A River Blue page

Q & A with Merri Trigilio, Barefoot Workshops Alum, 2011

Interviewer: Hilary Cline, Barefoot Workshops Alum, 2010

Merri Lisa Trigilio first documented the world around her with a Rolleiflex camera at the age of fifteen. She pursued an art degree in photography and film, eventually ending up in Hollywood as a story editor and research coordinator for Zoetrope Studios. Several years later, she pursued a passion for science and completed a PhD degree in Geosciences. After fifteen years working as a geologist for the USGS, a geophysicist for multi-national oil companies, and recently in carbon sequestration research at Montana State University, she found her way back to documentary storytelling focusing on science and environmental issues. Merri Lisa's goal is to use documentary films to convey both the sense of awe that attracted her to geology and her passion to protect the earth's dramatic landscapes and precious resources. She is a recent alumnus of the first Barefoot Workshop in Marfa, Texas in 2011, where she and two other filmmakers created the documentary, "SKUNKED."

What inspired you to take a Barefoot Workshop and how did you hear about the organization?

Merri: I was looking for still photography workshops online and came across Barefoot. I really liked the focus on documentary filmmaking as a vehicle to give back to the community. I wanted to do something with my science background that has an impact beyond profit and/or scientific dalliance.

Were you specifically looking for video training or were you seeking something else in regards to an educational experience or personal development?

Merri: Initially, I was looking for technical training in both story development and equipment usage. But, soon into the process, I realized that this workshop was so much more than that. I was impressed with the respect and care given to each story and each character and community featured.

Did your experience at Barefoot motivate and inspire you to make a change in your personal or professional life? If so, explain:

Merri: Oh yes!! When I came back from the workshop, my friends and family probably thought I was crazy. I immediately went to part-time work and then just recently, I quit my job altogether. I had been ready for a change before I went to the workshop. I had been devoting a lot of time to my still photography work, but after the workshop, I knew that this was absolutely the right path for me. I was so excited to be able to combine my scientific passion with documentary filmmaking in a direct way.

How was the learning experience at Barefoot Workshops similar, if at all, to your study of Geology? Is there a connection?

Merri: It is similar in some ways. First, you do lots of research. You immerse yourself in the character and the community in the same way you immerse yourself in a scientific problem or hypothesis. And, like science, the problem becomes more defined as you learn more. The real differences are twofold: first, you are filming in real-time (not studying something that happened millions of years ago) and therefore, much more dynamic and full of surprises, and second, it is a collaborative project, which is very unlike academic research. Although, working on scientific teams in the corporate world CAN be collaborative, but not always. But there is that same sense of discovery, organization, and risk-taking...

Now that you've completed a Barefoot Workshop, tell us why you enrolled in a second workshop (South Africa)? What do you hope to gain?

Merri: I learned a lot in the first workshop, but I feel there is a lot more to gain from both Alison and Chandler. One of the students in the Marfa workshop characterized them as having Tourette Syndrome, but not with exclamations of obscene remarks, but both of them are full of creative ideas all the time. They are both amazing filmmakers and each has so many unique gifts that they so willingly share.

What was the most important element of the creative process that impacted you while at Barefoot?

Merri: As a scientist, I have always believed that I am a seeker of truth and I admire other scientists who share this integrity. I was disturbed really at how that "truth" of the character or the story is so slippery. It is like in quantum mechanics in the Heisenberg uncertainty principle, the more accurately you measure the present position of a quantum particle, the less accurate you will be in predicting it's future position. The mere fact of having the camera there recording completely changed the reality, no matter how "true" we as filmmakers were trying to be to the subject.

Did your perceptions of community change as a result of the filmmaking experience and making of the film 'SKUNKED'?

Merri: Yes, people are much more complex, the community is more complex. I suspected this before we started filming, that's why my team went to the bar, Padre's, in the first place. I have always found bars to be places where our strengths and weakness as individuals is exaggerated.

What were some of the perceptions in the community around your film project and did those perceptions change during the actual making of your film?

