How's the documentary going?

So, November 10, 2009. 19 months into this PhD journey and it has been a ride much like a hurricane. Going round and round in circles. About two months ago I made the decision to include an artefact into this research. I hope to use this space to process the journey of the production of the artefact. There always should have been one, it's not all that useful to theorise about documentary, it's a practical thing so there needs to be some kind of practical demonstration of it in this research. I think.

Anyway, I've returned to the old favourite, The Universal Brotherhood for the documentary. The 16mm film has finally made its way from the US, to Sydney and it now rests with us here awaiting transfer to a format I can actually use (HDV). That 30 year journey of the film in itself has been an incredible one and the plan is to include it as one of the subplots of the doco.

Accompanying the 16mm film is about 30 reels of 1/4 inch audio tape, a majority of it is synced sound for the 16mm film. We managed to find a machine that can play these things and I've now captured all of it to digital. Another incredible journey was found in listening to and logging these reels. They seem to have captured and perfectly preserved many different 'modules' of the UB (Universal Brotherhood), different aspects of their life as it was in 1978. I find it fascinating, I wonder if anyone else will? :o/

I did a bit of desktop research into the original filmmaker Deacon Chapin. Not much out there in cyberspace on him. He was mainly known of as a ski photographer by the sounds of it. He died in 2001, aged 49.

I did find a bit of a eulogy for him -

"Deacon found life and energy in places most people would never think of looking. Alpine lakes, clouds, unusual stones, arrowheads, and secret desert campsites were all living spirits to him. Amazing phenomena surrounded us everywhere once you understood that anything was possible, he believed." (http://www.liquidmoonsports.com/stories36.htm)

Ah yes, that does sound like someone who would have been interested in Fred Robinson and the UB. I'd like to find out more about what inspired him and his team to travel all the way to WA from the US in 1978 to make this film on the UB. Must have been quite a considerable financial investment for them.

So, how's the documentary going? Weeeell, it's on pause at the moment. A few ethics considerations to make which seem to be shaping up as quite a headache. This causes me to ask the questions do I really want to make this film? Will it really be worth the trouble? In answer, the first thing that comes to mind is, 'yes!' I've tried several times to let this UB thing go but this 16mm film is what keeps bringing me back to it. At first, it didn't look like it would ever get into our hands but now, after 5 years it is here and it has got me interested again. To me it is amazing that this film was shot 30 years ago and has sat in storage, waiting, waiting for someone to come along and do something with it. The footage has outlived its creator and who knows what is in store for it in the future. Referring back to that eulogy above, amazing phenomena surrounds us everywhere and anything is possible.