The Weekly Turns The Camera On Itself

LA Marathons run through Beverly Hills to continue next year Page 2
briefs
PTA-funded video warns of potential Beverly High tunnel disaster Page 5
briefs
rudy cole Food

and subways
Page 6
Issue 657 May 3 - May 9, 2012
Weekly
Beverly Hills
SERVING BEVERLY HILLS BEVERLYWOOD LOS ANGELES
ALSO ON THE WEB www.bhweekly.com
The Weekly Turns the Camera on Itself

Director Eric Adrian Marshall discusses tomorrows premiere of his documentary profiling Beverly Hills Weekly
cover story pages 8-9
coverstory
THE WEEKLY TURNS THE CAMERA ON ITSELF

Director Eric Adrian Marshall discusses tomorrows premiere of his documentary profiling Beverly Hills Weekly
By Melanie Anderson
For six weeks, a film crew from USC followed the Weekly staff around to city council meetings, the farmers market and the office on deadline. In a conversation with reporter Melanie Anderson, director Eric Marshall reflects on the experience. So, what is The Weekly about? The Weekly is a documentary about you and your job as the reporter for Beverly Hills Weekly. It follows you over the course of about four to six weeks and [portrays] the difficulty of being a reporter in a time when theres less money for local newspapers for their operations, and at a time also when its so important for accountability journalism to be at a high level and still be active. What inspired this project? The characters. Hearing all the stories you brought home about [Publisher] Josh [Gross] and the ad [staff] and about the unique atmosphere and relationships in the office. It was great sitting down with [columnist] Rudy Cole, who to me really personifies the unique character of this city and is just a wealth of information about the history of media and the political relationships in Beverly Hills. That combined with how media is changing really inspired me. I heard a radio story on On the Media about how newspapers are going out of business and reporters are being laid off. We could lose a reporter covering the White House or Wall Street. If one or two reporters got laid off from those beats wed still be okay as a nation. If youre a resident of a small city or town like Beverly Hills where there are two reporters covering the city council, and if one gets laid off, thats a huge loss in diversity of opinion that comes out of the media. Its a huge loss in perspective. Its damaging to our democracy. What I really wanted to do was honor small town newspapers and small town reporters for the vital role that they play in keeping institutions accountable and standing up for citizens. What do you see as some of the Left to right: Director Eric Marshall, Director of Photography Sean McDaniel, Advertising challenges our paper is facing? Theres the finances, theres the lack of Manager Tiffany Majdipour, Sound designer Zack Ketz staff, and of course those two are related. viewed for your Valentines article [in what we needed. We filmed a lot on pubYou know the difficulty that comes with Issue #645]. We spent a great day with lic property, we filmed at the city council having to write and edit an entire news- them. We also had the privilege of vis- meetings, we filmed in parks. I would go paper by yourself. Josh says this in the iting Beverly High and the staff of the back to Beverly Hills and film anything film, If youre at the L.A. Times, youre Highlights newspaper. Seeing such a pas- from a narrative feature to another docugoing to write two stories a day. You need sionate and talented group of young peo- mentary. to get used to that pressure. From my ple who want to be journalists was really perspective, I see a small town reporter as inspiring. It helped us understand where Before this project, what was your someone who doesnt just have to write Josh comes from. We talked to so many perception of Beverly Hills? the paper, but really has to be the second people in the city that we could not include I think my perception was like a lot publisher. Youre going out there finding because of [USCs] time constraints [lim- of people who live in Los Angeles. We stories, youre representing the paper to iting our film to 24 minutes]. [Courier know its a wealthy community. You see the community because youre the person Publisher] Clif [Smith] was helpful and movies that are made about Beverly Hills the community really interacts with. You gave us great background as far as the that completely misrepresent the city. In have a tremendous amount of responsibil- city goes and the media landscape. Marla Hollywood, you have Beverly Hills Cop, ity. I think its a greater challenge than [Schevker] and Marcia [Hobbs] who work Beverly Hills Chihuahua, Beverly Hills working at a large metro daily. There are at the Courier were also a huge help. They whatever. Its always the same. What we two levels of challenges: the personal could not make it into the film but they wanted to do with our documentary is challenges the reporter faces every day, did really assist us. We talked to a lot of show that Beverly Hills is not this reducand the financial challenges that the busi- residents on the street about their prefer- tion. Its not just people driving around in ness faces. Seeing that level of sacrifice ences for