The political climate surrounding the 2004
presidential election was the inspiration for my subject. I was interning at a film company in LA during the summer of 2004 and was inspired by a project they were
working on regarding the coming election. I caught wind of an assault
up in Burbank, CA that was politically charged and went to meet with the
victims during my off hours. They were just about to go to court with the
case, so there was very little planning to be done if I was going to cover
it. I, and a buddy of mine,
grabbed the best camera and audio equipment we had available and started
interviewing the parties involve. The
biggest challenge came as we tried to get an interview with the aggressor. We ended up trespassing in his gated
equestrian community only to be turned down for an interview (footage not seen
in the piece.) Though it was shot
in 2004, I never compiled the footage until recently, as it seemed to fit
perfectly with your “local encounter” theme. My ambition as a documentary
filmmaker is to effect change, locally and globally, and to do so through the
dissemination of truth.
