Meet the DocuWeeks Filmmakers: Carter Gunn--'Colony'

 Editor's Note: Colony will be released March 29, 2011, on DVD through New Video/Docurama. 

Over the next month, we at IDA will be introducing our community to the filmmakers whose work is represented in the DocuWeeks ^TM Theatrical Documentary Showcase, which runs from July 30 through August 19 in New York City and Los Angeles. We asked the filmmakers to share the stories behind their films--the inspirations, the challenges and obstacles, the goals and objectives, the reactions to their films so far.

So, to kick off this series of conversations, here is Carter Gunn, director, with Ross McDonnell, of Colony.

Synopsis: The unexplainable phenomenon known as Colony Collapse Disorder has left landscapes of empty beehives all across America, threatening not only the beekeeping industry but our food supply. As scientists and beekeepers search for the cause, Colony captures the struggle within the beekeeping community to save the honeybee and themselves, through the eyes of veteran beekeeper Davis Mendes and Lance and Victor Seppi, two young brothers getting into beekeeping when most are getting out. As Mendes tries to save the nation's collapsing hives, the Seppis try to keep their business alive amidst a collapsing economy.

IDA:  How did you get started in documentary filmmaking?

Carter Gunn: Ross and I started working together on some short films back when I was at School of Visual Arts in Manhattan. I think we both knew we wanted to collaborate on something larger down the road. I went on to work various jobs in post-production, where I had the chance to work with a lot great folks in the doc world. Ross had been globetrotting, doing a lot of photojournalism work, and once we both had enough cash to buy a video camera and quit our jobs, we decided to make a movie.

IDA: What inspired you to make Colony?

CG: In 2007, Ross and I were sending each other clippings and articles all the time looking for topics that piqued our interest. The headlines that kept coming up were about the disappearing bees. We did a bit more research and found this whole hidden world of commercial beekeeping that neither of us knew about. We figured that if we were this curious about the subject, an audience would be, too.

IDA: What were some of the challenges and obstacles in making this film, and how did you overcome them?

CG: I think patience and persistence was the key to overcoming most of the challenges. Since this was our first film, we really had no compass to know if we were doing it right. Maybe there is no compass. There were many months of us wondering if all of this footage we had added up to anything at all. What's great about working with Ross is we can push each other a bit when things get difficult. As a team, there is always someone to say, "Let's pull over and shoot that sunset," or, "We should go talk to that crazy guy in overalls." I think having the patience to wait for the right light and to go the extra mile to explore new terrain is essential; I give Ross most of the credit there.
Another great lesson for us was trying to get Bayer to do an interview discussing their pesticides. We pursued them for over a year before they agreed to sit down with us. They rejected us many times before they came to the conclusion we weren't interesting in attacking them. So, wait for the light and call them again.

IDA: How did your vision for the film change over the course of the pre-production, production and post-production processes?

CG: Our visual approach was pretty consistent. We kept things very simple and shot using only natural light. In regards to the story, it changed constantly. Since Colony was documenting ongoing events, it would be impossible to say where the film was headed. It really served us to never set any boundaries regarding the direction the story was headed. We just went with it and, ultimately, I think we discovered things we would have never found if we were more conservative in our approach.

IDA: As you've screened Colony--whether on the festival circuit, or in screening rooms, or in living rooms--how have audiences reacted to the film? What has been most surprising or unexpected about their reactions?

CG: We have really gotten a fantastic response to the film. I think there tends to be a lot of surprise regarding the scale and impact of the pollination business. Most people think bees make honey and that's it. Everyone seems to be quite amazed when they find out that millions of bees are trucked around the country from crop to crop, season to season .  While we were in Amsterdam, this old Dutch man came up to me after a screening and said, "You don't really care about the bees." I was a bit shocked. I think if he knew how many stings Ross and I have endured over the past two years, he might take that back.

IDA: What docs or docmakers have served as inspirations for you?

CG: A few docs that Ross and I tend to reference a lot are To Be and To Have, Harlan County USA, For All Mankind, Lessons of Darkness, Manda Bala, King of Kong: Fistful of Dollars, God's Country, to name a few. Most recently, we saw Last Train Home, which was excellent.

Colony will be screening July 30 through August 5 at the Arclight Hollywood in Los Angeles and August 13 through 19 at the IFC Center in New York City.

To download the DocuWeeks^TM program, click here.

To purchase tickets for Colony in Los Angeles, click here.

To purchase tickets for Colony in New York, click here.