It’s the kind of thing movies are made of…

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NPR

To the average movie-goer the term producer sort of gets lost somewhere between “mover and shaker” and a “show me the money” persona. Few outside the industry have a real grasp for how integral the role is in the making of any film or project for that matter. The finesse, the patience and above all the creative pragmatism carefully mixed with a driven determinism.

Take Anna Rodgers, one of the producers for The Yellow Bittern, a documentary film about the life and times of Liam Clancy. Liam was the youngest member of the group The Clancy Brothers & Tommy Makem, Ireland’s first pop stars. An appearance by the group on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1961 and their fame was officially cemented, within a year they would sell out Carnegie Hall.

Rodgers spent the last five years working with Clancy on numerous productions from The Legend of Liam Clancy to Liam Clancy and Friends, Live at The Bitter End and the final documentary feature The Yellow Bittern.

From the logistics of shoot coordination, research and footage acquisition to making sure Liam got through New York City’s Gay Pride Parade to his concert across town relatively on time and in one piece – the producer made it happen.

I’m reminded of an article written by Ted Royer, Executive Creative Director for Droga5 NY, entitled “I want to marry a producer.”

“A producer listens to the most batshit crazy idea and doesn’t say yes or no or ask why, but instantly asks ‘How?’ She could talk me out of dumb things with grace and logic, or conversely show me what it’s possible to do with virtually nothing. A producer realizes that just as business and creativity need each other, responsibility (her) and irresponsibility (me) do too. A producer wouldn’t be afraid of different challenges, no matter what form they took. A producer would be tough, fighting battles I’d neither see nor even know about.”

When Clancy passed away last December, Rodgers went to pay her respects. Not just to one of Ireland’s first pop stars, nor the man who Bob Dylan described as “the best ballad singer I’d ever heard in my whole life,” but to the soft spoken Irishman whom she spent the last five years documenting and befriending.

She’d never been one to romanticize death, so seeing a cold lifeless body was far from something she’d ever willingly seek out, but she put her fears aside kissed the cheek of this man, whom she spent the last five years documenting, and with heartfelt tears streaming down her face said thank you and goodbye. Liam’s daughter, who stood by, broke down.

What does this all have to do with the film you ask – everything. There’s a sense of humanity, a gentleness and heart that the documentary exudes, which isn’t to take away from the skill of the director Alan Gilsenan.

The film is about the life and times of this icon of Irish heritage and though the documentary ends with Clancy commenting on the masks that we all wear, performers included, we get a sense that we have gotten a glimpse into the man who walked on stage before the lights hit.

And while I am biased by the friendship I’ve come to have with Ms. Anna Rodgers, I have a firm belief that much of that was to do with her own subdued strength, fighting the battles you don’t hear about.

The Yellow Bittern is a classification of heron known for its shyness, hiding in the reeds building its nest, but prone to frequent heights of flight.  I think it’s a befitting moniker for the film in more ways than one.

The film goes on sale St. Patricks day and is available on their website.

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Today is Better than Two Tomorrows a film by Anna Rodgers

Dynamic and powerful, the title while fitting, almost diminishes the musical artistry with which the film is woven together. The film artfully employs musical dynamics, taking the viewer on wave after wave of emotion. With performances by John Legend, Wyclef Jean, The Roots, Joss Stone, Blind Boys of Alabama, Mary Mary, Richie Havens, Anthony Hamilton, and Angie Stone, the film naturally packs a powerful pitch.

SOUNDTRACK FOR A REVOLUTION tells the story of the American civil rights movement through its music -the freedom songs protesters sang on picket lines, in mass meetings, in paddy wagons, and in jail cells as they fought for justice and equality. The purposeful non-violence stance that marked the Civil Rights movement is poignantly embodied in the act of raising ones voice in song against heinous acts of ignorance and hatred and captured beautifully in film with both painstakingly restored archival footage and big budget studio shot recordings.

During a panel discussion on “Best Practices in Doc Genres” at the Vancouver International Film Festival, Director Bill Guttentag emphasized the importance of what you have to offer your audience, “when someone comes to watch your film you are taking away time that they will never get back, you have to think about what you are giving them in return.”

While the VIFF panel didn’t exactly live up to its promise of divulging the creative strategies used to move projects forward through development and financing, Guttentag delivered on the importance of capturing your audience. A point which was only reinforced by watching his latest film.

During the panel, Guttentag also remarked on his process citing his initial response to the project, scratching his head asking himself “How am I gonna get people to want to see this?” and ultimately, what would make those who aren’t interested come and see it? The solution was seeded generations prior in the music of the many brave men, women and children who withstood human atrocities with the strength and purity of their voices.

The history of civil rights has been told, documented and filmed many times, films like Eye on the Prize cover the subject extensively…but it’s a story every generation should hear and learn. The difficulty lies in being able to make such a covered story accessible and fresh to a new audience while staying true to the impetus of the movement. Incorporating performances by pop stars like Joss Stone, R&B artist Wyclef Jean help to bridge that gap and bring the two into harmony. Particularly notable was John Legend’s piano solo, it was enough to give one the awesome sense of serene power that sound and story intertwined carry.

To put it simply, see the film.