Renowned filmmaker Roger Sherman on making better home videos

Celebrated director and cinematographer Roger Sherman has had a career most filmmakers can only dream about.  Sherman has two Oscar nominations, and his outstanding documentaries have been some of the best ever broadcast on PBS.  He is a founding partner of Florentine Films along with fellow documentarian Ken Burns, known for his “Civil War” documentary series, and noted director of photography Buddy Squires.  Their company has produced countless great documentaries and films.

Renowned filmmaker Roger Sherman shares his professional secrets
to help parents and others make better home movies
Photo credit: Florentine Films

Yet Sherman has another little known passion: making home movies.  After years of creating films of life events involving family and friends, Sherman decided to share his experience as a professional filmmaker to help others make better home movies in his new book “Ready Steady Shoot: The Guide to Great Home Video.”  (Find my review here.)

Roger Sherman's new book "Ready Steady Shoot"
teaches how to make great home videos
Photo credit: Florentine Films

  

Sherman especially had parents in mind when writing the book, because they are some of the most enthusiastic when it comes to making home movies about their kids. Sherman realized that parents and other creators of home movies often make mistakes that, if avoided, can make the difference between a great home movie and an unwatchable one.  Sherman’s invaluable tips will have parents, vacationers, and others thinking like filmmakers and making movies that will be treasured for a lifetime and watched again and again.  

Sherman generously took the time from his busy schedule to share his insights and experiences with Reel Mama readers.

Filmmaker Roger Sherman teaches
how to make thoughtful home movies with style
Photo credit: Florentine Films

How did you become interested in filmmaking?

I started out as a still photographer, and I ended up finishing college in a small liberal arts progressive school in Western Massachusetts called Hampshire College.  I started looking at film the way any art student would, just to try other arts. 

[Hampshire College] has a very strong documentary program, and I immediately fell in love with making documentaries.  When I graduated with a double major in film and photography, I decided to do filmmaking as my living, and keep photography as my art. 

How did you come to be a founding partner of Florentine Films?

A guy you might have heard of named Ken Burns was my college room mate.  We started Florentine Films a year after graduating with a third person, Buddy Squires, one of the top directors of photography in the country. We started out working as crew for other companies.  It was at the time when magazine shows were just starting, and so we worked for Italian television, the BBC, Danish television, French television.  We were in Western Massachusetts, and we appealed to them by saying, “We work local all over New England.”  That’s how we really got our start.  

What have been your favorite projects to date?

I have been a filmmaker for many years.  I’ve been fortunate to make films that I’ve been very proud of: two “American Masters” PBS specials, one on Alexander Calder, the inventor of the mobile, and one on Richard Rogers, the most prolific Broadway composer of all time.  The films are called “Alexander Calder,” and “Richard Rogers: The Sweetest Sounds.”  [I also explored] social issues, like the effects of divorce on children, in a film called “Don’t Divorce the Children.”

One of my two Oscar nominations was for an environmental film called “The Garden of Eden.”  It was the first film to show that it could be good business to save the environment, that you don’t know where the cure to cancer is going to be found, and that little plant that you’re stepping on has some secret inside of it.  [I’ve also done] a wide variety of films on history and culture.  My last big film was on the history of Chevrolet, and as a cinematographer and a still photographer it was a fabulous experience going around the country shooting these remarkable cars, which are real works of art.  

How did you get the idea to write a book about making home videos?

As a cinematographer, I would see people making home movies, moving the camera to the left, moving the camera to the right, tilting up, going down.  It took everything I had not to say, “Excuse me, but you’ll make a much better video if you go slowly in one direction, then cut and figure out where to go for your next shot.  Do a little bit of planning.  Start with a wide shot; go to a medium shot, then go to a close-up.  You’re telling a story!”  That’s what I saw people not doing over years and years, and decided, “Hmm, maybe I could help.”

I try to tell people that if you made your films, your home movies, and never moved the camera, and did only static shots, you’d have a much more successful film than you could ever imagine.  The camera does not have to move.  Moving the camera is an advanced technique that you need to practice.  A pan goes from left to right or right to left.  A tilt goes up to down or down to up, and you need to move very slowly and be very steady.  Walking with the camera is something people do too often, and they just walk instead of bending their knees and being shock absorbers and holding the camera with two hands.  All of these things make for better videos.

Filmmaking is storytelling.  Even if you’re doing a film of your family vacation for your kids, or your night on the town with friends, you still want to tell a story.  Even a commercial is telling a story.

Can you tell us a little about your 10-shot video plan described in the book?

