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SLFS Interview: Patrick Branson – Director of AMERICA’S BLUES – We Are Movie Geeks

Interview

SLFS Interview: Patrick Branson – Director of AMERICA’S BLUES

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AMERICA’S BLUES screens Monday July 20 at 5:00pm at The Tivoli Theater as part of this year’s St. Louis Filmmaker’s Showcase. Ticket information can be found HERE

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Transcending generations and racial barriers, the blues laid the foundation for pop culture and virtually all American music. Through interviews with musicians, historians, professionals, and activists, filmmaker Patrick Branson’s AMERICA’S BLUES offers a new angle on an established narrative, focusing on the evolution of the blues and the music’s impact on American society and culture.

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Patrick Branson took the time to answer some questions for We Are Movie Geeks in advance of his film’s screening at the St. Louis Filmmaker’s Showcase.

Interview conducted by Tom Stockman

We Are Movie Geeks: What was your filmmaking experience prior to AMERICA’S BLUES. Is this your first feature-length documentary?

Patrick Branson: Yes, America’s Blues is my first feature.  I got a chance to go back and finish my film degree at Lindenwood University and after I graduated in May of 2012, I jumped right into pre production for this film.  I had been doing freelance video work and making a few short films prior to graduating and around March of that year I hooked up with an old friend, Aaron Pritchard, who was now the Vice President of a non Profit called the Killer Blues Headstone Project that raises money to provide headstones to deceased Blues musicians lying in unmarked graves.  They hired me to do a short 9 minute documentary that can be seen on their website at www.killerblues.net, and as we were traveling to Peoria and talking, I realized how little credit and respect many of these musicians who shaped the music industry as it is today really got.  I mean, one of the most influential musicians of all time, Lonnie Johnson who is from Saint Louis by the way, the man who literally created the guitar solo, was still laying in an unmarked grave.  I knew then that there was a much bigger story than I could tell in 10 minutes and that’s when Aaron Pritchard and I decided to take on this ambitious project.  Fortunately, Lonnie Johnson now has a headstone thanks to Killer Blues but there are alot that still don’t.  We’re hoping this film sheds some light as to how important the Blues really is to our culture and brings a new audience to the Blues because let’s face it, all American Music is derived from the Blues.

WAMG: Explain why you titled your film AMERICA’S BLUES

PB: Originally the film was going to be called Lost Legends and we were going to focus on the last remaining Original Delta Blues Musicians that could tell the real story of the Blues but we realized that this had already been done and we wanted to make a film that was unique.  As the story evolved, so did the realization that the name had to change.  Aaron actually came up with the name America’s Blues and it just fit perfectly with the story that we were trying to tell.

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WAMG: I was expecting a documentary about the Blues and ended up seeing one about the black experience throughout American history. Was this your original plan or did it sort of evolve that way once you started production?

PB: Here’s the thing, You cannot tell an accurate story about the Blues without telling a story about the Black Experience throughout American History.  It can’t be done.  We wanted to tell the real story of the Blues without sugar coating it and we also wanted to show how music, and more specifically Blues Music, helped bridge the gap between the races.  I mean, it wasn’t the only thing that brought the races together, but you can be sure than Music was one of the first and one of the most powerful.  I’d like to think our film is more than history though.  I want people to see that it isn’t just history that has been impacted and is STILL impacted by the Blues, but it’s modern culture as well.  For example, we have a sections on Film and Sexuality that prove just how deeply rooted the Blues is in our culture.  I don’t want to give anything away but I think people are really going to be surprised when they see how influential it’s been to our society.

WAMG: Were there any musicians you wanted to interview but were unable to?

PB: There were a lot of musicians that we tried to get interviews with and were unable to for a number of reasons.  Some we just couldn’t get the travel funds for and some just never responded to our request.  That was one of the most difficult parts.  Being an unknown first time director and trying to get big name musicians to be in our movie.  In the end, we would up with an amazing cast that includes, Blues & Jazz Legends, Hollywood Film Composers, World Famous Artists and even up and coming Blues Artists.

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WAMG: It seems like almost all of these blues legends interviewed are elderly. Is there a new generation of Blues artists to take their places when they are gone?

