Tag Archives: Washington

Documentary Blog #38 – Recap of the D.C. Trip & Organizations

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My four days in Washington, D.C. have come to an end and I am walking away (well, actually flying away) from here with so much great information.  First off, the people at Meals on Wheels Association of America (MOWAA) and the National Council on Aging (NCOA) are some of the best people I have met who are working their asses off to make certain someone is looking out for the seniors of America.    Secondly, if it weren’t for these organizations I often wonder what would be happening to current and future seniors and who would be fighting for them.  Keep in mind, people working for the not-for-profits are often some of the hardest working people in the country because their work is a passion… it’s personal.

Enid sharing her passion during our interview

I should explain what these organizations are all about and how important it is for this documentary to have two amazing organizations such as these.  Actually, I am flattered to have MOWAA, NCOA and AARP as part of this piece.  Without these groups I don’t know where this documentary would have become.  It not only adds credibility but it allows people who are this passionate to talk about what it is they are doing, the progress they are making and the future prognosis of the “Senior Hunger” (as well as other senior) issues.

Jim Firman of NCOA during our interview

The reason I chose MOWAA to be a part of this film is fairly obvious.  We’re doing a piece on senior hunger and the two largest organizations feeding people in the U.S. are Meals on Wheels and Feeding America.  As I already stated in a previous post, you know Feeding America (the national organization and not the local level) never called me back or wanted to be a part of this movie.  Meals on Wheels is an old, old organization serving millions of meals every year to seniors and other people who require the basic necessity of food.  I wanted them to be a part of this film long before they ever gave money to my project.  While interviewing Enid from MOWAA I learned some amazing things about her organization, what’s happening in America and how they battle every day with Congress to get more and more assistance to help people in this country.  My question is… why is it a battle?  That’s another film for another filmmaker.

Please look up this "One Away" program from the NCOA

With regard to NCOA, I can’t express enough how great it was to have them on board too.  Jim Firman was great and amenable to helping me get out the story and share how they are a part of the lives of many seniors.  In case you aren’t familiar with NCOA then you definitely need to look them up.  Basically, they are a group that strives to improve the lives of older adults, especially those who are vulnerable and disadvantaged.  In fact, you have to check out one of their great programs that inspired me to want to interview them and have them be a part of this film.  That program is called “One Away” and it’s a series of stories of people who are/were one paycheck, health issue, emergency or other issue away from finding themselves in major crisis.  It’s really worth checking out and seeing what’s happening.

I think that many people don’t realize how real hunger is in the U.S. and this campaign brings it to life.  Also, my relationship with NCOA opened the door for my personal redemption in this film but that’s a later post for a later date.  Heck, I may never even mention it because I don’t want to give away too much about this film.  All in all, my trip to D.C. was well worth the time and money to get some much needed credibility to my film and I am so thankful for their time and commitment to helping me tell this story.

Check out their websites on my LINKS page.

Documentary Blog #37 – Wandering around DC

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I will be short in this post but I want to bring up some points or thoughts I had while walking around DC.  This was my second time in DC and the first time I had some time on my hands to walk around, take in the sights and see the splendor of our nation’s capitol.  My first time in DC I was working almost every minute of the day and only had time to eat, sleep and work.  I did take in an art museum but that was all I had time for while in DC nearly 12 years earlier.

On this trip I had set aside some time for Kaleb and me to walk around DC, get B-Roll of all the monuments and people.  We rode the tour busses, walked around the monuments, took photos and interviewed people on the streets.  While walking around the Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, FDR and other monuments and memorials I started wondering what the people who founded this country would think about the state of our union.  Essentially we have become a country that is better served by the interests of corporations than the people.  We have corporations running and making everything in this country.  The family farm no longer exists, our food is processed in massive plants, hell, we all drink water made and bottled by corporations!

I really do wonder what Jefferson would say about America today?

Don’t get me wrong, I think capitalism is great and I believe competition brings out the best in everyone (and sometimes the worst) and still believe in a country where hard work, innovation and determination leads to great things.  I am a big fan of the “individual” in this country and I think our founding fathers had those same beliefs.  But they also though about a country that took care of its people.  After all, we are supposed to have a government that is “of the people, by the people and for the people.”  I think Abraham Lincoln was right in his Gettysburg address when he made the previous statement but something has changed and somewhere along the lines we have lost that perspective.  Hopefully this film can open some eyes and help remind people that we live in a great country that allows us great freedoms.  Perhaps our government can get back to thinking about its people rather than the corporations.  After all, it’s the people of this country – the workers, teachers, artists, entrepreneurs, laborers, farmers, volunteers and the civic-minded – who make America truly the great country that it has become.

As long as this monumnet exists, I will always have hope for America.

The Washington Monument at midday.

Documentary Blog #35 – The nation’s capitol & major disappointment

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With our new money in hand, I set up our travel and trip to Washington, DC to interview people, conduct street interviews and start to get some answers.  I knew I had wanted to get to DC for quite some time.  There are a couple of reasons why I believed DC was essential to our overall story.  One, most national organizations like Meals on Wheels and Feeding America are headquartered in the area and, two, federal organizations like the USDA and the AoA (Administration on Aging) are located here.  I had hoped to interview as many organizations as I could while in town and had been working with the USDA and AoA for more than three months at this point to set up interviews.  I answered whatever questions they had, jumped through hoops and tried working with them as best as I could to get someone on camera to talk about this.  After all, a group like the AoA is working at the highest level in this country to help seniors.  I don’t see why they won’t want to be a part of this project.  So, I loaded up the gear and boarded my cross-continental flight from LA to DC and met my videographer there.

