Since Lee frantically called me early one morning several weeks ago and asked me to participate with Disembody as a director as well as an assistant editor, I have kind of gone into freak out mode. I had no idea what Disembody was at that point - only that it was something that was going to take place in a gallery, and was going to be a documentation of the installation. I had misunderstood somehow, and thought it was also going to involve gallery visitors and spectators as impromptu actors or something and that Chadwick (the original director) would give the spectators something to do, some direction and come up with some improv story. Needless to say, I was confused and was gladly happy to work as an editor and told what to chip away and hone as a narrative with Elise.

When I finally came across the conceit of Disembody, my first thought was “What have I got myself into!?” This thing is designed to collapse on itself, and my stomach knotted as I knew that some sick part of Lee was exactly hoping for this to happen.

There also have been anxieties because while everyone is super talented only a handful have hands-on professional film production experience. I am also confused as why Lee needs a director as he seems to already be directing the choices made in the film. I guess I kind of feel like I’m guessing David Lynch felt while making Dune, but with 50 times less the budget to mess up with! ha!

But in all seriousness, I am so excited to be working with this team. In fact its one of the reasons I happily moved back to the West coast. The talent, insight, and support that is volleyed back and forth between all of us makes me so happy. I know that despite the built in trap doors with this project, that whatever happens it will be a memorable and fun experience and something alchemic will happen. Who knows maybe we will make what was base into gold.

For me, the Disembody project also seem to be indicative of something really exciting happening with film in the fine art community. More and more narrative and semi-narrative films are seeping into galleries and museums over the past few years. Late last year there was Doug Aitken “Sleepwalkers” at MOMA, the Times Square Marquee was used as impromptu film screenings with Creative Time and an excerpt of Eve Sussman’s “The Rape of the Sabine Women” towered over tourists.

More recently, some of my favorite filmmakers/artists (whatever you call them) have been exhibiting and getting recognition for their work. Screening at the Whitney Biennial are filmmakers Harry Dodge and Stanya Kahn’s apocalyptic and distopic “All Together Now”, with Olaf Bruening’s latest film Home 2 and Phil Collins. Ryan Trecartin’s “I-Be-Area” (which you can see the full version at ubu) recently opened at Elizabeth Dee Gallery late last year and received a lot of attention.

There are tons more video artists/screenings - but these are people that have recently inspired me in some capacity. I think the project that might most closely embody Disembody’s charm is Phil Collins Shady Lane Productions which was an installation of a production office working on a documentary about people whose lives have been ruined by reality television titled “Return of the Real”.

Disembody will be the first real documentary project that I’ve ever worked on, and from what I am gathering is a unique documentary. My films are more fiction-based that are peppered with something real. I find it challenging trying to imagine how to find a story that didn’t first catch my attention and interest, and is 100% reality based. From what I know most documentaries are plotted out, researched, and outlined before camera’s start rolling. This project is more of a live event. Ugh, but then this makes me think of Sontag’s essays about staging history through the lens, and Godot’s proclamation that film is 24 truths per second and Haneke’s rebuttal that film is 24 lies per second (for me it flickers between both). I mean this project really is a sort of Waiting for Godot, where cameras are rolling waiting for something to happen and editors are waiting to cut away and find the story, any story. I know Lee likes Beckett, so maybe that is his big secret goal for a finished product, an arty feature length Seinfeld episode. Production design of this project also reminds me of late 80s and early 90s Oscars and MTV award shows where disasterous mistakes could and sometimes did happen leading to awkward camera pans away, cutting of sound, security leading boisterous people away. That stuff doesn’t happen much these days. Things are too calculated and I’m sure they even pump in a Paxil air fragrance at these events so there will be no unexpected challenges. I am sure Disembody will be SO 80s MTV awards show. I hope it is. I mean I enjoy Beckett too, but if something doesn’t happen, I’m apt to make it happen. I’m serious Lee, I will call in Chip the psychic and Lorraine Warren the demonologist to cleanse the gallery of poltergeists.