So a pelican walks into a bar…actually this particular pelican lands on Golden Gate bridge and gets arrested. It's not a joke, it was reality a few years ago when a hurt pelican did in fact land on the San Francisco staple. And yes she was hauled away in the back seat of a cop car. Filmmaker Judy Irving took that inital moment in time and has now created a wonderful documentary that looks into the lives of the soaring giants, the pelicans. Click through for my interview with Judy Irving.
Gigi is the starting point for the film, but Judy Irving was first introduced to these docile animals by her grandfather.
Birds have lead Judy to find love though…
Judy explained how making documentaries is a process of finding moments you can't truly control or predict.
One of the really amazing elements of the film is the unique music that accompanies certain sequences. I asked Judy about working with her composer Bruce Kaphan.
Judy is the narrator for the film and I asked her about the recording process and how Bruce also impacted that portion of post-production.
Judy and I got a bit more technical when I asked about a particular camera they got to use for the film.
The pure beauty of these slow-motion sequences really showcases just how agile and athletic pelicans can be. Judy and I talked a bit more about that "olympic" quality and also about how she got the underwater footage used in the film.
I asked Judy a bit about her writing background and she shared these insightful tales from her past.
She even has a written a play that is still performed every summer in Alaska!
Judy is busy working on the dvd extras for the film.
In the mean time see the beauty of these majestic birds on the big screen! Venture over to the Dallas or Plano Angelika theaters to see one of the better documentaries of 2014.
For more information about the film go, here.
