Following the successful production of two television spots for Mississippi Power in December 2004, the company’s advertising agency, Godwin Group, single bid my production company, Portland, OR-based Limbo Films (with me as director), to return to the Gulf Coast of Mississippi for five days of shooting–exactly one month after Hurricane Katrina had devastated the area. In response to the disaster, this modest-sized power company had increased its workforce from 1,200 to 12,000, borrowing linemen, engineers and support staff from neighboring states, and had restored power to the region in an amazing 12 days. The ads we created tell their story.
The series of three spots featured employees of the company, as well as community members who had recently re-opened their businesses to the deep appreciation of residents who were–and still are–in desperate need of prescriptions, clean laundry and hot meals. A local singer/guitarist tells of how it feels to bring music to people’s lives again; a laundry mat owner once again has electricity to help wash load after load of dirty clothing for displaced families, giving them just a touch of the comforts swept away by the storm; and lights returning to a high school stadium afford the community a break from its misery with a little Friday night football. Layer after layer of how much our daily existence depends on electricity was revealed to us.
My producer, Rebecca Hynes, and I were excited for the opportunity to return to many of the areas in which we had filmed just a year prior, to see in person what had occurred there. All of the news footage we had seen did little to prepare us for the reality of daily existence in Gulfport, MS, where we based the production.
With sparse cell phone service, few motel rooms, and limited access to the little things we all take for granted like ice, food, water and fuel, the shoot was full of challenging circumstances that demanded a re-definition of our normal approach to production.
Locations ranged from small businesses to beach-front buildings, which were only accessible by the Mississippi Power’s unrestricted access past the armed checkpoints guarding the devastated neighborhoods. One location, in particular, had us sharing a parking lot with giant tractors as they tore apart one of the most famous casinos on the coast, now sitting a half mile from where it was located before the hurricane–a very surreal moment.
Each day brought us unique opportunities to give back directly to residents of the area. One of these particular opportunities was in filming the football team of Bay St. Louis High School, located in one of the areas hit hardest by Katrina. Wearing jerseys that were donated to them by an out-of-state school after having lost all their equipment, the team was filmed by us after a practice, then invited to stay for a feast of fresh barbequed ribs–one of the first meals the boys had enjoyed together since the storm.
For those of us who traveled in from Portland, it was a continual minute-to-minute reminder of all we have to be thankful for, as well as how ridiculously spoiled we can all become during production, when normally a latte is just a walkie-talkie call away. I personally stood in a line at Wal-Mart for over 90 minutes just to buy bottled water for our production office. But how could I bitch about that when everyone around me was just happy to be warm, dry and alive?
While the motel we retired to each night was the type of place where you are dubious about touching the carpet with your bare feet, how do you complain when the majority of the New Orleans film crew we hired had lost everything they owned, but wore constant smiles just to be working again and have a break from their own dire circumstances?
In the midst of changes affecting every element of life in the area, where a return to “normalcy” was everyone’s ultimate desire, the shoot went off seamlessly. This was the result of the tireless efforts and adaptable problem-solving skills of our crew and the ever-positive agency personnel.
The cooperative spirit of the amazing citizenry of Gulfport, Biloxi and Bay St. Louis was nothing less than inspirational. They face daily rejection and indifference from insurance companies, as well as our own government, but continue to carry on the best way possible.
As with so many things in life–it’s all just a matter of perspective and feeling another person’s point of view. This shoot was a rare opportunity to realize, despite all the pressures of deadlines and client induced headaches, just how lucky we are.
Oscar Nominees Delve Into The Art Of Editing At ACE Session
You couldn’t miss Sean Baker at this past Sunday’s Oscar ceremony where he won for Best Picture, Directing, Original Screenplay and Editing on the strength of Anora. However, earlier that weekend he was in transit from the Cesar Awards in Paris and thus couldn’t attend the American Cinema Editors (ACE) 25th annual panel of Academy Award-nominated film editors held at the Regal LA Live Auditorium on Saturday (3/1) in Los Angeles. While the eventual Oscar winner in the editing category was missed by those who turned out for the ACE “Invisible Art, Visible Artists” session, three of Baker’s fellow nominees were on hand--Dávid Jancsó, HSE for The Brutalist; Nick Emerson for Conclave; and Myron Kerstein, ACE for Wicked. Additionally, Juliette Welfling, who couldn’t appear in person due to the Cesar Awards, was present via an earlier recorded video interview to discuss her work on Emilia Pérez. The interview was conducted by ACE president and editor Sabrina Plisco, ACE who also moderated the live panel discussion. Kerstein said that he was the beneficiary of brilliant and generous collaborators, citing, among others, director Jon M. Chu, cinematographer Alice Brooks, and visual effects supervisor Pablo Helman. The editor added it always helps to have stellar acting performances, noting that hearing Cynthia Erivo, for example, sing live was a revelation. Kerstein recalled meeting Chu some eight years ago on a “blind Skype date” and it was an instant “bromance”--which began on Crazy Rich Asians, and then continued on such projects as the streaming series Home Before Dark and the feature In The Heights. Kerstein observed that Chu is expert in providing collaborators with... Read More