VIDEO AND CINEMATOGRAPHY
Reel
All the clips above were shot with a Canon 5D Mark II and 1D Mark IV fitted with a variety of lenses, including vintage Nikon primes. All the gliding shots were done with a Steadicam Pilot. The theme music is “T Plays it Cool” by Marvin Gaye.
Music Vdieo: Maniac – Die Rad
Promo: Dispensaries
Feature Length Documentary: Escapement
In the summer of 2002, I traveled to the state of Washington with my brother Matthew to investigate a story about environmentalists’ proposal to remove four dams from the Snake river, a major tributary of the Columbia river. To make a long (9 part) story short, the dams are killing off the salmon, a fish that many people depend on for their livelihoods. Of course, many people also depend on the dams for farming and electricity, and the interests of everyone are balanced by the government through the Army Corps of Engineers. This knotty problem continues to this day, as reported recently in the Los Angeles Times.
Escapement examines the interconnectedness of everyone who uses the river, and the history of our government’s administration of the land dating back to Lewis and Clark. For best results, download the .mp4 versions below the embedded video and watch them on your itunes, ipod, or iphone. The original score was composed by American roots singer William Elliott Whitmore (Courtesy Anti Records), and expertly recorded by Scott Faine, who also played drums on some of the tracks. My idea to storm the West in search of a film was inspired by two filmmakers: James Benning, in particular his California Trilogy, and Alan Sekula, whose Tsukiji made me hope I could jump from photography to film with similar ease.
We begin our story in Astoria, Oregon, located at the mouth of the Columbia. The city has fallen on hard times due to the decline of the fishing industry and salmon runs, as described by long time commercial fisherman Don Riswick. We also take a ride on Astoria’s riverfront trolley, from which you may recognize scenes of Kindergarten Cop; also filmed here.
In this episode, we visit FishHawk Fisheries, a salmon processing plant. We also begin our journey into the Columbia River Gorge National Recreation Area, and consider early attempts to navigate this section of the river.
We begin with Portland resident Thomas Drawthorn, who shares his thoughts on green energy, native relations, and his concern for future generations. We then ride with Tribal Fisheries Enforcement Officer Michael Mendoza, who takes us to speak with several native fishermen.
Part 5 begins with a description of the government’s establishment of tribal fishing sites to replace those that were inundated when the dams were bulit. We then speak with lifetime native fisherman James Kiona, who describes his dip-net technique and explains the significance of the Salmon to his religion.
Here we take a look back on our government’s relationship with Native Americans, and meet Joe Shelton, a framer with Broetje orchards, who uses the dam’s stored water to irrigate his crops. Water is the lifeblood of the farm, and has a great power to turn desert land green.
In this part, we consider the effects of global competition on farmers, and hear a story told by the Grand Coulee Dam. We also follow a thinning crew through Broetje orchards, where workers cull apples from the trees so that the ones that remain will grow bigger.
Here we look at the practice of barging hatchery fish downstream to increase their chances of survival, and get apple farmer Joe Shelton’s thoughts on the future of the Snake river dams.
Escapement, Part 9
In the final installment, we make it to Lewiston, Idaho – an ocean port 300 miles inland. Farmers also rely on the dams to ship their products to market – the locks at each dam make the Snake navigable by grain barges. We also get a look inside the Snake river dams and explore the Channeled Scablands, a geologically unique area in central Washington. The credits roll to a stunning rendition of folk tune “The Angel of Death,” performed by William Elliott Whitmore, and presented here in its entirety..
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