local media. What we found is Bentleys. Theres a big second-generation that reporters like you across the country the strongest film really is not this broad American population. Theres a huge firstin small towns and communities have to survey of Beverly Hills media. We found generation immigrant population. Theres [make], we found that to be really inspir- that the strongest story we could tell was a lot of economic and social diversity in ing. really just about one paper. For the most the city. We wanted to show its a compart its you, its Josh, its [Advertising plex city, its a different city, and it needs Beverly Hills Weekly wasnt your only Manager] Tiffany [Majdipour] and its media and it needs good reporting, just subject. Tell us who else appears in the those relationships that form when youre like a small city like Bellits obviously film. in a small office working against pretty a different demographicbut it still needs [Recent] Mayor Barry Brucker has a heavy odds. that sense of accountability. presence. We had a great conversation with him in his office. We ran into him a You mentioned being out and about Was there anything unexpected or few times out in the community. Thats filming in Beverly Hills. What was that surprising that you learned about the something you only get in a small town experience like? community while making this film? and thats something we really wanted to I was surprised how involved the comIt was great. The City was so welcomportray. As a reporter in a small town you ing to our crew. The producers and I sat munity was in government and local polimight run into a city councilmember or a down with the City about a month before tics. I was really surprised at some of the member of the school board when youre we started shooting and laid out what we city council meetings how many people just out at the park walking your dog or were going to do. Here at USC, the City attended. [The Roxbury Park meeting in at the farmers market buying your gro- of Beverly Hills is known to be a chal- January] was one we filmed at. There is ceries. I think thats something bloggers lenging place for students to film and we also the Metro issue. I think its really and people who are just working off the did not find that to be the case at all. We interesting and I think it speaks to the job Internet dont really get. found them to be extremely welcoming. that the newspapers and the digital media Everyone that weve met has been Therese [Kosterman] in the communica- does at informing the citizens and how really warm and helped us out so much tions office, Benita [Miller] and Scott there is this diversity of voices and there with the film. Gloria [Boraz] and Stanley [Lipke] in the film office [helped] us get is this dialogue still in Beverly Hills. One [Goldblatt] were the couple you inter-
Page 8 Beverly Hills Weekly
Director of Photography Sean McDaniel, Eric Marshall
Left to right: Director Eric Marshall, Director of Photography Sean McDaniel, reporter Melanie Anderson, Weekly Publisher Josh Gross, Sound designer Zack Ketz
thing that I wish we could have included more in the film was that sense that all the papers play off each other and how theres a media conversation that goes on every week in Beverly Hills. This was your first effort directing a documentary. Tell us about some of the challenges you faced. Ive never done something on this level where we were shooting 15 hours with a full crew over the course of a couple months. It was challenging because we were forced to plan in a way that I had never had to do for docs. For the still photography Ive done in Berkeley, when there was a protest going on outside City Hall, I could pick up my camera and shoot it in the course of an afternoon. This was such a challenge having to plan a week or two in advance for something that we didnt know if it would happen or not. We just had to take a chance. As a filmmaker being able to accept that as the process, being able to accept the universe is going to give you what its going to give you and making something great out of that has probably been the biggest change for me personally. It was truly a team effort and whats great about documentary is that oftentimes the director of photography or the editors have a significant amount of control over the story, certainly much more than in fiction. We had a challenging story to tell and I think every person on the team really pulled together to create something that were really excited to share with people in Beverly Hills and across the country. Howd you end up in film school? I grew up in San Diego and I was very involved with the arts and especially music as a teenager. I did my undergraduate work at UC Berkeley, where I met you in a music class. During my years as an
