Thursday night, MAOC and OC Screenwriters gathered four preeminent documentary filmmakers to discuss their craft.
The men and their subjects couldn't have been more different:
David Bojorquez was probably the most commercially oriented of the group. His company Vision4Media does many and varied documentary subjects. Most recently, he is shopping a documentary about early hip hop dancers called "Beyond the Moonwalk." It looks to be highly entertaining, informative and fun.
Jay Grewall, however, is just starting on the path of documentary filmmaking. His film "If Mother Only Knew" gets inside the world of Mixed Martial Arts fighting and the whys of these men and women who put themselves into such punishing situations. Grewall was very personable but seemed so much less sure of himself than the others, which was quite refreshing. He was rawer, less polished and closer to what I see in a lot of colleges with new filmmakers. His energy was good and his answers solid. He's going to be a filmmaker to reckon with.
Richard Theiss fairly vibrated with his mission to educate about his beloved sharks and his love of nature. A long-time diver, Theiss has supplied content for many, many productions now including Google Ocean. He's about as accomplished a filmmaker as you can imagine and even with so many years behind him seemed excited still about everything he's done and everything he's doing.
Peter Buffa was the most sardonic of the group. As a former politician, Emmy winner and current filmmaker he entertained the crowd with witty ease. His current project "Titans of History" about the blimp hangers in Tustin, CA was rich with archival footage. It looks fabulous and informative.
The Bowers is a gorgeous venue and all who attended enjoyed the sumptuous surroundings and the superb 200 seat theater.
The event was the perfect length although I personally felt like a little more depth could have been teased out of the enormous talent we had in attendance. Perhaps eliminating the opening statements by the filmmakers and having a bit more structured Q&A would have helped.
It was a solidily entertaining evening; hopefully something similar will be done again in the near future.
