Mentors

Went to Woodisde today with Bill to see our first film mentor, Gwen Sidley. She was our English and drama teacher at Woodside High School. She taught Shakespeare, how to act, and when it was time to write an essay, she said with a nod and a wink that we might want to make a movie instead. A rebel awoke, A vocation was born. And I never handed in a paper to her again. 

Today we brought her flowers and met for lunch at Buck's and talked about new times and old times. And making a living and teaching. Bill with his feature doc that might just get theatrical release, me with my new found freedom. And optimism.

She just got a new building - money from a bond - that has given her a Digital Media Center. We went and took a tour. 

The building was beautiful. State of the art and spacious. Lots of new macs and smart boards. She was proud and for good reason. It was the fruition of a lot of work and time she'd spent investing in the program and the curriculum. Bill I had been there in the beginning of her curriculum. As she branched from drama to film and video. 

I've had a few mentors in my life. There have tended to be two types: one is the overbearing master who believes mostly in their own excellence. I've learned from their in their techniques and demand for excellence. The other type has been the one who encourages with subtle suggestions. Patience. Gentle challenges. Intellectual clarity. Emotional kindness. Gwen is that second type. With her I always felt a desire to outperform to surprise her and delight her sense of me. And ultimately to be true to myself and To my own vision. 

Some of my richest filmmaking experiences still live there in her classroom. "Pacific Coast Highway" Bill and my heady, absurdist philosophical comment in five takes. "Tracks" our slow-motion epic exploring Native American culture and ethics. And of course "Cloud of Eiderdown" my personal epic and touchstone romantic vision. 

It felt good to see her again. 

Thank you, Gwen. Let's see movies at the Castro together -