.039 as to well, gosh, it puts you in a vulnerable situation where you're 305 00:24:49.039 --> 00:24:53.359 having to reevaluate everything that you learned, everything in your life. And so 306 00:24:53.440 --> 00:24:56.680 I would say that that had a big impact on me. Where can people 307 00:24:56.680 --> 00:25:02.359 find out about the movie and more about your work? Well, the movie 308 00:25:02.559 --> 00:25:07.200 is in theaters today. The next few days we had Trafalgar released it in 309 00:25:07.279 --> 00:25:12.119 eighty theaters, and then we are still in festivals after that, and then 310 00:25:12.160 --> 00:25:18.480 I believe it's out vod and everywhere. You'll be where you see movies typically 311 00:25:18.640 --> 00:25:22.640 in a month and a half or so from now. Okay, very cool 312 00:25:22.680 --> 00:25:26.079 and anywhere and people can find your work. Yeah, Breath of Life is 313 00:25:26.119 --> 00:25:33.119 available. I think it's on Amazon and Hulu. I'm not sure all the 314 00:25:33.119 --> 00:25:37.440 places that it is, but it's easy to find and trading on thin Air 315 00:25:37.759 --> 00:25:40.759 was on Netflix. It came out in two thousand and eight. It was 316 00:25:40.759 --> 00:25:44.799 on Netflix for six years, and then I was asked if I wanted to 317 00:25:44.880 --> 00:25:48.839 reput it out, and I didn't because it was my first work and I 318 00:25:48.839 --> 00:25:52.400 thought the sound was not well fixed. I don't really want people to but 319 00:25:52.440 --> 00:25:56.640 it was actually a good It was a fun, fun, good movie. 320 00:25:56.119 --> 00:26:00.480 It's very good. Susan, thank you so much for taking time out of 321 00:26:00.519 --> 00:26:03.559 talk and thank you for making such a wonderful film. It's a very important 322 00:26:03.559 --> 00:26:06.720 film that needs to be done with days without question. But thank you so 323 00:26:06.799 --> 00:26:11.359 much for sharing your process with us. Oh, no problem. Sorry for 324 00:26:11.480 --> 00:26:15.720 my lack of memory in the moment here. It's been a wild ride with 325 00:26:15.839 --> 00:26:19.559 this theatrical we're all just kind of fried. Not a problem at all. 326 00:26:19.599 --> 00:26:25.039 Thanks again, all right, thanks. I want to thank Susan for coming 327 00:26:25.079 --> 00:26:29.200 on and sharing her process with us. Thank you so much against Susan and 328 00:26:29.240 --> 00:26:32.279 you guys. I've seen the movie if you haven't seen it, Living in 329 00:26:32.319 --> 00:26:37.440 the Futures Past is a wonderful documentary about the world, about where we're going 330 00:26:37.559 --> 00:26:41.000 or where we've been. And hopefully you'll do some good out there. And 331 00:26:41.039 --> 00:26:45.039 if you want to get access to the movie, check it out in theaters. 332 00:26:45.079 --> 00:26:48.680 It's out today and it will be about in a vod in the next 333 00:26:48.720 --> 00:26:52.759 month or so. But if you want to go to the show notes at 334 00:26:52.799 --> 00:26:56.319 Bulletproof Screenwriting dot tv. Forward Slash three seventy. Thank you so much for 335 00:26:56.319 --> 00:27:00.200 listening, guys, as always, keep on writing or what I'll talk to 336 00:27:00.200 --> 00:27:07.359 you soon. Thanks for listening to the Bulletproof Screenwriting podcast at Bulletproofscreenwriting dot tv.