Behind the scenes with The Road to Europe director, Christoffer Guldbrandsen: a greg.org exclusive

Fogh and Guldbrandsen, image: drsales.dkHearing a story on the wide-ranging political turmoil which followed The Road to Europe, a documentary on the Danish prime minister, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, I wanted to know more; but the reports I found still left me unsatisfied.
Deutsche-Welle, The Economist, even NPR’s On the Media, referred to the documentary as “reality TV,” a term which belittles both the film’s message and impact and which ignores the history and context of “fly-on-the-wall” filmmaking.
To get the still-untold story of how The Road to Europe was made, I contacted the film’s 32-year old director, Christoffer Guldbrandsen, at DK, the Danish public broadcaster. Here are my questions and his responses:

G: How did you develop the idea for The Road to Europe, and what challenges did you face in gaining permission and access from prime minister Rasmussen?
C: I wanted to make a portrait of Rasmussen and the anatomy of decision making in the EU at a historic moment in time. To make a political documentary that also worked as a well told story. The idea had simmered in me for years, but [had] never been possible to realize until last year, when Denmark held the [EU] presidency.
The process of gaining permission and access to Rasmussen consisted of four meetings with his head of communications and an e-mail correspondance. We discussed in detail what kind of access I would need to make the film. The prime minister had the following conditions: he wanted to see the final film before is was aired. If there was material that, according to Danish law, threatened the “national security” he could ask to have it cut. Furthermore, civil servants [who] wished not to be in the film should be respected.
I was concerned that the issue of “national security” could be used as a loophole for the prime minister to have controversial material removed. We discussed it in detail, and his office made it clear that the spirit of the deal was to interpret “national security” in a very narrow way and not abuse the clause.
G: How did you shoot it? What was your crew and equipment? What restrictions or limitations did you have on equipment and access?
C: I shot it myself on a Sony PD-150, with a Sennheiser [416] camera mic. I used a monopod to increase stability.[that’s him in the pic. -greg.] There where no restrictions on the equipment. I chose the compact set-up because I wanted to be as discreet as possible. Another problem was that Rasmussen did not want to carry a microport [ie., a wireless mic]. This meant that I had to be close to him all the time to pick up the sound and always point the camera/mic at whoever was speaking. This, of course, limited my freedom to shoot.
In terms of restrictions: there were a lot of people trying to stop me from working, ranging from bodyguards to various secretaries — I worked in all fifteen EU countries, and not everybody welcomed my presence. However, the staff of Rasmussen quickly got used to me and began to help me out in difficult situations. The rule was that I could film Rasmussen all the time, but that he could, as an execption, ask me to leave.
G: When did you start to identify the key elements of the program? Did they reveal themselves as you were shooting, or in the editing process? Did this influence how/what you shot?
I made a series of interviews before I began shooting. I tried to analyse the process, to see were the challenges were for Rasmussen. I looked at who his allies and enemies would be and tried to locate the conflicts. I don’t think it influenced the shooting too much, but it gave me something to steer by when I got lost. A lot of the key elements only surfaced in the editing room, but I always like to have a script when I start out, because I find that it gives me focus.
For me the script mostly works as a starting point. I had decided to let the camera roll virtually all the time, and then pick up on what I could. In my opinion, the best political documentaries are those that capture the human relations in the story. In my experience, politicians try to control the situation when the camera is rolling, but when they interact with other people, this control erodes. And sometimes, if I’m patient, I can get a glimpse of who they are.
4. What are the influences or models you used for the program? In the English-language press, the phrase “reality TV” is used frequently, but descriptions of the program make me think of The War Room, D.A. Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus‘ documentary about Bill Clinton’s first campaign for US president. Are you familiar with this film, or other works by Pennebaker or Albert and David Maysles, who also became very well known for “fly-on-the-wall” documentaries, beginning in the 1960’s?
The War Room has definitely inspired me. It’s a brilliant film that uses human relations to tell a fantastic story. I draw heavily from the tradition of the American Direct Cinema filmmakers. Not directly, but I have their work in the back of my mind. Pennebaker is, in my opinion, outstanding. Another source of inspiration is the Dogme movement — mostly in terms of aesthetics, particularly the camerawork of Anthony Dod Mantle ( The Celebration, etc).
G: In the US, George Bush’s team is becoming known for its elaborate preparations or productions of imagery, especially for TV. What does your experience show about politicians’ attempts to take advantage of film/entertainment techniques?
C: That it can backfire badly. I think it is almost immpossible to control a filmmaker if he takes his job seriously. I always search for the honesty of the moment. And even the most staged and controlled situations can contain this honesty – if you deal with them in a right way.

For news, stories and links, check the earlier post.

What are the odds?