I landed in DC and took a taxi to my hotel, which was located in the heart of DC.  Once I checked into my hotel I went straight up to my room, took out my computer and decided to check my email to make certain nothing changed with my interviews and schedules.  15 minutes into checking my email I received a message from my contact at the AoA telling me they would not be able to meet with me!

I was floored, angry, disappointed and completely shocked.

Why would an organization working at the highest level for our seniors decline to go on camera?  What are they hiding from?  They new I am not making a “Michael Moore” type film (you would not believe how many people asked if that was my style when setting up interviews) and was trying to find answers.  What makes me angrier is that our current Obama Administration wanted to be known as the most open and transparent administration to date.  This didn’t seem very open or transparent to me!  Again, what are you hiding from?  What could make you NOT want to let America know about the problems facing seniors and how you are working to help or alleviate those matters?  I knew the USDA wouldn’t go on camera with us and Feeding America never returned any of our calls – those two were not on my list already.  I went to DC knowing I was going to interview Meals on Wheels, the National Council on Aging and the AoA but now one of the key components of my story decided not to go on camera.  That makes me mad, check that, really pissed off!

After about 20 minutes of fuming I started to calm down and remembered that this story is about the seniors and this is another one of those “Crossroads” you encounter while working on a project like this.  I decided to make lemonade out of lemons and would use that opportunity to explore more of DC, get as much B-Roll as possible and spend more time on my interviews with the NCOA and Meals on Wheels.  And, I am glad I decided to move forward once faced with the fork in the road because of the douche bag move from the AoA (OK, maybe I still not over it).  Because of their cancellation I was able to spend more time walking and wandering DC and was able to make more phone calls and set up additional interviews.  Because of this additional free time I was able to secure an interview with the AARP Foundation and their president, Jo Ann Jenkins as well as walk around DC looking at and shooting many of the monuments.

In fact, while walking through the FDR Memorial I stumbled upon the great quote (seen below) that has become the driving thought/quote/idea behind this documentary.  So, I think it’s important to take the lemons life gives you and try to make lemonade.  There’s something to be said about perseverance, optimism and fortitude.

This is the quote that I stumbled upon while walking around the memorial. This quote has become our driving motivation for this film.

Documentary Blog #32 – Official Name and Website

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http://www.leftoversmovie.com – TELL EVERYONE AND SHARE WITH FRIENDS! :)

Well if you’re here then you already know about the name of the project. After many hours of deliberations and conversations, the executive producers and I agreed upon a name for this film. As you know, the film is called “Leftovers.” Initially, the film was entitled “Stick a Fork In It,” but that name didn’t completely encompass the overall themes or thoughts about this project. In a situation like this it’s better to wait for all the information to come together and then name the project than to have to edit to a specific title. It’s more organic that way and is much less confining or constraining to a specific theme or title.

While traveling around the country we were just out to shoot and learn about what’s happening to our seniors and how big the issue of senior hunger is in America. But during that process we encountered some other themes like ageism and poverty and lack of opportunities that really shaped the direction of this film. Therefore, we decided upon the title of “Leftovers” to summarize the FOOD element of this plight and to highlight the way America treats its seniors – as people who are forgotten, set aside, left in the background or just completely thrown away.

Being honest, as I always am, I was not completely in love with this title from the very beginning but it has grown on me and I have come to love and appreciate this title. After all, it’s a title that says everything we have experienced and that’s more important in telling the story for all of America to see and experience. What’s happening to our seniors is frightening and should be a warning to what could be in store if nothing is remedied. So the website is now complete and you can see and learn all about our progress through the blogs, watch some videos, look at photos and connect with the great organizations who have helped to be a part of this journey.

Documentary Blog #31 – New website coming

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There have been a lot of things taking place over the last couple of months in regard to the documentary.  Yes, I have been playing a massive waiting game with people in Washington, DC and my calls and emails to anyone at the USDA have fallen on deaf ears and I cannot get a response from that organization.  However, I have been in talks with Meals on Wheels Association of America, the Administration on Aging and the National Council on Aging and have some interviews lined up here.  So, I will be traveling to DC in a matter of weeks.  In the meantime, I have kept myself busy with working on and organizing my clips so that I can tell the story when the time comes.  Also, I have been sending out email after email and making phone call after phone to set up interviews and garner additional funding for the project.  All my “behind the scenes” work is paying off and so much is starting to happen.

Now, there’s a lot i CANNOT share with you right now because I don’t want some information to get out but I can tell you that I am writing this blog post as an EXTREMELY happy man right now.  Something huge came in the mail today for me that will allow me to finish this project.  I am so happy that I want to shout it from the rooftops but am restrained to do so out of respect and admiration of the people involved.  But, I can tell you this and share this with you… We are working on a site solely dedicated to the film so you don’t have to read anymore posts here on my photography site.  We are in the works of building a “Stick A Fork In It” website that will solely devoted to the film, photographs, stories, people and organizations we have encountered along the way as well as links for you to personally get involved in the lives of seniors.  It will have a new, completely overhauled logo and everything.  This is getting exciting and more and more professional every minute.  I think this is all coming together nicely.

Look here for more details coming soon and thanks for all your support.  I love you all!

Seth