Preserving the legacy

Academy Award-Nominated documentary filmmaker, Daniel Raim was in town for the screening of ‘Something’s Gonna Live’ and ‘Harlod and Lillian: A Hollywood Love Story’ at Prasads Preview Labs on Tueday.

He exhibited his documentary trilogy at the recently concluded International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in Goa. “It is my first time in India. After IFFI, I screened the documentaries at National Institute of Design (NID), Gujarat and now in Hyderabad, The audience gave a good response to the films,” the 41-year-old director informs.

The trilogy includes the Oscar-Nominated documentary ‘The Man on Lincoln’s Nose’ (2000, 40 min.); ‘Something’s Gonna Live’ (2010, 78 min.); and ‘Harold and Lillian: A Hollywood Love Story’ (2015, 96 min).

The series explores the artistry, personalities and creative philosophies of such behind the scenes masters as: production designers Robert Boyle (‘North by Northwest’, ‘The Birds’), Henry Bumstead (‘To Kill a Mockingbird’, ‘The Sting’), and Albert Nozaki (‘The War of the Worlds’, ‘The Ten Commandments’), master cinematographers Haskell Wexler (‘Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?’, ‘Medium Cool’) and Conrad Hall (‘In Cold Blood’, ‘Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid’), storyboard artiste and production designer Harold Michelson (‘Johnny Got His Gun’, ‘Star Trek: The Motion Picture’) and film researcher Lillian Michelson (‘Rosemary’s Baby’, ‘Full Metal Jacket’).

These prolific artistes have worked on 800 films, garnering 25 Academy Award nominations and eight wins. “I made these films from footage shot from 1998 to 2008. The trilogy aims to preserve the legacies of these Hollywood giants. Between them they have made hundreds of films. And, these people never sought spotlight for their work,” he says.

Daniel is a graduate of the American Film Institute, where he studied under one of Alfred Hitchcock’s most esteemed collaborators, Production Designer Robert F Boyle, on whom the documentary ‘The Man on Lincoln’s Nose’ is based.

His stint with films started when he worked with Israeli Army for three years shooting films for it. Sharing details, Daniel says, “When I was 15-years-old we moved to Israel and by 18, I started making films about the army entertainment groups, who used to go to the deprived areas of the state and perform for the people.”

Recalling the incident that got him the job, he says, “One day I bumped into someone from the army and told them that my uncle is a cinematographer in Hollywood and that is how I got the job (laughs).

“Anyway, I got a crash course of one hour where I learned zoom in, zoom out, pan right, left, etc. Camera became an extended part of my body; I learned techniques of filmmaking on the job and watching movies,” he shares.

Daniel’s humanistic documentaries have screened at major international film festivals and been released worldwide on Netflix, DVD and Digital through Docurama Films.

Daniel states that these documentaries are imperative for film students to watch. “I suggest film students and aspiring filmmakers should watch these movies, not because I made them but, to get inspired by the humanity and character of the film,” he avers.