How did "OBJECTS ALSO DIE" come about?
In winter 2005, I worked with the Location Managers Guild putting together an outreach event to introduce location scouting and photography to a group of students from Jefferson High School in South Central L.A. The two day event took place at the Ambassador Hotel (location for dozens of films over the years) on its final weekend before demolition began. The event was designed for the students on day one, then to allow us day two to photograph the place for ourselves. We were granted only four hours access each day.
In the weeks leading up to the event, I decided, instead of photographing stills I would shoot this documentary. For many years I'd had a vision of how film could be used to describe a piece of architecture and the essence of a place. The Ambassador was the ideal subject and it was incredibly fortunate to be there at that moment in history.
As mentioned, we had access for only FOUR HOURS on each day! The first day we were busy teaching the students, so essentially OAD was shot, day two, in only four hours! They weren't messing around either -- security kicked us out at the buzzer. And that place was huge -- over 500 guest rooms, miles of corridors, ballrooms, pools, bungalows, basements, etc. sitting on 24 acres -- I could have easily spent four weeks shooting there, easily.
I moved quick as I could, shooting from a tripod with no time to deliberate or settle in. My brother Greg was there taking stills, and we split up to cover as much ground as possible. I kept the camera rolling at all times, catching as many images as I could. The hallway shots are me jamming from one place to the next. There was so much variety from room to room, floor to floor. Areas that appear to be in good shape were leftovers from film production, fresh paint having been applied by art departments. One of the greatest opportunities that day was the groundskeeper unlocking all the "off-limits" doors, giving us access to areas that had been chained shut for years. Some of it was downright ghostly.
Was the Ambassador a place that you had been interested in prior to making the film?
I knew very little about the hotel before I became involved with the Location Manager's project. I knew, once upon a time it was a big deal for Hollywood players and had hosted the Oscars. I knew RFK had been assassinated in the pantry and the hotel had shut it doors. I was aware it was a film location. But until LASUD announced plans to destroy it, I hadn't given it much thought.
How did working with Jocko Weyland and Elk come about?
The Ambassador compound was a fortress and there was no getting on the property without some kind of official business. Jocko, I've known since the early '90s, having met in NYC when were were both living downtown. In 2005 he was in L.A. and I mentioned to him that I had an appointment (regarding the Jefferson High event) at the hotel, having no idea it was an object of obsession for him. I invited him to come along and while I was in my meeting, he was able to wander around soaking in some of the derelict grandeur that was the Ambassador in its dying state.
Originally, I envisioned narration over the film and asked Jocko if he'd write it. This led to his essay "Objects Also Die" -- the title, from which my film takes its name, inspired by a line of dialogue in Georgio Bassini's "The Garden of the Finzi-Continis. Much later, as the film OAD took shape, I made the choice not to include any narration. Eventually we decided to make a book about the Ambassador with his essay as the centerpiece. This was finally realized as the Elk book "Objects Also Die", which also includes a DVD of the film.
Most importantly, Jocko introduced me to George Draguns, the brilliant musician responsible for creating the soundtrack. George is a friend of his from Philadelphia, who just nailed it. I love the music. It absolutely captures the essence of that space and really makes the film.
What are some things that have inspired you?
That is a very, very, very long list. But a few things in relation to Objects Also Die: the photographs of Julius Shulman and Lewis Baltz, the films of Terrence Malik and John Cassavettes, the music of Arvo Pärt (thanks Greg), the guitar tones of Sonic Youth, the rock gardens of Kyoto, the ambitions of cubism, and the mysteries of my grandmother's hundred-fifty-year-old farm in West Virginia. And of course the Ambassador itself, which was really something to behold. Being there it was impossible not to imagine what the walls had seen in their time. It's a sense of wonder I hope comes across in some way in the film.
What are you working on currently?
Currently I am in post on a new feature length documentary the working title of which is "Into a New Dimension: The Making of US4" about the making of director John Hyams' latest film "Universal Soldier Part 4". It's an amazing, in depth, warts-and-all adventure into filmmaking and the creative process I spent the past year filming in Los Angeles, New Orleans and Baton Rouge. We're launching a Kickstarter campaign this Saturday, January 28th to help raise finishing funds for the project -- so please check that out at here for more information!
Anything else you'd care to mention?
Thanks to AMIGOS SHOP!!!
Thanks to Doug Magnuson and Elk for allowing us to screen Objects Also Die. Please note the screening will be held at the store tonite at 7PM. Refreshments and other Elk titles will be available.