Bombing suspect/NC survivalist Eric Rudolph, image: ap, via nytimes.comQueen lead singer, Freddie Mercury, image: bbc.co.uk

What are the odds that Eric Rudolph, NC mountain man and religious fundamentalist extremist suspected of bombing a gay bar, would look so much like late Queen lead singer, Freddie Mercury

cf. From the mountains to the sea. Artist Donald Moffett’s courtroom sketches from the murder trial of “Christian soldier” Mr. Ronald Gay, who a shot up a gay bar in Roanoke, VA. Also, Larry Clark’s Bully, not on the DVD list.

Bloghdad.com/Slate_Blanked

Turns out the Times Magazine had Salam Pax on the payroll, translating pizza orders for their Man in Baghdad, Peter Maass, but they didn’t know it. That copy of the New Yorker mentioned in Rory’s Guardian piece? It’s Maass’s. Looks like that “virtual felled forest of [warblog] postings” landed on Peter’s head. And Nick‘s been sitting on the story for ages, poor guy.
Hmm. I wonder if Slate knows they have a column named Bloghdad?

Update: DVD Recs

Thanks to the folks who’ve emailed suggestions for DVD’s to order up. Here’s a sample, along with recommendations from some other people:

  • Kurosawa’s Ran; Resnais’ Hiroshima, Mon Amour; and any Kubrick (I decided on Full Metal Jacket and Lolita)
  • I culled The Iron Giant from Jason.
  • By buying it the other day, Roger Avary recommends The Breakfast Club, from which I extrapolated Fast Times at Ridgemont High. (Added Avary’s own Rules of Attraction, esp. for the commentary track by Carrot Top.)
  • Finally, though he may not have intended to, Larry Wachowski is suggesting Orlando. Read the book, too.
  • Catching up: WTC

    Thursday night, seven of us got together to discuss our questions and challenges for the WTC Memorial competition. [Here’s a sublog for the topic.] It was an extremely helpful and insightful couple of hours. The group included a journalist/weblogging guru, an architect, two artists, a designer, and me. Conversation was free-ranging; here’s Jeff Jarvis’s take(away), and here’s some of mine:

  • Take “performance pressure” off the Memorial, by limiting it to its Mission. Use the rest of the program at the site, e.g., the Tower, the Museum, etc. Don’t boil the ocean.
  • That said, meeting the needs of all the constituents/those who will be honored, is probably the single biggest challenge. It’s not something to approach blithely.
  • Excuse the language on a Sunday, but Libeskind’s a pain in the ass. His design has so many loaded elements in it, things that intrude on the memorial site, it’s not designated, so much as leftover; options that stay within the official site are severely constrained. The odd ramps, some mega-waterfall, trenches, glass walls, his cultural buildings; in order to pretend one cultural building doesn’t impinge on the footprint of the North tower, it’s being called a bridge. And sewer rat may taste like pumpkin pie, but I’ll never know. The right memorial has to correct aspects of Libeskind’s plan.
  • Practical notes: working back from the delivery deadline, factoring in production time for the board/images/text, leaves two weeks, max, from today to pin down the design. Unless you’re a 3D rendering master (and even if you are, but you don’t have infinite time/resources), adapted photocollage is the medium of choice. Of course, Maya Lin submitted a pastel drawing so abstract, one juror figured whoever the guy [sic] was who submitted it sure must know what he’s doing to send something so simple.
  • With over 13,000 submitters, you’ve also gotta factor in the amount of time your board will receive. Is it 15 seconds? 30? It has to be quickly compelling enough to make that first cut.
  • There’s more, but I can’t give away all my strategies…
  • Bloghdad.com/Anthony_Lane_Fanclub

    Maybe it was the way Rory flaunted his expense account by overpaying for pizza. Maybe it was the promise of more back issues of the New Yorker, (Anthony Lane’s X2 review gets a specific mention. Whose yer publicist, Tony? Day-amn!)
    Whatever, it worked. The Guardian‘s Rory McCarthy meets, profiles, and signs Salam Pax to write Baghdad Blog for the paper. It’ll be what Britons call a “fortnightly” gig. [putting that in cross-Atlantic perspective: less than Tina Brown, Columnist but far more than Tina Brown, Talk Show Host.]
    My question, of course, if they’re calling Salam’s column Baghdad Blog, does that mean I can keep bloghdad.com? I think so. I think it’s what’s best for the Iraqi people. And besides, what kind of American would I be if my pre-war Iraq-related assurances and assertions didn’t turn out to be hollow and wildly discredited?

    Who, then, is this Michael Wolff person?

