Battle Hymns Productions

My most recent project is a feature-length documentary about Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, Following The Ninth: In The Footsteps of Beethoven’s Final Symphony, to be released in early 2009. Taking on a film of this size and scope–nine countries and four continents—is both a joy and a challenge. The joy comes in meeting fascinating and passionate individuals from all parts of the world, people engaged with Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony as it has intersected with their everyday lives, often in extraordinary circumstances.

The challenge has been a logistical one. Research and preparation are the key words for the logistical challenge of any large production. Getting things right means bringing the best team together for the shoot, both here in the United States, and in the countries where I have filmed. I am lucky to have three very talented and experienced cinematographers–Chris Bottoms, Nick Higgins, and Rohan Chitrikar–all of whom have traveled the world on other projects, ranging from nature films for National Geographic, to commercials for Nike and Toyota.

Linking with partners on the ground in the several countries we traveled to was also critical to the success of the film. The team traveled over three thousand miles in both Japan and Chile, but not without the help of “fixers” in both countries, men and women who introduced us to necessary contacts long prior to our departure, and also arranged for translators, production assistants, and other critical personnel once we arrived. In Japan we worked with local non-profit groups who arranged for filming a 5000-person Beethoven Ninth sing-a-long in Tokyo’s most revered Sumo wrestling arena. In Chile, our trip from Santiago to the Island of Chiloe, a thousand miles to the south, was guided by local experts in roads, restaurants, political realities, and even the deep mythology that remains part of indigenous cultures.

As with my other projects filmed in various parts of the world, from East Timor to the West Bank and Gaza, from Guatemala to China, one has to be ready for surprises, remaining flexible when the poltergeists unexpectedly arrive on the scene, and arrive they will. I’ve been lucky: most of the time they bring more magic than mayhem, and so far I’ve been loving the on-going journey.