Film production requires wearing many hats

December 7, 2011

One of the bonuses of working for a large agency is the variety of projects one is exposed to and the wide range of experiences they bring. Having just returned from the first shoot for Episode 3 in The Eeyouch of Eeyou Istchee, the documentary series I’m producing for gordongroup, I have a renewed gratitude for the opportunity to be a part of telling this great nation’s story. I’m also reminded of the many hats one must wear to address the challenges that surface when producing a film.

While it sounds simple, the most important step is ensuring that everyone is on the same page when it comes to storyline. The Eeyouch of Eeyou Istchee is based on events dating back to the early ‘70s. A multitude of events has occurred since then and there is a variety of opinions about which events are the most important to capture. This necessitated several meetings between the Grand Council of the Crees, the writers and the director.

Once the storyline was finalized, the next step was to determine how to film and capture the story. This required locating the interviewees and planning trips to gather the footage. One must be extremely detail-oriented to account for all the factors that may affect or interrupt this process. Many of the subjects for this documentary live in camps or on trap lines where phones are non-existent, so it can be difficult to make contact with them. Prospective interviewees are often away on goose (hunting) break or are hunting miles back into the bush, so they might not be available even if they usually have access to phones. For a project like this, learning the appropriate time of year to gather footage is particularly challenging. In addition, there are the tasks of arranging food, accommodations and travel between communities.

Budget and time management are also important factors to consider. Given that the location for this series is so remote, and that the production involves six crew members and 300 pounds of equipment, spending and scheduling must be carefully monitored; there is no room for extraneous costs or inefficient planning. In addition to the crew, there are researchers to consider, who are continually gathering stock footage, photos and text to support the story. Researchers may uncover new information throughout the production, which could require changes to the script, so it is essential to stay on top of developments as they arise.

With so many details to consider, producing can sometimes bring stressful moments. However, when compared with the incredible opportunity to work with the Crees of Eeyou Istchee, the stresses appear negligible, and the project amounts to the experience of a lifetime. Our trips to Eeyou Istchee are always an adventure. I’ll gladly take the challenges one faces in producing a documentary series if the end result is a lasting relationship built with such a fine nation.

By Jodi Lackey, gordongroup account manager and the film series’ production manager