Ten-shot videos are practice exercises.  Arbitrary to say 10 shots, but why not?  In 10 shots you really can make a whole film, and if you go my website ReadySteadyShoot.com you’ll see more than a dozen examples, and we’re putting more up all the time.  

I detail the 10-shot video scripts in the book and say, “Start in your living room, then go outside.  Look at it.  Critique yourself.  Shoot it again.”  If you were to shoot all of those 10-shot video exercises and then try them all again, I guarantee the quality of your home movies would soar.  My book is not just meant to be read.  My book is meant to be shot.  

Last week I taught two ten-year-old girls how to make 10-shot videos.  I started by saying, “There are wide shots, mediums, and close-ups.” I had them hold up their fingers the funny way directors sometimes do, which is mostly a caricature, and I said, “Okay,  what do you see?”  They were ten feet away from me, and they described the whole room, and I said, “ You’ve just done a wide shot. Now walk closer.  What do you see?  That’s now a medium shot.  Now come closer still!”  I got them to come up to my nose.  Of course, they were laughing, which was the point, for it to be fun.

Then I said, “Let’s turn on the Disney channel.  Tell me what we’re looking at: wide shot, medium, or close-up?” They had a great time calling out: “Wide shot!  Close-up!” Then I said, “Okay, now you understand how films are made.  They’re also made by creating mostly static shots.  The camera doesn’t move.”  And they went, “What?! “ And I said, “Just watch!”  The next eight shots in a row did not move.  They were static.  

In my book I felt that I needed not just to teach that a wide shot should be followed by a medium shot should be followed by a close-up.  Of course one should break those kinds of rules.  The real rule is, don’t just shoot everything the same.  Don’t just shoot wide shots, or everybody will fall asleep.  Vary your shots.  However, you could do all close-ups: the closer you get, the better it is.

The whole idea of the 10-shot video is to get you seeing like a filmmaker.  

Why was it important that your approach to home movies not require editing?

I feel that most people don’t want to fight an editing program.  They want to come home from their family vacation, or their hike or baby shower, and they want to watch it, not say, “Just wait a few minutes, and I’ll edit it,” and then weeks later they haven’t had time.  So the idea is to think ahead and edit in the camera using a variety of short shots.  You’re making movies as you go.  

If someone wants to get into editing, go for it.  It’s fabulous.  You have even more control, but my whole system is to make it as easy as possible for people.  Keep it short and edit in the camera.

What is the biggest mistake that people make when shooting?  

I think holding steady is a really important one.  You need to shoot holding with two hands, even if you’re shooting with a smart phone, and the lighter the camera, the harder it is to hold it steady.  That’s why the big broadcast cameras sit on your shoulder, and they are very steady.   So hold the camera steady with two hands.  Tuck your elbows into your chest.  Relax, breathe.  Seriously, people need to breathe, not just jump around while they’re shooting.  

As a professional, it’s called work, and as fun as it is, I’m trying very hard to make a shot that moves my audience.  When you’re on vacation, or out with the kids and shooting, you really have to pay attention to what you’re doing if you want it to count.  If you’re just walking and shooting and talking, that’s not going to be a great home video.  You can make a great home video if you pay attention.  You don’t have to be a professional, but you have to practice and be mindful. 

How did your family tradition of making “Hollywood style” home movies for fun get started?

What’s great about that chapter, I think I call it “Go Hollywood,” is that it’s designed to give readers an idea of what they can do with their whole family: Grandma, Grandpa, cousins, everybody can be involved.  

When my nieces were little they would come to me and say, “Let’s make a movie!”  I would sit with them, and we would basically decide what the movie was about, and then plan it as we shot it.  We did not write a script or do a storyboard.  I would make a suggestion, and then they would make a suggestion, and I’d say, “Okay, now we’re going to do a shot of this, and you’ll say that.”  I’d start rolling, and they’d do that little scene, and then I’d cut the camera, and I’d say, “Now I’m going to do a close-up on you.  Make a funny face!”  

We involved the adults in a very small way -- doing quick little interviews -- and we had the kids running all over the place because it was usually a chase scene.  These things all have to have chase scenes.  They all have to have drama.  Once I was in it too.  I was a dead body lying face down in the pool.  The story was to discover who killed me.  The kids loved it, lots of laughing.  If you don’t almost wet your pants while you’re shooting, or while you’re interviewing an aunt or an uncle, you’re not having enough fun.  It’s not a serious Hollywood film!  They’re still watching those videos, even though my nieces are very much grown.

What are you working on now?