Merri: The making of our film was a little crazy and it was a bit of a heightened experience because we filmed an event that took place over three days. We were also filming in a bar, which was in and of itself a closed community. I think they [the patrons] were very suspicious at first. Their perception was that there are these filmmakers who have an agenda or who are going to exploit them in some way. People are also used to watching Reality TV shows where people are made to look like idiots, or even encouraged to act out in dramatic ways. So, I think certain people at the bar, Padres, had this preconception. Some of the people really didn't want us there. There was a definite hostility from some people. We were very straightforward about our intentions and were respectful to everyone. The people in the bar realized that we were not trying to capture these sensational images that were unfair. Consequently, we built trust. We also allowed people to tell their stories as they saw fit; we were not trying to manipulate them into telling it a certain way. Of course when we showed the film, it then really changed people's feelings because they were happy with the result.

How did your story change over the course of filming? Did the process of story development (pre-production) help you?

Merri: We worked a lot on story development, and to Alison's credit. I felt very uncomfortable with the camera at the beginning, but got used to it by the end of filming. The story development was something I felt comfortable with from the beginning, and which I really enjoyed. There was a lot of discussion around story development and of course, we each had our own ideas and way of articulating the story. We went into our project with our one line sentence that summarized our story arc. Although, the story did change, things happened that we could not plan, and took us in new directions. There were also spontaneous events that played into our conceived story arc, but had not been previously fleshed out before filming. We did have the built-in structure of filming a competition, which helped us to keep our story contained instead of imposing a structure from the outside. It is really incredible to witness our main character explore how he is perceived in his community [Padre's Bar]. He is not as accepted at the bar as the young girl in our film. She is well liked. But our main character is always being tested and it comes with trials; it is a community he wants to be part of, but at times, he has trouble navigating that world. It was really interesting to see that process. We could see him questioning how his community would view him after the film.

Did the main subject of your film or supporting characters impact you as it pertains to your personal or professional life? How?

Merri: Yes, Jacob is an amazing young man. Not just because he has physical challenges that most of us don't have, but also because he was so open with us. He allowed us in his inner world almost from the very start. He also impacted me in that he just put himself out there, went after his passion without letting his self-doubt stop him. He took risks. I admire that.

As a beginning filmmaker, can you tell us if there were any surprises in the making of a documentary?

Merri: The biggest surprise was how I really thought that making a documentary film is an objective process, but in some ways it really isn't. You try to be true to events and intentions, but just by virtue of the fact that you are in a place with a camera changes the situation. It is also striking to discover how your own idea of the story is reflected back to you by your collaborators, who are often seeing the story develop from an entirely different point of view. It causes you to question why you are interpreting an event or a character in a particular way. You realize that your own life experiences cause you to interpret events in such a way, whereas someone else with different life experiences sees it [the story] completely differently. This was fascinating to me, and caused my own self-growth. I also think it causes you to make a much better film. It is a great learning experience.

Was there a decisive moment when you, as a filmmaker, felt totally immersed in the making of your film? If so, please explain.

Merri: I think it was the second day of the tournament; we had been filming until late in the evening, maybe 9 or 10 PM and then transcribing until early morning after the day's shoot. I was pretty tired, but I couldn't stop. I was just so happy!! And I love to sleep, so I couldn't believe the energy and sheer joy I felt watching the same scenes over and over, moving transcribed clips of dialogue around on the storyboard, trying to get the string out tight. I called my daughter one night and she listened to me talk about the film for about fifteen minutes and finally I stopped talking and she said she had never heard me sound so happy.

Do you think there is a heightened sense of responsibility, as a filmmaker, when sharing your film to a community? Please explain.

Merri: I think it was the second day of filming we were doing B-roll stuff in Jacob's apartment. He was getting ready for the shuffleboard tournament and he started having a seizure. I realized then that we had a great responsibility to Jacob, to his family and even to all the patrons of Padre's. They are all one family, sometimes dysfunctional, like most families, but they were a community and we had an obligation to treat them fairly. We weren't going to pull any punches, so to speak, but we were going to treat everyone with respect. This wasn't a discussion my teammates and I had, but given the intense experiences of what was going on that weekend, we all were on the same page.

How were you challenged in your role as a filmmaker?

