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The DOC SHOT Q&A is an exclusive online feature by Documentary magazine associate editor Tamara Krinsky. Through this mix of questions (some serious, some sassy) each DOC SHOT provides a glimpse into the work and lives of those creating and supporting nonfiction film.
Dan
Stone
Director-At the
Edge of the World
YOUR FILM
Brief description of your film:
At the Edge of the World chronicles the
controversial Sea Shepherd's Antarctic Campaign against a Japanese whaling
fleet. The action and adventure that unfold in the film also bring into play
the larger questions of ends and means, injustice and
indifference, idealism and greed, laws and politics and life and death.
Your role/credit on the film.
Director
How did you find your subject or become involved in the
film?
Nearly
three years ago, Paul Watson was recommended as "someone who's actually doing
something." When I called, they told me that Watson was down near Antarctica, somewhere in the middle of the ocean, and I
asked, "What the hell is he doing there?"
Was there a moment in this film that went a different way
than you expected?
When
the two crew members got lost at sea
If
you had had an extra $10,000 to spend on your film, what would you have used it for?
More post (as would every independent filmmaker).
What
excites you about playing your film at the Toronto International Film Festival?
It's
the best possible venue to premiere At
the Edge, so we're really lucky. TIFF has a great international reputation
and the Real to Reel Program is taken so seriously by the industry; Thom Powers
and his team are extraordinary; the two captains in the film, Watson and Cornelissen,
were born in Canada and kicked out of Canada, respectively; and 80 percent of
the crew members featured in the film were from countries outside the US.
If you've had time to check out the TIFF catalogue, is there
a particular film (aside from yours) or event at the festival
that you're looking forward to attending?
The
documentaries in particular cover some really compelling topics, I hope to see six
or seven of them. It would also be great to see Miracle at St. Anna and Rocknrolla.
YOUR WORK
What's
the first film you remember seeing as a child?
My earliest theatrical memory was seeing The Fantasticks, when I was 5.
Tell
us about a film that affected your profoundly or changed/inspired the way you do your own work.
The Verdict
What
would surprise people the most about your job or the way you execute it?
I don't know. What surprises me the most, however, is
how much attention one person on a film receives when there are so many passionate
people involved.
When
you are feeling creatively stumped or burnt out, what do you do to get the creativity flowing again?
Running seems to help. I live at the bottom of a steep
hill and, since I have bad knees, my routine is to run up and then think about
things on the walk down. It's like the scene in Cannery Row-the fellow covering the same ground over and over again
(someone recently got the police to question me, thinking I was staking out the
neighborhood)
YOUR LIFE
Daily
essential read (online or off)?
I
read so little these days, it's embarrassing. But when I find a really
well-written book like Pictures at a
Revolution, it's something to look forward to at the end of the day.
What's on your TIVO or iPod right now?
Actually,
I don't have TIVO or an iPod; I do use the Internets.
What
do you want more of in your life? What do you want less of in
your life?
It
would be wonderful to believe that, 20 years from now, atrocities against
animals will be the exception rather than the rule. There's a terrific passage,
it might be just a sentence, in Do
Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, in which a character speaks in amazement about
a time before all the animals were killed off and how people treated them.
f you could add an extra hour to every day,
how would you spend it?
My
brother, who's also a producer on this film, read this question and said,
"Well, you'd spend it with your niece and nephew, wouldn't you?" and being
selfish I said, "Would I?" But being selfish I realized I probably would.
What do you want for your birthday?
The curious case of
Benjamin Button.
© 2013 International Documentary Association. All Rights Reserved.
This interview sadly represents a man of no intellect or personality. I mean, look at the answers to these simple questions that he couldn't even give an intelligent or interesting answer to. This man hired some of the best and most knowledgeable people in documentary film and, thinking he knows better than any of them about making a documentary, dismisses any good ideas they have to portray the truest of Sea Shepherd's story. These people risked their lives, not for the sake of two men who just want to be famous producer big shots, but for a cause they hold close to their hearts and I find it sad that because of one's ego, they got a so-so documentary and a press release that looks like it was written by a five year old. At the Toronto Film Festival premiere of "At the Edge of the World," Captain Watson and Dan Stone were asked to participate in a Q&A like the other documentaries of the film festival. Mr. Powers wanted to start the Q&A with Dan because he is the "Director" and it was the opportunity to talk about his experience as a first time filmmaker. However, Mr. Stone literally pushed the microphone away and insisted that the first question go to Captain Watson. Luckily, Captain Watson has plenty of experience with the press and was able to carry them through the Q&A session, in which Mr. Stone couldn't even answer the one question that was asked to him. It was painful to watch. Now, I sit here and read the answers to which he has given for this interview and it confirms that this man has nothing but a large ego and wallet in which to call himself a "Director" and "Producer."
Talking about a large ego; Paul Watson! The only thing he does is repeating the same old stolen one liners (the oceans are dying and they are dying in our time... not even his!) to raise money to keep his little stupid world going. It’s not about the oceans at all! It’s just to impress young stupid girls that fall for that. He left his wife for a singer from New Zealand that didn’t want him in the end! Trying to impress her, he arranged for her to do a video clip on an iceberg in the southern ocean using resources from the Sea Shepherd, while telling the outside world he was chasing Japanese whalers, so they would make more donations. He is a very pathetic old man. (and he smells terrible!).
It's a shame that whoever wrote the nasty comments about Paul didn't have the decency to post a real name since it's such a personal attack. As for the second set of comments, "NYCActor" knows my email address and phone number but opted for a pseudonym on the internets (it wasn't a misspelling in the interview above - it was a reference to George Bush's "I hear there's rumors on the Internets that we're going to have a draft'). There's nothing wrong with criticism and, as I'll tell you to your face, I would've respected your willingness to stand up for what you felt, whether or not i agreed. Regarding the Q&A at the world premiere, I thought the focus should be on the guest of honor as did those in the audience (they asked all but the first question and most of those questions were directed to Paul - among the points i did make, however painfully, were that the Sea Shepherd folks are true heroes because, unlike the superheroes on the screen today, these volunteers take risks for a genuine cause greater than themselves with no certainty that they'll survive; that Sea Shepherd did not have any creative control over the film; and that the amazing campaign seen on screen faced unbelievable challenges even before it began. The comments from the incredible number of people who stuck around after all three screenings in Toronto were extremely gracious & thoughtful and the feedback was very much appreciated. We're looking forward to reactions from those at next week's Woodstock Film Festival which is hosting the U.S. premiere of At the Edge
Funny you say that Dan, that it’s all about the people risking their lives down there trying to save the whales; somebody should tell Watson that, because clearly, he is only occupied with keeping his little world going and trying to impress girls. Most of the volunteers on board are indeed risking their lives and are really there to save the whales. They do all the work! The small group of people around Watson (all on the SSCS payroll by the way) just want to make sure they can keep on living their easy and comfortable life; Vasic and his wife, that new director with her husband, the Swedish ‘Watson wanna be’ kid and his girlfriend (see a pattern here?). Watson is always saying that nobody in his organization is getting paid; well he is lying! But we all know that he is the master of lies. And of course, it’s not done to say anything negative about this guy and his closest followers. Because they are saving whales. Well, somebody who is saving whales can be an asshole as well! And Watson is a great example of that. Maybe you should give some more credit to all those real volunteers instead of kissing Watsons ass. You should make a movie about how he deceives people all the time. And by the way, his communication capabilities are pretty much limited to personal attacks, moaning and bitching so don’t worry about that.
I finally found someone who's totally right with this comment! Wao! Im not going to ask you anything, all im going to say is that you're absolutely right.