undergraduate I started to gravitate toward filmmaking, all the while I also was studying economics. While I was in college I was involved in politics. I had an internship with Congresswoman Barbara Lee (DOakland). After I graduated I worked for a state assembly campaign in the Bay Area. After the 2008 elections, I felt like it was now or never for me to pursue a career doing what I was really passionate about, which was making films. So I took some more classes and when I felt my portfolio was strong enough, I applied to only a few film schools. I decided to attend USC because of the tradition of excellence that the school is known for and the opportunities it provides its students. Every film has outtakes. What were some unexpected or funny things that happened that didnt make the cut? Being with Josh on a day-to-day basis is just kind of a reality T.V. show, to be perfectly honest. The office is an outrageous environment. When you were telling me these stories you didnt misrepresent them. We ended up making a more personal film, but the comedy is definitely there. Youre in a situation where you have a guy whos trying to make the best out of a business model that really doesnt have much of a future, from my perspective. And he said it himself, is [the paper] going to be around in 10 years? We dont know. But his attitude toward that eventuality is what really attracts a lot of people to him. He loves the fact that its a tough business. He hires [college students] to run his advertising department and develops really great [friendships] with them. That interplay he has with his advertising staff is fantastic. I remember there was a moment when we were packing upwe didnt end up getting this on filmhe walked in and made a comment on his furniture. I think that day we had been
talking to you about your compensation for the amount of work you do. He said to me, You know Eric, its your choice. We can either pay Melanie more or get new furniture. You tell me what you would prefer? Just stuff like that, where he really does take pride in how hes been able to manage his business. I think the fact that the circumstances are not great is something you have to have a humorous attitude about. I think he really does have that. I think thats why we found him [to be] such a great character. A lot of people have not seen the inside of the Weekly. They see the paper every week but they dont get a sense of where you guys work. We found that to be very entertaining. I think the audience will as well. Its definitely something to look forward to in the film to get a behind-thescenes feel of how a paper gets made. And its not all serious. Now that youve gone through this process, would you recommend other directors make their significant others the subject of a documentary? I would. I certainly learned more about you and have much more compassion for you. In a documentary you really connect with your subjects. Being able to meet the people you work with every day and being able to see that side of you [gave] me a greater understanding of what you go through. Without giving away too much, what do you hope viewers will come away with after seeing this film? More than anything, I really want people to understand that when they read an article in the paper, be it your Valentines piece or an article about a city council proposal or a new building project, when they read the byline I really want people to know what goes into that kind of report-
ing. There is a difference between the kind of reporting reporters like you do where theres research involved, theres back story involved, you call sources, you call multiple sources, you get stuff confirmed. Thats the kind of thing I think journalism is moving away from, that kind of in-depth, labor intensive reporting, just because its expensive. I want audiences to know what goes into that, so maybe when theyre reading their morning paper they can take a little more time reading that byline and understanding that theres a person behind that article who is looking out for you. What are your goals for the film? I think the film has potential to reach audiences in small towns across the country, so were going to submit to a lot of film festivals. We want to show it to professional journalists, journalism schools and academic institutions across the country and broaden the awareness of the importance of community media specifically. After festivals, well see if theres an interest for broadcast. Theres online streaming, like Netflix or Hulu. Theres also local public television [like] KCET. Wed also like to screen it inside Beverly Hills, but we dont know what format yet that would take, whether it would be something through the City or Beverly High, or renting out a theater within the city limits. The residents, the elected officials and members of the press in Beverly Hills made this film possible. We want to make sure that everyone in the city who wants to see the film has an opportunity to do so. A free screening of The Weekly will take place this Friday at 7:30 p.m. at the Norris Theater on USCs campus. For more information, visit facebook. com/TheWeeklyDoc.
May 3 - May 9, 2012
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LA Marathons run through Beverly Hills to continue next year Page 2

PTA-funded video warns of potential Beverly High tunnel disaster Page 5

rudy cole Food

Issue 657 May 3 - May 9, 2012

ALSO ON THE WEB www.bhweekly.com

cover story pages 8-9

THE WEEKLY TURNS THE CAMERA ON ITSELF

Page 8 Beverly Hills Weekly

Director of Photography Sean McDaniel, Eric Marshall

May 3 - May 9, 2012

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