I’m finally back in Virginia, editing conversations and b-roll captured in the freezing cold over the last two weeks in New York. At first glance, it’s hard to conceive that so much went through the lens considering this was my third incursion to Manhattan and Brooklyn in search for evidence to contextualize Daniel Chester French’s presence, one-hundred years ago.
In the coming weeks, I’ll be sharing more highlights from the editing process; short sequences that I now believe will make it into the final cut. However, documentaries unfold in mysterious ways and many of these vignettes, replaced or altogether eliminated, might end up as talking witnesses to the processes of making “Daniel Chester French”, a film produced with the support of Chesterwood and The National Trust for the Preservation of Historic Places.
The following sequence includes parts of my conversations with sculptor Judith Shea in Soho where she lives with her husband Ricardo Vasquez. On arrival, what first came to mind was that amazing invention by Elisha Otis, the elevator. By the time I made it to their loft I was ready to hear all Judith had to say about Daniel Chester French’s studio in the Berkshires.