Just saw an interesting film the other day on P.O.V called "Calavera Highway". It documents the trip of two brothers as they travel with their mother's ashes back to Texas, where they grew up, near the Mexican border. Along the way, they visit with their five other brothers and trace their Mexican roots, at one point crossing the border to uncover some of their father's past. It was interesting to see the perspective of another filmmaker on a story similar in theme to the one I am working on. Check out the link to view a clip, or read more about it at the website.

http://www.pbs.org/pov/pov2008/calaverahighway/

On my thesis, I have finished shooting what will most likely be the first half of the film, which all takes place here in Rochester. Now begins the fun of logging all that tape and beginning to develop an editing script as I try to put together what I have before we embark on our trip to PR in December to shoot what will amount to the second half of the film (roughly). It has been difficult to find time to keep up with blogging while shooting these elements, so perhaps as I log these elements, I can recount some of those events.

It's strange how I often don't really know what I have until I go back and look at it later. I have ideas for things that I know I want, but with documentary, you never know exactly what you are going to get, and how it is going to fit into the final film. 

I knew I wanted to get everyone into the car to take a trip back to the neighborhood where my wife's parents grew up here in Rochester, as they used to do when my wife and her sister were younger. I had an idea that this could be a fruitful trip in terms of learning more about the family history and seeing where they came from, but it's impossible to plan for the moments that occur. I can only be prepared to react to the situation and capture it as it happens and then sort out later how it will fit into the narrative.

Similarly, I spent months restoring some old photos of my father in law's family, that had been recovered, unbeknownst to him, from their garage. They were severely damaged by water, but I managed to salvage and reprint many of them so that my wife and her sister could put together an album. I knew that it would be emotional for them, but also and important piece of their family narrative, so I wanted to document them giving the album to him. It was indeed emotional for everyone and though, it is difficult to separate myself from that situation in the capacity that I must while capturing it on video, I knew it could be a potentially important moment to help interweave his story into the overall narrative in the film.

Being so close to a story makes it that much harder to step back and be objective enough to know when something is working or not, but it will be even more of a challenge as I begin to edit the film over the next few months. At the same time, I cannot completely remove myself from the process, because I am a part of the story, and I have to use care as I consider how my voice will play a part in guiding the viewer's experience of the story.

A new academic year dawns and it's as good a time as any to return to blogging about the progress of my thesis work. It has been a busy summer, continuing to shoot material, as well as logging tape and planning for our tip to Puerto Rico in December. I am also working on getting a website online with more content, which should hopefully be forthcoming.

I just returned from Denver the week before last, covering the DNC for NY1. I'm finally getting back to normal, or at least trying to. Thought I might share a few pics from the trip.

You can view more at www.kodakgallery.com/mpmann_photos.

I spent the past weekend back home in Newark, NY where I grew up, helping my parents get some work done on their house, since they are soon looking to downsize. My oldest brother, John, was in town from Orlando to offer a hand as well. I took the opportunity to spend some time documenting the gathering, in order to contrast the confluence of my wife's family, which I have spent a good deal of time documenting over the last few months. I had the opportunity to discuss with my parents some of their knowledge of our family history, while thumbing through some old photos. My brother John, who spent fours years in the Marine Corps out of high school, spoke of his experience stationed in Scotland, researching that line of our family's ancestry. I have spent quite a bit of time considering how to include my own story into this project, which was the impetus for this project, though not the focus. It is my own line of inquiry that will drive the story, and I think that it is my lack of connection and knowledge about my family history that has driven me to want to understand how and why my wife's family has managed to keep their mixture of cultures so vital and integral to their own traditions.

As a side note, I found this link to offer a good explanation of Scottish clans and a listing of the different clan names, including Gunn of Kilernan, which is where my brother was able to trace our roots back  to:  www.motherbedford.com/scottishclans.htm.

A brief hiatus, leaving me, well, let's face it, not too thrilled about the prospect of returning to the daily grind. It has been fruitful, the time away that is. My time in paradise netted me some new images to work with. If nothing else as impetus for pressing forward with ideas that have been brewing since last summer, even before that really. Here's a few, just to get the ball rolling.

This is the street looking down from one of the incredibly steep hills where homes are often built in the small town of Arroyo, Puerto Rico where my wife's mother grew up.

A view from the rear of the house where my mother in law grew up.

The neighbor, Plana, who at 83, still gets out from time to time to survey the banana trees that fill the back yard. He still remembers her family well, though it has been decades since they moved to the US.

Another neighbor, Eriberto, who had one of the best manicured properties on the street. Also has lived there for more than 60 years. Next door is the house where his mother lives.

A view of the street from the roof of the family home. There was an attempt to build a second story years before, but it was destroyed by a storm before it could be completed.

Ah, the fresh breeze of freedom is upon me once again. The end to another semester, and the opportunity to lay around in a robe, watch films and scratch...well you get the picture. Okay, so I do still have to go to work, but after this fall, that is a piece of cake. It has been incredibly draining, but I did accomplish a fair amount.

I needed a break from all this to gather my energy once again, but I'd like to try to keep posting, if nothing else, for myself, to keep those creative juices flowing.