Merri: I was attempting, as a filmmaker, to find the right balance of how much to be involved in caring for our main subject. Of course, my natural instinct is to want to help people when they are sick or in trouble, but I was conscious of maintaining professionalism. There were those moments when the main character suffered a seizure and we, as filmmakers, looked at each other and wondered what do we do now? Do we film or not film? As a documentary filmmaker, I also found myself asking how much does what I am choosing to show cross over the line into fiction? And, what is non-fiction? I see how documentary filmmakers can change or rearrange events in order to make something more dramatic. For example, the filmmaker of KING OF KONG was criticized for this in some circles. I loved that film, but it is something that we, as filmmakers, need to think about.

How did your relationship with your main character and/or with the community change while in Marfa?

Merri: When I first arrived in Marfa, a small town of 2,000 people, I was really worried about what we would focus on in our documentary films. I had lived in Houston, and thought I knew something about the southern Texas culture, but Marfa is something far different than Houston. I softened toward the town. I enjoyed all the different people we met. There are so many different layers; it is an endlessly fascinating place in the middle of a spacious and beautiful landscape.

How do you think the public screening of your film altered your main subject's self-image and/or changed his relationship to his family and community?

Merri: It is hard to know. I believe that Jacob went through self-growth and awareness. He had a trial and only he knows how it impacted him. Anytime you put up a mirror to a community, it changes it. I hope it softened them also, as it did me. I hope it allowed a little more compassion to seep into their daily lives.

How did you feel at the end of your screening? Was there anyone in particular that you bonded with as a result?

Merri: I was very emotional at the screening. I think we all were. The mother [of the main subject] had lived with her son's physical illness and suffering since birth. As a mother, she was very proud of him, especially in terms of witnessing him open up to people. I knew what it meant to her to see her son share his story. Chandler and Alison taught us to be patient and allow our characters to open up and share their story, which the main character did.

Why is documentary storytelling the medium you are attracted to and why is it relevant to your goals in life?

Merri: I like filmmaking and still photography because I am a visual person, and really like the differences between the two mediums. For example, in still photography, there is always something unseen and something beyond the moment captured.Whereas with documentary films, there is an understanding through how something is told, its continuity with the next image, and how it functions in the narrative. I want to use documentary storytelling to inform, and hopefully in lyrical ways. For me, particularly in science and environmental issues, film is the better vehicle to get across the magnitude and wonder of our world and call us to action.

What was your understanding of documentary storytelling prior to Barefoot Workshops, and how is it different now?

Merri: I really thought it was like structuring a scientific research paper in that you had Observations, Results and then Discussion or Interpretation. These are sacred boundaries in scientific research and you are called out if you transgress this structure. Documentary storytelling is evolving as an art form in that those boundaries between fiction and non-fiction are becoming increasingly blurred. The storyteller interjects himself or herself much more artfully than the old-fashioned "voice of god" narration.

Did Barefoot Workshop's educational philosophy/approach and mission alter your understanding of civic engagement and the importance of storytelling?

Merri: Yes. Chandler showed a film on the first or second day that he had made of a young man suffering from AIDS. The respect and care he gave to that subject was awe-inspiring. I realized that these films were much more than about us or even our learning process.

How can Barefoot alumni make a difference?

Merri: We are given the tools to communicate armed with the knowledge that we can and do make a difference, whether in one character, one community, or on a global scale. I am inspired by the instructor's commitment to their communities and issues that they invest in and hope I can emulate that respect that they show to their subjects.

If you had any advice for a new Barefoot student, what would it be?

Merri: Enjoy yourself. Share yourself. Be ready to work really hard. And be ready for an intense adventure of growth and understanding.

What is your next film project going to be?

Merri: The next film I want to make is about aquifers. I will be interviewing four geologists during the next few weeks for some preliminary research. My goal is to use documentary films to convey both the sense of awe and wonder that attracted me to science, and my growing awareness that we are connected through our shared use of our natural resources. I am interested in the subject of river systems and water usage because water is a finite resource that connects all of us. Hopefully, we can use film as the communicator that connects people and communities.

 

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