I am working on developing a project called "The Search for Israeli Cuisine."  Israel has a very robust food scene with chefs going off and discovering cooking techniques and their family’s heritage and coming back.  It’s an amazing melting pot.  There are people moving there from all over the world, either from this generation, or five generations ago.   

It will be a Public Television series that goes all over the country to farms, restaurants, and homes.  There’s an amazing wine scene in Israel.  There are 150 boutique wineries.  The film is to try to interest Americans in learning about a whole other culture.  There’s the biblical history and the gorgeousness of the country.  We will be talking about Jewish cuisine, Arab cuisine, every kind of cuisine that is in Israel, so I’m very excited about it.  All I have to do is raise a lot of money.  

A side of ‘Sesame Street’ just for parents: ‘Being Elmo’

Elmo skiing at the Sundance Film Festival.  The documentary film "Being Elmo" is a darling of the film festival circuit.
Photo credit: BeingElmo.com

If you are the parent of a preschooler, you might be feeling all "Elmo'ed out".  The typical tot’s daily routine might include any of the following: Elmo toothbrush in the morning; Elmo t-shirt, shoes, diapers, and socks; snacks shaped like Elmo or endorsed by Elmo; maybe an episode of "Sesame Street” or two during the day, and Elmo sheets and blanket at night.  At one point my own daughter was calling out for Elmo instead of me in the night.

Yet there is another side to Elmo: a human side, one that grownups will find fascinating.  Elmo's alter ego and creator is Kevin Clash, and you can get to know him in the feel-good documentary “Being Elmo.”  From his humble beginning as the Baltimore kid who never quite fit in due to his obsession with puppetry, to ultimately becoming one of Jim Henson’s most trusted puppeteers, Kevin Clash’s meteoric rise is inspiring and remarkable.  

Kevin Clash with a future "Sesame Street" puppeteer
Photo credit: BeingElmo.com

With the passing of Henson, Clash eventually became the creative force behind “Sesame Street” as executive producer.  In addition to voicing and operating Elmo, he directs episodes, writes, and supervises in front of and behind the camera.

The story of how Elmo came to be is fascinating.  While most current documentaries portray gritty realities, “Being Elmo” is just the opposite, and is bound to leave viewers feeling warm and fuzzy.  The film contains some mild language that makes it inappropriate for Elmo’s usual preschool fan base, but if as a parent you can handle just a little more Elmo, you’ll find this film to be well worth your time.

Playing chopsticks

On a recent trip to a Japanese restaurant, my two-year-old daughter Leilani discovered a brand new toy: chopsticks.  Mastering chopsticks can be tricky for adults.  In a toddler's hands, anything can happen, except their intended use.

Things got off to a pretty good start.  It looked like we might even make it through the first few bites without incident.

Then Leilani decided to experiment.

Drumroll please!

Things got curiouser and curiouser.  I never thought of using chopsticks this way before.

I suppose they could make good measuring sticks...

And the perfect finale for a two-year-old using chopsticks: right in the nose!

Marina Keegan: An unforgettable voice, gone too soon

Marina Keegan died tragically on Saturday
Photo via Facebook/Yale Daily News

On May 26, 2012, Marina Keegan died in a car crash, just days after having graduated from Yale.  She was about to start her first job as an assistant for the New Yorker, and she had completed a musical with friends that is about to be performed in New York.  

In the aftermath, a moving piece she wrote about commencement called "The Opposite of Loneliness" for the Yale Daily News has received widespread attention across the Internet, providing further insights into the magnitude of the tragedy as we come to understand the talented writer and genuine human being Marina was.  Marina was already remarkably accomplished, and the essay provides a glimpse into the countless accomplishments Marina might have had in the future, if only.

Having shared similar interests and pursuits as Marina when I was a student at Yale, I saw a little something of my younger self in her.  Like Marina, I wrote for the Yale Daily News on occasion.  Like Marina, I chose the path of Liberal Arts, avoiding finance and law school in favor of “nobler” pursuits, and yet like her I also experienced that feeling of treading water, the uncertainty of a career path after taking all those humanities courses.  

Like Marina, I had wandered into the towering neo-gothic Yale campus building known among students as “SSS” at night, indeed found my way to the rooftop after dark, and stared down into the shadows, wondering what the future held for me.  Like Marina, I fell in love at Yale.

Yet since graduation I’ve gotten to do so many things that Marina, tragically, will never get to do.  In my twenties: backpacking in Europe.  Saying yes to a marriage proposal from my college sweetheart and walking down the aisle.  Attending grad school.  Seeing my artistic dreams realized by making films.  Becoming a teacher.  Moving cross country twice.  

