This question is for I guess Cecilia.
But also, I'm interested in how it connects with the Trayvon
Martin videos that we saw.
I was wondering if we could think
about how the medium and what effect that
might have on how you're treating the subject, like you
said that pulling things that have already happened,
pulling that forward, bringing that back and making it
sort of present and contemporary.
And at the same time, you know, I
was wondering how does that work with making a film versus,
Cecilia, your piece is improvisation,
you know, You're working from a script
but at the same time you're talking,
you're commenting on the audience,
you're interacting with us.
So, I was wondering about the differences
between film and improvisation and that idea.
But both of you seem to be really interested in making
history present and palpable, something
that can be manipulated.
OK.
Yeah, I will not speak about film
even though I also do film because I
would like for Claudia to take care of that part.
But about the improvisation, isn't it a beautiful word.
Visation is visualize and im is the improbable, you know.
So, it's like seeing the improbable.
And where is it?
It's nowhere to be seen until it happens.
So, it's actually happening for you to be a part of.
So, it's like where is our act taking place.
Is it in the past?
In the present?
Or the future?
Just before coming here, I was watching this really bad
discovery scientific film.
And there was a discovery that has
been made in quantum physics that confirms a discovery that
has been made first in neuroscience, which
is that all living organisms, starting from unicellular
beings, have this anticipatory capacity because information
is coming from the future.
And so, improvisation is really coming
from the future for what can be if you let it be.
So where is it, you know?
And that is the feeling I seek when
I come into a room, where there is this precious presence
of everybody, you know.
This togetherness.
And I arrived here, there was a little homage to Stacy Doris.
So, I included some of the lines by Stacy, I hope you noticed.
And she has this profound meditation
on the "I" that is a problem.
And on the we's, she says.
And I thought, so beautiful.
And so I wanted to bring that in.
The medium film is by nature collaborative.
And because it's collaborative, it
means that you are always improvising with the people
that you're working with.
There's no sort of straight arrow in terms
of intention and execution.
So in, for instance, in this film,
I was really interested in using President Obama's statement
that this could be a son of mine.
And also the actual target.
And my husband said, no.
He was not interested in replicating that moment.
And I said, well, I bet you a lot of people
haven't seen that moment.
And he said, I don't care.
I don't want to replicate that moment.
And I said, well, maybe you could just put it in and see.
[LAUGHTER]
If it's not working.
But he is in control of what goes in
because he does the technical stuff so it never got in.
[LAUGHTER]
So the men that are in, those are all actually
students, Pomona students, of Pitzer students.
And it was interesting when we were at the sneaker
store, which had a lot of hoodies in that store,
we had asked these guys if they would show up.
And they were supposed to show up at 7 o'clock
because the guy who owned the store said we could
film in the store at 7 o'clock.
And at 7:05 I thought, what if none of them come?
And then we began to see them on the street coming
from different directions.
And then once they got in the store
we didn't tell them to do anything.
We just said, here's some hoodies.
Here's some sneakers.
Here's a store.
Go in there.
And we're going to film it.
And so, you know, two of them are friends and two more
were friends and one of them knew some--
and it was just interesting to see how they would interact.
So, I think partly you say we need you to go in there
and try on some hoodies.
But then that's it.
Then they do what they want.
Yeah, so the medium is full of chance.
And such.