Meet the Filmmakers: Tom Dziedzic--Redemption Stone: The Life and Times of Tom Lewis

Over the next week, we at IDA will be introducing our community to the filmmakers whose work is nominated for IDA Documentary Awards in the Feature Documentaries and Short Documentaries categories. 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 continue this series of conversations, here is Tom Dziedzic, director/producer of Redemption Stone: The Life and Times of Tom Lewis, which is nominated for Best Short Documentary.

Synopsis: Redemption Stone introduces Tom Lewis, a storyteller of quiet power, who recounts the social upheaval and rebirth that shape his unique American journey. A spiritual vision inspires Tom to open an after-school safe haven called The Fishing School and to turn hardship into hope for the children in his community.

IDA: How did you get started in documentary filmmaking?

Tom Dziedzic: I started as a soundman at the legendary Calvin Studios in Kansas City, Missouri. Director Robert Altman was the most famous filmmaker who once worked at Calvin, and everyone in the Midwest who wanted to work in film seems to have made a stop there at one time or another. I meandered through different film jobs until I ended up working at the post office. There, I began to write scripts and produce industrials, advancing to work at Postal Service Headquarters in Washington, DC. I went independent and started my own company in 1997.

IDA: What inspired you to make Redemption Stone?

TD: Meeting Tom Lewis; it's that simple. In 2002, I was hired to edit a short five-minute video about The Fishing School, and in the course of that edit, I looked at some archival video interviews done with Mr. Lewis as he discussed growing up in North Carolina and the things that happened to him along the way, including the many events that inspired him to start The Fishing School. I became really interested in his backstory and thought it would make a good documentary. I approached him in 2003 about doing an independent film about his life.

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

TD: I shot the main interview with Mr. Lewis in June 2003. Immediately after that, he became very ill battling a second bout of cancer. I edited a rough string-out from the interview and then put the tapes on the shelf to wait until Mr. Lewis regained his strength. He was very ill through 2004 and 2005; almost didn't make it. My partner Sue kept encouraging me to go back into the project or else Mr. Lewis' story might never be heard. So at the beginning of 2006, I edited an audio version of the Tom Lewis story that included music and effects. That audio edit turned out to be a good selling point to show Mr. Lewis and his family how I would treat his life story, as well as a good template for the video production to follow.

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

TD: My vision didn't change much from the beginning. First, I didn't want other speakers in the film; I just wanted Mr. Lewis to tell his story as he remembered it. It was his memoir. Also, I decided early on to shoot in High Definition, and I worked with two great directors of photography here in the DC area, Steven Holloway and Gonzalo Accame. The design was to stay on wide shots throughout and keep the screen as open as possible.

After a two-year hiatus, we started up production again in 2006 as Mr. Lewis regained his strength. We traveled down to North Carolina together to revisit his past. The beautiful opening shots of the Cape Fear River with morning mist streaming up as Mr. Lewis walks down to the river were a total accident, just serendipity. But I knew that was the opening as soon as we shot it. I edited at my home studio during 2006 and 2007 and completed the final edit in January 2008. The really great thing about the whole process was getting to know Mr. Lewis and his wife, Lucille. Even today, we talk on the phone like old friends and discuss the journey of the film so far. That's been a blessing.

IDA: As you've screened Redemption Stone-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?

TD: The first large audience was at the Atlanta Film Festival in April 2008, and they really liked the film. About three months later, I was driving around in DC and I got a call from a lady who saw the film in Atlanta. She said she just had to call me to let me know how much the film moved her and meant to her. That was worth a million dollars to me. The film brings many viewers to tears. Tom Lewis is a powerful force on the screen. I know he inspired me as a filmmaker, so I hope the film inspires others to go out and make a difference in their communities.

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

TD: Errol Morris. His 1988 documentary The Thin Blue Line was such a revelation to me, how documentaries can be created from real footage and reconstructed footage. I watched it many, many times to try to understand his genius.

The winning films in the Feature Documentary and Short Documentary categories will be announced at the IDA Awards on Friday, December 5, at the Directors Guild of America Theater, 7920 Sunset Boulevard, and will be screened the next day, December 6, as part of DocuFest at the Eastman Kodak Screening Room, 6700 Santa Monica Boulevard.

For more information about the IDA Awards, click here. For more information about DocuFest, click here.