In my thirties, professional triumphs and setbacks.  Some disappointments, even heartbreak. Another cross country move. Loss of loved ones.  But also the boundless joy of becoming a mother and discovering my reason for living.  Loving unconditionally like never before.  Enjoying deepening friendships, many first formed at Yale, made richer with the passing years.  Understanding who I really am, and who I need to be.

I’m still married to my college sweetheart, and whatever the next decade holds for us, I will never take it for granted.  I so wish that Marina could have experienced all those inevitable ups and downs that I’ve been privileged to live through.  

Marina will never get to go to a reunion to reconnect with the network of friends she mentions in her essay. The world is deprived of her future accomplishments, but most of all, her voice, which was so clever, immediate, articulate, and down to earth.  I would have wanted to be invited to those parties she planned to give in her thirties.  I would have wanted a front row seat at her plays and to read her articles in the paper on Sunday morning.  

Now we can only celebrate her life, which was cut short far too soon.  We can be grateful for the present, and live in the moment.  With the collective love being poured out by her loved ones, friends, even complete strangers, wherever she is, it has to be the opposite of loneliness.  Marina will be remembered as a true original.  

My heartfelt condolences to Marina's family.

My college sweetheart, Horacio, now my husband, and I at our graduation from Yale,
celebrating some of the best years behind us, and those yet to come

Family fun: How to create a night in India

With our busy lives it can often be challenging to find the time to bring the family together for a movie night.  With a little planning, however, you and your kids can enjoy an unforgettable evening together.  A long-held tradition at my house that continues to this day is to plan family time around a theme, especially that of another country.  Evening meals, even family outings and day trips, can be planned with Japan, France, or Italy in mind.  

India has always been a personal favorite of mine.  It captures my imagination.  While I haven’t traveled there yet, I still enjoy the exquisite cuisine, and the equally wonderful films depicting Indian culture.  I’d like to share a few of my favorites with you, and suggest that you use them as inspiration to create your own exotic family movie night.

Original movie poster for The Jungle Book
Photo via Wikipedia 

The Jungle Book: This 1967 Disney classic based on Rudyard Kipling’s masterpiece is set in the jungles of India.  In the story Mowgli, raised by wolves, is led by his guardian, the panther Bagheera, on a path to discover his destiny.  Voiced by veteran actors, and with memorable, familiar songs and endearing characters, the young will enjoy seeing this for the first time, and the young at heart will enjoy reliving it.  

There are several intense scenes which at various times involve either a villainous snake, tiger, or an elephant stampede.  Parents of children younger than five may want to preview the film.

Original movie poster for Bend It Like Beckham
Photo via Wikipedia

Bend It Like Beckham: A feel-good film with an empowering message for girls set in England.  The movie was a sleeper hit in 2003, and it’s a Cinderella story of sorts, that is, if Cinderella wore cleats.  Jess (Parminder K. Nagra) is a gifted soccer player, but she’s coming of age, and her Indian parents want to arrange her marriage and her life.  Jess hides her playing from her parents, but keeping the secret becomes impossible when she is offered the opportunity of a lifetime.  The movie is fun to watch and beautifully filmed.

The film is rated PG-13.  On the conservative side, the film is appropriate for 14 and up due to a sexual situation, language, and a depiction of drinking.  Lesbianism is discussed, but this should certainly not be a deterrent.

Keira Knightley has a supporting role in the film, which launched her career.

Photo via Wikipedia

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (for the Elderly and Beautiful): Admittedly, this 2011 drama is for grownups, but if you have mature teenagers, they just might enjoy this cinematic gem now in theaters.  You might think that a quiet movie about British retirees would be a snooze fest, but you wouldn’t be more wrong.  A cast of Britain’s most renowned Oscar winners or should-be winners, including Judi Dench, Maggie Smith, Tom Wilkinson, and Bill Nighy, offer beautifully understated performances as seniors relocating to Jaipur, India, to spend their golden years in paradise.  The resort hotel awaiting them is anything but, and yet each character discovers who they really are as they experience a magical and exotic world that is, as Dench’s character Evelyn describes it, “an assault on the senses.”  

Maggie Smith, as always, steals the show.  Teens will remember her as Professor McGonagall in the Harry Potter films, but she transforms herself into an outspoken former maid with racist views who’s terrified of her uncertain future, and remarkably manages to be sympathetic.  Downton Abbey fans will be delighted to see that not only Smith but also Penelope Wilton, who plays the mother to the heir of the estate in the Masterpiece Theater melodrama, are featured in powerhouse performances.  Dev Patel, who launched his career with Slumdog Millionaire, plays the ambitious dreamer who runs the hotel.

