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 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, I was wondering,
how does that work with making a film?
Versus, Cecilia.
Your piece, it's improvisation.
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, palpable, something
that can be manipulated.
You go first.
I'm thinking, so you go.
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 decision--
isn't it a beautiful word?
"Visation" is visualize, and "im" is the improbable,
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 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?
And that is the feeling I seek when I come into a room
where there is this precious presence of everybody,
this togetherness.
And when 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 eye that is plural, and on the west, she says.
And I thought, so beautiful, and so I wanted to bring that in.
The medium of film is, by nature, collaborative.
And because it's collaborative, it
means that you are always improvising with the people
you're working with.
There's no straight arrow in terms
of intention and execution.
So 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 we could just put it
in, and see and take it out--
[LAUGHTER]
--if it's not working.
But he is in control of what goes in,
because he does the technical stuff, so it never goes.
[LAUGHTER]
The men that are in, those are all, actually,
Pomona students and 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 you.
And then, two of them were friends, and two more 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 it's the medium, but it's full of chance in a sense.
[LOUD SNEEZE]
Ooh!
Bless you.