In order to spark conversation, I thought I’d take a quick run through my process of making the documentary film, For the Love of Books. I invite questions, requests for more of an explanation, and most of all suggestions for improvement.

1. As a longtime fan of documentary films and a writer of scripts, the catalyst that sparked me into action to try and make my own film came as I attended the Rhode Island International Film Festival.  
2. While watching a block of shorts, I saw a film called Two’s a Crowd. It was about a Manhattan Jewish couple who had maintained separate apartments during their marriage but because of economic circumstances, they’d decided to finally move in together. I remember a line: “I can get married or move in together, but I can’t do both.”
3. Two brothers made the film. I thought it was funny and interesting about relationships. I turned to my sister and said, “We can do this.”
4. A plan was hatched to do a short film about my father and his morel mushroom hunting buddies. (now in progress)
5. I have a MacBook from St. John’s University I use for work. My wife has one too. I decided I would be an Apple guy and that I would look for a camera that worked well with Apple and the company’s software program, Final Cut Pro X.
6. I purchased an iMac with the largest screen possible. I purchased their video editing software Final Cut Pro X. 
7. I might use the wrong computer jargon here, but I’ll do my best and correct me if you find mistakes. You’re going to need a lot of RAM. I think of this as working memory.  The iMac often comes with 4 GB of RAM. I have since upgraded to 16 GB.  It was very easy to do this myself. Just involved a few screws. Apple charges a lot for their RAM. Buy it and install it yourself.
8. You are going to need an external hard drive. Final Cut Pro X will work much better if your video is stored on an external hard drive so the desktop processor is free to run the video editing software.
   
9. Sometime after I bought my computer and before I bought the camera, I started to think about the crazy costumes of the Pulpwood Queens. I thought they’d look great on camera. I emailed Kathy Patrick and asked her if I could bring my camera down to Jefferson, Texas and film some of the events.

my camera: the JVC GY-HM150U

1. A couple days before my trip to Jefferson, I purchased the JVC GY-HM150U from B & H photo. I purchased memory cards, a bag to carry the camera in, and an extra battery.
2. I read Anthony Q. Artis’s book, Shut Up and Shoot. It gave me a lot to consider before I began shooting.
3. I thought a film needed a through story, something a viewer could watch from beginning to end. The only story I could think of (maybe the only story I had access to) was my own story of being nervous and travelling to Jefferson for the Pulpwood Queens’ party. 
4. I decided to shoot at 24P. I kind of wish I would have just shot in HD.  I may not have even described this right.
5. I did what I could to shoot footage of the journey. This included still photos and video of airports, my rental car, the state line, sites along the way, and the “Jefferson” sign as I entered town. Except for when my battery ran out, I videoed everything that happened at Girlfriend Weekend.
6. What story are you telling? How can you “show” it? I tried to feel out a story as the weekend passed. I knew I had to have an ending. I was on the lookout for it.
7. It wasn’t long until I wished I’d bought a tripod. 
8. Other mistakes? forgot to white balance the camera, didn’t know my camera had a “stabilization” button, ran out of battery in the middle of great footage, and I once had the mic facing the wrong direction.
9. As you fill up your memory cards, where will you put the video? I had a MacBook and an external drive that I put footage onto at night. The files are enormous.
10. Kathy Patrick introduced me to the crowd as a documentary filmmaker. I had a camera. As far as anyone knew, I was a documentary filmmaker. I tried to start acting like one. I focused on trying to capture the experience of the Pulpwood Queens’ Girlfriend Weekend. The more I filmed, the braver I got and the more I was willing to stick my camera into the action. I asked people questions and filmed their answers. 
11. I wasn’t determined to make a documentary film. I wanted to learn to use my camera and get some experience. My experience with the Pulpwood Queens motivated me to see the film to completion.
12. Having been introduced as a documentary filmmaker,  (rather than a guy who bought a camera) I was approached by Brooklyn-based photographer Natalie Brasington.  She offerred her still photographs to the film. I believe this is one of the key events that allowed the film to be completed. 
13. I connected via Facebook with my old high school basketball rival and friend Jeremy Vogt. He offerred his music to the project.
14. I took Apple workshops on Final Cut Pro X  at the Apple store on West 14th Street in Manhattan.  It was during these courses that I also learned about Larry Jordan and his book Final Cut Pro X: Making the Transition.  
15. I essentially wrote an essay about the Pulpwood Queens. I cut it in half and read the first half of it to open the film. I used Natalie’s photographs to illustrate it. I added Jeremy’s music. I did the same for the end.

Hope this gives you an idea of my process

Love to hear questions and suggestions

Thanks for reading!