    Because people are asking. From his online bio:

    “[I’m/He’s] a seasoned pianist/composer with a wealth of straight ahead jazz credentials as well as an impressive body of movie soundtrack work…
    In 1975, [I was– I mean] Wolff was hired by the great alto saxophonist Cannonball Adderley, who also enjoyed a wide appeal at the time. “When I was with Cannonball, Miles would come to check us out. Everybody checked us out. There was a real scene surrounding that band. It was like you were on a wave of forward motion.” …
    Taking his talents to television, Wolff became the musical director for the popular “Arsenio Hall Show.”

    TJVGIF

    Help me with Netflix, help yourself with GreenCine.

    Only a couple of weeks after Agent Smithing my brother’s early adopter, $10/month-for-life Netflix account, I’ve run out of movies I want to rent. Or more precisely, movies I want to rent that Netflix actually has. (Note: if you’re reading this from Netflix, my brother lives with us now. As do his wife and their two lovely children. Coincidentally, after tiring of Pooh’s various adventures, my four-year-old niece suddenly developed an interest in Ozu and Tarkovsky.)
    So, please help me fill my Netflix queue with films I haven’t thought to rent.
    And in the mean time, sign yourself up at GreenCine, the San Francisco Pink Dot to Netflix’s Kozmo. They have everything and a great film weblog. While you’re at it, read this fascinating analysis of Netflix’s DVD allocation system to see just how unprofitable my brother is for them.
    [Update: thanks, Sacrifice is actually already in the mail, and Bottle Rocket‘s on the list. Paul Krugman recommends Wag the Dog. Here’s my rental queue: Koyaanisqatsi, Dancer in the Dark (finally. I walked out of the theater after 10 min.), The Manchurian Candidate, Rashomon, Sokurov’s Mother and Son. Watched and mailed back: Badlands (again), Hedwig & the Angry Inch, In the Bedroom. ]
    [Unrelated: can anyone explain why I have the song, “Come on, be my baby tonight,” from idiot David on The Real World: New Orleans stuck in my head? Whitney, where are you when I need you?]

    Note: Despite appearances, this is not a Matrix plot point

    Short Cuts, 2003, Elmgreen & Dragset, image: Fond. Trussardi

    “After an imaginary trip through the center of the world, a white car and its caravan have appeared at the center of the Galleria, cracking the floor and destroying its precious marbles.” It’s by some friends, the artists Elmgreen & Dragset, and was installed in the center of the Mall of Milano by the Nicola Trussardi Foundation.
    Some merchants complained about the piece and damage to the “precious marbles.” I think the bigger worry is that the piece’ll get subsumed by the guys on Jason’s Matrix thread. I mean, the Merovingian may swear in French, but he clearly buys his marble in Italy.

    Whew. Observations from the WTC Memorial public forum

    The LMDC held a forum for the public to tell WTC Memorial Competition jurors what kind of memorial they want, and how to make it relevant to future generations. [Check here for an archived webcast.] In the 1,000-seat auditorium, approximately 500 seats were filled, 300 by firefighters and their families, who clearly came to the meeting with an impassioned, cohesive message: rescue workers must not go unrecognized in the memorial. Let me come back to this.

  • This, my first-ever public WTC event, was emotionally exhausting. Whatever effects I may still feel from the attacks, it pales in comparison to the formalized anguish that is central to Ground Zero Process veterans. It plots somewhere on the scale between consuming and addictive.
  • Nearly everyone was representing, reading from prepared (and, once their affiliation was known, largely predictable) statements. Twice, though, when rancor seemed ready to spill over, unscripted and wrenching comments from a family member silenced the room.
  • What can sometimes seem like another bullet point on the Memorial Guidelines suddenly felt like the memorial’s very essence: for at least a quarter of the families the WTC site will be the only grave they will ever have. “Give us somewhere to go.”
  • Because of the nature of their daily lives, firefighters and their families are more pre-something…prepared, I guess, for sudden (but not entirely unexpected) loss. Their culture is fiercely attuned to it. Other such “cultures” can learn from them how to come together and mourn and remember. But I think the ultimate unifying factor for all the people killed is not victim, target, rescuer, hero. It’s daily life. These people were killed (or injured, or they made it out or sacrificed themselves for others) while living whatever lives they chose, and the memorial should reflect that.
    [I said as much when I decided to make an impromptu statement; it’s a little over two hours into the stream. Details later.]

  • Puttin’ the W into WMD

    W as in Whitney. Houston. She met with Ariel Sharon while visiting “family and friends” in Israel.
    Houston’s no stranger to Mid East politics. Last fall, while the US was cookin’ up wild reasons for invading Iraq, it ignored the horrors Saddam Hussein inflicted on his people during sham elections: non-stop playing of his campaign theme song, Houston’s “I Will Always Love You.” I give Sharon six months, max. [thanks (?), Gawker]