Heading to Puerto Rico in a few weeks for a much needed vacation. I do hope to take a lot of photos while I'm there. I have a direction, but we'll see what actually comes out of it. Until next time, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to those of you who celebrate. enjoy, and be safe. Do things that i wouldn't do, and take pictures of it. Don't forget to post them!

an end result, offering the desired effect. a conclusion, of sorts. is work ever done? sleepless nights upon sleepless days, medicating as seen fit, taking the edge off, or at least dulling the full scope of what has been done. the road, more than half complete, leaves an indeterminate trail. no way to see where I am going, or where I have been. feeding the mind, starving the body, or is it the other way around? an uncertain verisimilitude offers the prospect of profligate disregard. a folly of contentions, wishing that you weren't the only one, laying blame to a disparate source of insecurity. has it been worth it? you might ask yourself, impossible to answer, but curiosity has killed the cat, maimed the horse and slaughtered the calf, a fattened one no less. time will tell, if it does not first flee the scene, precipitously seeking its own demise.

Wrapped up shooting on the doc project on Friday. Ultimately, I think it will work, but it was an ordeal to get what I needed. I'm in the process of logging the tape I just shot and beginning to lay some material down. I'm hoping to have some sort of rough cut in another week or so. Something to look at and then bring it to completion from there. Each project is a learning experience. This one was more of a challenge due to potential legal issues. I just need to hire some people to handle this shit.

I have been trying as much as possible to get back to watching as much film as I can. It has been at the sacrifice of other things, but it has been fruitful to just watch more, in particular, documentaries. There is a lot of interesting work being done out there, and it's instructive to see the working methods of others, whether recent or not. I just saw a very provocative documentary called The Bridge. The filmmakers spent a year following the stories of people that have jumped of the Golden Gate bridge to their death. Very interesting to see how someone approaches a subject as difficult as that. I also have just made my way through the all of the Up films. I had seen 7 Up and 14 Up a few years ago. Very interesting to see a series of films made over the span of over 40 years in a matter of weeks. Well worth the time. Whether watching new things or rewatching things I had seen years ago, it has helped me to keep moving forward in developing ideas.

So, I've been away a while. Trying to keep my concentrated effort on the book and the doc that I'm working on. I'm hoping tomorrow is the day I finally am able to wrap shooting on the funeral director project. I have been jumping through hoops to get in to shoot my subject working, but legal issues have brought that to a standstill. I'm hopeful that I have worked through it. In the meantime, I have finished logging sound and I am writing and gathering media to edit. So, it is coming together, slowly, as it seems always happens. I have also been involved with the book during that down time. I'm pleased with the image layouts, Just finalizing text so I can do the layouts for that, then print this baby and assemble it.

is there guilt in laying in wake for the pestilence to take life? there is no relishing this act, only solace in the knowledge of some truth that emerges. the dead will march on, regardless of my presence. is it poetry to commit this to memory? there is no room for poetry here. only pure emotion. pour it out onto the tableau of contrivance, then sop it up with withering napkins. illegitemacy is the song of the day. leftist movements take over my mind, tell it to reshape, but there is no traction with this method. captive is my audience. left broken by the tragedy of it all. symbiotic in its pose. all in all, a worthwhile juncture for listing the effects of an ever mounting file of circumstantial evidence. fiduciary responsibility aside, the scales have tipped in your favor, weighing on my conscience with a feather's magnitude.

the production of fresh kill, blessed with a vigil of cumbersome eunuchs, at odds with the universe, and unlike anything that has come before. who says originality is dead? it can always be stolen, for a price. the incessant workings of inner spatial desire, uncanny by any standard. sanitary missions of unrelenting ambivalence leave me unrewarded. elbow grease withstanding, there is little traction for this path of least resistance. an unwarranted level of establishment within the cirle of constabulary rancor creates rumored departure for the typically fruitful endeavors of the villified masses. unschooled in the ways of fervently pious anti-cranial blasphemy, marching to the beat of untold truths, sychophantic, yet not without reproach for the lesser known prodigals. it all comes out in the wash.



a new ending discovered, for untold works, as yet realaized, with elements coming together in ways beyond simple expostion. best diplayed for discernable meaning. the direction is promising. notes on a cognitive flow have been tabluated. drafting is forthcoming.



further evidence of progress reads as such: electronic incoding of impluses through which sound and pictures produce coherent narratives expected imminently. there is no time to waste on discussion. the need for compelling evidence becomes increasingly necessary by the day. the material is guaranteed not to disappoint, subject to legal disclaimers offering no promise of complete or even partial satisfaction. void where prohibited.

4:18 AM

a pedestrian struck, a shooting, a car into a house and another bullshit mva later, my egg sandwich was missing the egg, coffee was stale and in need of doctoring, and donut left something to be desired, but other than that, I feel satiated. thank you tim horton's for another quality experience. sorry, just had to get that out.

watching some films lately, a few docs here and there, currently in the midst of Zodiac. on the non-fiction tip, i am struck mostly by the quality of stories out there, coupled with the lack of quality in terms of the technique. recently viewed 51 Birch St., and while I found the subject to be worthwhile, I am always amazed at the visible inequities of production value. i'm not talking about hollywood blockbuster special effects mind you, but simply well placed lights, cutaways, decent sound quality. started Grizzly Man, but got interrupted. Herzog is adept at both fiction and non-fiction, so I look forward to finishing. i'm also in the midst of "The War", ken burns' latest epic. the jury is out.

on my own project front, i have gathered some contacts on the funeral director project. plan on making a few calls and potentially beginning to shoot this week, hopefully will have some raw for midsemester at the very least.