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Following are notes from a conversation between Chuck Jaffee and Mark Harvey, producer/director of "A Land Out of Time."
Chuck Jaffee: "A Land Out of Time" is a film about people banding together in response to fast-tracking tens of thousands of new gas wells to be drilled in the Rocky Mountains. What got you involved in producing this film?
Mark Harvey: I come from a funny background. My family is in the cattle business, but I grew up with friends who are environmentalists. People think of the two groups as antagonistic, but the best ranchers are good stewards of the land. I've been involved with what you might call environmental issues for a long time. I had done a few small films. Meanwhile, I didn't like how the public process was being subjugated.
CJ: So, you'd say you're more of a citizen who makes films, than a filmmaker who found a subject for a film.
MH: Yes.
CJ: Were the people you interviewed wary of what kind of film they were going to be in?
MH: We were honest about where we were going with the film. Some were a little wary. Some, you had to earn their trust and draw them out. Some were eloquent.
CJ: How critical is it to get public officials, like the one in the film, who stand up for what's right, even if the job includes pressures to act a certain way.
MH: Very critical. Someone with less courage would side with industry. There are a lot of people who go into the Bureau of Land Management or the Department of the Interior who have a passion for the land they manage. These kinds of officials do have a certain amount of autonomy.
CJ: What's your response to people who might say, "Get real. Most of these wilderness places affect no more than a few thousand people. The overall commercial and economic needs involved trump the negative effects that are part of making important tradeoffs."
MH: I disagree with that premise. Tourism, for instance, brings in billions across local economies ... forever, really. The gas dollars are big money, but only for a short period of time.
Chuck Jaffee, the unofficial film reviewer of SYRCL's Wild & Scenic Film Festival, recently made two 30-minute videos: 1), an interview with Jason Rainey, executive director of the South Yuba River Citizens League, and Kathy Dotson, director of the Wild & Scenic Environmental Film Festival; and 2) a review of festival films, including clips from five of the films.
To view these, go to www.startlets.com and click the link on "30 min. video review of films in the festival" and "30 min. video interview about the film festival."
Tell Jaffee what you think at jaffee@startlets.com.
- The Union staff
Chuck Jaffee: "A Land Out of Time" is a film about people banding together in response to fast-tracking tens of thousands of new gas wells to be drilled in the Rocky Mountains. What got you involved in producing this film?
Mark Harvey: I come from a funny background. My family is in the cattle business, but I grew up with friends who are environmentalists. People think of the two groups as antagonistic, but the best ranchers are good stewards of the land. I've been involved with what you might call environmental issues for a long time. I had done a few small films. Meanwhile, I didn't like how the public process was being subjugated.
CJ: So, you'd say you're more of a citizen who makes films, than a filmmaker who found a subject for a film.
MH: Yes.
CJ: Were the people you interviewed wary of what kind of film they were going to be in?
MH: We were honest about where we were going with the film. Some were a little wary. Some, you had to earn their trust and draw them out. Some were eloquent.
CJ: How critical is it to get public officials, like the one in the film, who stand up for what's right, even if the job includes pressures to act a certain way.
MH: Very critical. Someone with less courage would side with industry. There are a lot of people who go into the Bureau of Land Management or the Department of the Interior who have a passion for the land they manage. These kinds of officials do have a certain amount of autonomy.
CJ: What's your response to people who might say, "Get real. Most of these wilderness places affect no more than a few thousand people. The overall commercial and economic needs involved trump the negative effects that are part of making important tradeoffs."
MH: I disagree with that premise. Tourism, for instance, brings in billions across local economies ... forever, really. The gas dollars are big money, but only for a short period of time.
Chuck Jaffee, the unofficial film reviewer of SYRCL's Wild & Scenic Film Festival, recently made two 30-minute videos: 1), an interview with Jason Rainey, executive director of the South Yuba River Citizens League, and Kathy Dotson, director of the Wild & Scenic Environmental Film Festival; and 2) a review of festival films, including clips from five of the films.
To view these, go to www.startlets.com and click the link on "30 min. video review of films in the festival" and "30 min. video interview about the film festival."
Tell Jaffee what you think at jaffee@startlets.com.
- The Union staff
