It was one camera crew. It was a director of photography named Amanda Micheli who shot the movie, a guy who did sound named Craig Burton, and myself. The three of us did it all in the field, and then it was edited by a woman named Eli Olson and produced by a woman named Jennifer Chaiken.
There's one scene both inside and outside the house, when Joe's making a scene and Susan comes home right in the middle of it. How did you do that?
Oh, that day it was two separate crews. That day, we had one crew with Susan and her mom and the other crew at home.
How hard was it to get the music rights?
Music rights were tough. We really fought to get Limp Bizkit's "My Way or the Highway." I just loved that Margaret was singing that in the car because it's so much of her story and it just was so prophetic, and it's just a rockin' good tune. We had to send the movie to Fred Durst and he signed off on it.
Did Susan sign release forms on behalf of all the kids?
She did - and that was an issue. She wanted to make sure the kids were protected and for them not to, when they're much older, to look back on this with regret that they were a part of it. So she signed the releases with the caveat that in seven years, they can all reevaluate whether or not they want it to still continue to be out there. But they're all happy with it. I don't think there's an issue there.
"My Flesh and Blood" was produced by HBO and Cinemax. Is that where it will air?
It is, yeah. They came into it once we were done, under rough cut stage. They saw the film and bought it. It will air on HBO eventually, but first it's going to be seen on the big screen. It's going to be released in theaters on November 28.
What is the market like for documentaries right now?
It seems to be a good time for documentary films. Documentary films have done well in the theaters. People are going to see them. Documentary filmmakers are encouraged to make films for distribution. It's a different world than it used to be. And that's a great time and I'm gainfully employed as a documentary filmmaker now, making films for different networks, and it's just a good time.
Did Michael Moore raise awareness?
I think he did. I don't think he's the only reason why the format is more in the public eye, but he certainly helped. I think it's a combination of Michael Moore, reality television, great documentaries, [and] the quality of a lot of narrative films has gone down. I think everyone will agree with that. Good movies seem to only come around once a year nowadays and all of that has led to documentaries doing well.
What was the hardest moment to watch this family go through?
Dealing with Joe. That was the hardest thing to watch. To watch them deal with this kid who was threatening to kill them. That was tough. No one knew if he was really going to do it, including Susan. She was scared and seeing her losing it was hard. She is the rock that holds that family together and she didn't know what to do with him. And seeing her in crisis was the most difficult thing to watch.
How surprising was Joe's death?
It was a shock, It was a shock. I mean, he had a terminal illness so he was on the decline, but it was very sudden. He went to the hospital, but he had gone into the hospital throughout his life. He coughed and broke a rib and he couldn't breathe and he died.
Do you plan on following up with this family?
I'd like to some day, if they'll have me. I would like to some day. It's hard for me to wrap my head around that at this point, but I would like to some day.
