At the edge of their seats ... Documentary on Whale Saviors

Feb. 24, 2008

Call it film feedback.
Last month, a group of about 70 people had the chance to watch the first cut of a documentary at the State Theatre in Traverse City and give their comments to the movie editor — something that’s routine in New York City, but a treat for people who live here.
Jeff Gibbs presented At the Edge of the World on a quiet Thursday morning when most people were at work.
Gibbs lives in Traverse City and composed and performed the music for the documentary. He introduced Patrick Gambuti Jr., the editor of the movie, who flew in from his home in New Jersey for the showing.
“This is the worst it will look,” Gibbs told audience members, adding that it was still in a low-resolution DVD format.
But Gambuti and Gibbs said they wanted input as they polished the final cut, and they felt a Midwestern perspective might be more down-to-earth than the usual New York City viewpoint.

OPENING CURTAIN
At the Edge of the Earth is made in classic documentary style, capturing the day-to-day trials and tribulations of anti-whaling activists. We see 40 volunteers — most with little sea-faring sense — riding a ship into vast and wildly unpredictable waters to try to find and then stop Japanese whaling ships. A tandem ship followed close behind on the southern ocean to support the crew.
As the curtains closed, the audience members were ready with comments. Suffice to say, most every comment was preceded with: “I really loved this movie, but... tweak this or that.”
Typically, documentary makers will show their rough cuts in New York City or on the West Coast. That’s a bit problematic, however, because their audiences are usually comprised of people who work in the film industry and have overly refined opinions of movies, Gambuti said.
That’s why the Traverse City showing was refreshing: “These are people from all walks of life. I’m stunned by the number of people who’ve been willing to take the time and give me their feedback. And it’s very helpful — they’re fans, not arteests,” Gibbs said.
The screening marked the first time Gibbs and Gambuti actually met in person to talk about the movie. Gibbs wrote the music from the comfort of his Traverse City home, while Gambuti worked from his home in New Jersey. They relied on the Internet for exchanging film and sound files.
“It’s an experiment; we’ve never done this before,” Gibbs said. “Films are about collaboration and it’s interesting we could work together hundreds of miles apart.”

THE GRAPEVINE
Fortunately, both men are experienced. Gibbs served as co-producer for Farenheit 911 and field producer for Bowling for Columbine. He also composed original scores for both movies. He’s now working on his own environmental documentary, Planet of the Humans, a comic look at the mess humans have made of planet earth and how we’re going to get out of it… or not.
Gambuti lives in New Jersey and has edited and done the sound work for numerous documentaries, two of which are Emmy award winners. He’s been good friends for years with fellow film editor Kurt Engfehr, who also worked on the project.
Gibbs heard about the possibility of the Sea Shepherd film through the grapevine and immediately sat down and composed a CD’s worth of music for fun.
“I tried to imagine what it would be like to be at sea on such an adventure,” he said.
He sent his music file to Engfehr (with whom he worked on Farenheit 911 and Bowling for Columbine) and was soon hired. The tunes in the movie have a light, sun-dappled feel to them, reminiscent of ice crackling on the ocean.
The bulk of the raw film footage came from six cameramen who were onboard the two ships — the Robert Hunter and Farley Mowat.
Gibbs began receiving movie cuts in November and worked closely with Gambuti. “You have to listen to the natural sounds, the voices. I fit my music to the scene, so it’s not interfering with anything else going on.”
And it’s true. Gibbs’ music subtly weaves in and out of the voices and waves. The music line alternately pings with tension, thrums with boredom, and crescendos with the small and big victories of the crew. In some scenes — a snowball fight scene, for example — his music takes center stage. That’s when you hear Gibbs unleashed. Great fun.
Gibbs, a gifted pianist, never formally studied music except for a year of drum lessons when he was 12 years old. He doesn’t even know how to read music. He uses synthesizers to create a full range of instrumentals, including percussion. “That year of drum lessons really came in handy,” he said.
Using a synthesizer allows him to instantly mix sounds to match a scene. “You can play around more and get an idea quickly if what you’re doing is going to really work.”

REALITY BITES
“Sound is 70 percent of the expression in a movie; 30 percent is visual,” says Gambuti. “The music supports the dialogue; it goes under and sometimes upfront. It’s a huge emotional voice in this movie because the people were so understated..”
Leading to the last question: Why were some of the crew members so guarded early on —- looking down, for example, when they were answering a question?
“Well, this was originally going to be a reality show. People were not happy, very not happy with that, Gambuti said. “Right before leaving shore, the decision was made that this would be made into a documentary, not a reality show. Most of the crew eventually opened up, but a few never let their guard down.”
Gambuti and Gibbs said the next step is to get the documentary into film festivals and, ideally, into theatres. Even if it’s not, it will still be available on DVD, cable television … and, of course, sold on the Internet.
“My hope is that it comes back to the State as a movie-movie. I’d like everyone to see it on the big screen,” Gibbs said.

If you’re interested in making documentaries or improving the state of the planet, you can email Jeff Gibbs at
jeffgibbstc@gmail.com.


About the Sea Shepherd Society
To learn more about the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society and its efforts to stop Japanese whaling ships go to www.seashepherd.org where you can read the comments of Captain Paul Watson, who pledges to escalate his anti-whaling activities each year until the Japanese quit killing whales.
“This is going to be a never ending trip to the dentist for Japan,” he writes on the website. “We intend to remain a constant, nagging, festering pain to their intentions to continue to illegally kill whales. We will never surrender our efforts to protect the defenseless whales from the barbaric cruelty that Japanese harpoons inflict upon these highly intelligent, socially complex, gentle beings. As long as Japan continues to invade the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary, we will continue to defend it.”