The film is PG-13 due to strong language, sexual themes and situations, and the death of one of the characters being portrayed.  The theme of adultery is subtly explored.  Due to the sophisticated nature of the movie, I would recommend it for a mature 15 and up.  

Two other outstanding movies set in India I recommend for adults and mature teens are Slumdog Millionaire and Monsoon Wedding (links to Common Sense Media's reviews).

Here is a link to Parentree’s top ten Bollywood films to watch with your children.

One final note...

Your night in India won’t be complete without giving some thought to the food.  I highly recommend preparing samosas, which are served instead of popcorn at movie houses that exclusively screen Bollywood films.  Visit Indian Food Forever to find this and all the recipes you’ll need to create your memorable evening in India.

Samosas: a popular Indian appetizer
Photo via Wikipedia

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The New Beverly Cinema: LA's best-kept secret

EXCITING UPDATE 5/27/12: Julia Marchese's documentary about the New Beverly Cinema reached its fundraising goal on Kickstarter!  The film has been fully funded.  I look forward to keeping Reel Mama readers posted on the developments as it goes into production. Congratulations, Julia!

An old-fashioned movie marquee advertising a double feature on a single screen.  Not something you see every day.

The lure of an old-fashioned marquee.  The friendly greeting and beautiful smile of a young woman with a rainbow-colored bouffant manning the ticket booth.  A double feature for $8.  Inside, the smell of freshly popped popcorn, and a step back in time to a place where a bucket of that same popcorn can be had for only $2.  Uma Thurman smiling knowingly from a Pulp Fiction poster at movie lovers of all stripes mingling as they wait for the show to begin. Once seated, they will be watching the great masterpieces of cinema from the likes of Fellini, David Lynch, or Scorsese projected on 35mm film.

This is the New Beverly Cinema, a single-screen revival movie theater in Los Angeles offering film goers the rare chance to see classic films the way their makers intended: on the big screen.  It's an experience that is rare and special, because the New Beverly Cinema is one of a kind.  In fact, it's a cultural gem.

The young lady with the bouffant is Julia Marchese, actress, filmmaker, and film buff extraordinaire.  

New Beverly Cinema programmer and manager Julia Marchese

She plans to document the New Beverly -- its secrets, struggles, and triumphs -- in a new documentary.  She will also explore film history and film preservation.  

However, fundraising for an independent film is no easy task. In fact, she has a fundraising deadline of tomorrow May 24 on Kickstarter here.

If Jeopardy were only about film, she'd be sure to walk away with the million-dollar prize.  A novel idea, but not likely. 

Instead, she is counting on every day people like me and you, people who love movies and care about the future of film. People who treasure the experience of sitting in a movie theater with like-minded cinema enthusiasts whose anticipation grows as the lights dim and the first images of a movie flicker on the screen.  People who love to be moved, thrilled, terrified or delighted by what they see, unspooling larger than life, above them.  

If you love movies, then you need to support Julia's film, which promises to be a cultural gem just like her documentary's subject. Don't wait--this is going to be a marvelous project.  Please do it here! I'd like to express my sincere appreciation to my readers who have donated in support of Julia's project or plan to.  Thank you -- you're cinema-tastic!

Here are a few snapshots from my recent visit to the New Beverly. Enjoy!

Enjoy the show!

Midnight movie screenings are a New Beverly specialty

The freshest popcorn in LA--yum!

LA state of mind: Museum of Jurassic Technology

LA is a place of hidden secrets. Magic exists, but you have to know where to look.  The weird and the wonderful are right at home together here.  The ironic and the innocent, the big dreams and the broken dreams, all co-exist.  

My favorite magical place in LA is the Museum of Jurassic Technology, where my sister-in-law artist Nana Tchitchoua is the hostess at the Tula Tea Room there.  

She delights all who visit with tea served from a samovar.  

The museum's new courtyard garden aviary is stunning.  Inspired by Moorish art, the courtyard seems ancient yet timeless.

The finches frolic, while the doves’ coo echoes, urging tranquility and a departure from thought.

Nana is one of the creative forces behind the museum, which was founded and is curated by David Wilson as a large and beautiful cabinet of curiosities.  Don’t try too hard to understand their meaning.  It might make your head hurt.  It should make you laugh.  Photography of the exhibits is strictly prohibited, so I am unable to feature it here.  Suffice it to say, you should go.  I can describe the exhibits of curiosities as follows: cerebral, esoteric, strange, mysterious and delightful.