The Most Inspiring (and Cynical) Guest

Browsing through the posts that were written before this one, It's safe to say that John Fiege was the most inspiring guests for many of my peers. Indeed, I found what John talked about to be both fascinating and useful. I'm always trying to think of creative ways in which I can make my documentary skill set work, and John definitely demonstrated that we can be documentarians all the time, even when it comes to work for non-profits or businesses. However, if I had to choose my favorite speaker, I would pick Peter Esmonde, the very cynical industry professional.

Peter told us what we didn't want to hear, that the industry is difficult, that PBS screws over filmmakers time and time again, that companies are interested in exploiting our skills for their own nefarious needs. I didn't mind this, as it's always a good idea to be at least partially grounded in reality. Yet for all his cynicism, you could tell that Peter had a love for documentary, even though he essentially deemed the medium a fraud. His understanding and take on documentary film lead to some very interesting discussions. Particularly, I found it interesting that Peter thought that documentaries are always lying, and that they try to fit into certain blueprints. Indeed, we've had similar discussions in the past, in particular when talking about movies such as American Teen.

What I found most inspiring was Peter's life story, which illustrates the notion that it's never too late to make that first feature film. Peter spent most of his adult life in television and internet/interactive work, in order to make a living and support his family. I often feel that I'll have to follow a similar path, taking a job that's not ideal, in order to make ends meet. I've worried in the past that if I take this route, I'll get distracted from my passion, and never actually end up making a feature documentary. This would be sad, no doubt. However, individuals like Peter help us solidify that idea that one can make a film at any time. Sooner is always better than later, but at least I can ease my mind, telling myself that my chance might come at age 50. 

 

At SXSW, Peter was certainly one of the older first-time filmmakers, but he was just as passionate as anyone half his age. I could also tell that he was having a great time hanging around with his subject, the ever-eccentric Trimpin. If only I can be so lucky some day, I will die a happy man. Until then, I can look towards Mr. Esmonde for inspiration.