A few years ago, Brennan met AB while eating at Johnny Rockets in Lehi. After talking with him a bit, he realized that this was someone who was incredibly special. When the prompt for this project came up we talked in our group about many different subjects we could have for our documentary, but in the end we all really wanted to learn more about AB.
As we talked to him on the phone before the shoot and during the shoot, he told us that when he was offered arm transplants at 15 he decided to turn them down because he knew he could do more for the world that way. He has intentionally worked in the restaurant business his entire life (even though he’s had offers in other industries) because he knew by doing so he would be face to face with people all over the community every day. By showing them that he was able to function as well as he can without arms, members of the community would leave their meals motivated to push through their trials with the gifts they have been given.
For our film, we learned a lot from watching episodes of Beehive Stories and the States Project. We clearly learned functional, structural lessons. We emphasized our subject above all else, letting him speak, keeping our voices out of it, developing visual interest in a back and forth with images that showed illustrated the point of what he was saying. AB’s concerned citizenship is his active presence, and we showed him in that active state. His words were meaningful, but by showing what he meant, showing him helping people and interacting with them in his disarming way, we helped to show the audience what AB really does. In another sense, we invert the approach of Brad’s film projects, making location very secondary. It’s clear that we’re at a restaurant and if you’re paying attention you’ll see the signage. But we don’t open with it. And we don’t hammer it home.
Our film has a degree of the quality that the NFB documentaries headed up by Colin Lowe and his compatriots had – a simple emphasis on the concerns of a voiceless person. In those films the images are composed and rather beautiful, and yet they are simple and plain and almost naïve. The films get out of the way so that the people can speak to an audience. I think we headed a little in that important direction.
The technical aspects of the project include two cameras (A camera and B camera). Camera A was the camera AB was looking at. It was a close up from his shoulders. Camera B captured a wider shot of AB with a view of the restaurant. B-Roll included footage of the restaurant, both interior and exterior. Footage of AB working at his job was integrated as he was talking during the interview.
Aspects and techniques of documentary filmmaking were incorporated throughout the 3-minute video. Our goal was to attempt to tell AB’s unique and powerful story creatively and visually.
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