PB: Well, Yes and No.  The original Blues Legends can never be replaced.  I don’t think there will ever be another BB King, but there is a new generation of Blues and Roots artists that are doing a fine job of keeping the tradition alive.  In fact, I think we are in a time of Rebirth for American Music.  We are seeing a lot of younger bands that are heavily influenced by the Blues such as the Black Keys, Jack White, and the Carolina Chocolate Drops.  We weren’t able to interview any of them but we did get a chance to talk with Samantha Fish and the 2013 Grammy Nominated Heritage Blues Orchestra and several others that are helping to make Roots Music popular again.  We may have lost BB and may be down to just a handful of original delta Bluesman left, but I don’t think the Blues will ever go away.  I think we will always find a way to bring the Blues back into modern music.

WAMG: Are you a Blues fan who became a filmmaker or a filmmaker first? What inspired you to make a film about this subject?

PB: I’ve always loved music, and the Blues, but I was definitely a filmmaker first.  I got inspired to make this film by realizing how little credit the Blues has gotten for the massive influence it has had on our culture.  I think a lot of that has to do with the fact that people don’t want to remember the circumstances that ultimately created the Blues.  I also think that, in light of the recent racial problems in our country, that it’s the right time for a movie like this.  People need to remember that it wasn’t that long ago that these people were treated so horribly in our country.  People also need to remember that, just like it did before, the music can bring us all together peacefully.

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WAMG: Did you grow up a movie buff? What filmmakers do you count as your favorites?

I definitely grew up engulfed in film.  My dad is a big movie buff and he always liked the classic Black and White pictures.  I never really got into the classics too much but he also introduced me to some of the best comedy films of all time like Caddyshack and the Naked Gun Movies.  In my opinion, I think the 80’s were a pretty rough time for music, but probably the best time in history for comedy films.  That’s all opinion obviously but I can never get enough of 80’s comedy movies.  Outside of that I’ve always just been fascinated with motion pictures and I love to tell stories.  As far as favorite filmmakers, I really don’t have a good answer for that question.  There have been so many great films made.  Some of them by well known filmmakers and some by relatively unknown filmmakers.  I don’t follow filmmakers’ careers, I follow films with great stories.

WAMG: What were some of the challenges you encountered while making AMERICA’S BLUES?

PB: The biggest challenge we faced during America’s Blues was funding.  Finding money to make your first film is nearly impossible but we were lucky enough to get what we needed.  We were in pre-production for almost a year because we didn’t have the money to get the equipment we needed but once we figured that part out, everything else just kind of fell into place.  The other big problem we ran into was marketing.  With no budget to market a film, it’s tough to find an audience, even with a topic that already has an established audience like the Blues.  Facebook doesn’t make it easy either because after you finally get people to like your page, you have to pay to reach your own audience.  Another reason I think it was tough is that a lot of the “Blues” audience is older and might not be as social media savvy.

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WAMG: Your film is incredibly well-researched. Tell me about the process of tracking down all of this vintage footage? Was there some footage you wanted to show but were unable to find?

PB: With YouTube and Archive.org, you’d be surprised at how easy it is to find old archive footage.  The problem isn’t finding it, it’s being able to afford it.  Your average stock footage house will charge about $30 a second for archive footage.  Now multiply that by 60 seconds in a minute and then 70 or 80 minutes and it really adds up.  Then you have to consider that more well known films and media is going to be considerably more expensive than regular stock footage.  Copyrights make it nearly impossible for a documentary to get made.  That is without implementing Fair Use.  We hired Donaldson & Callif, who are pretty much THE Fair Use attorneys in LA, and it saved us probably 2 or 3 hundred thousand dollars in licensing fees.  Now I’m not suggesting that everyone just start claiming Fair Use on everything but if you do your research and have a good enough understanding of what Fair Use actually is and how you can implement it, it can really be a lifesaver for a documentary filmmaker.  The downside is that some international broadcast sales reps don’t want to work with Fair use documentaries because it’s fairly new and they don’t want to mess with it, but we were lucky enough to pick up distribution with Espresso TV out of the UK so that isn’t a problem for us.

WAMG: How has the film been received so far? Have any of the musicians you interviewed seen it and, if so, what do they think?

PB: So far we have gotten nothing but positive reviews.  Several of the interview subjects such as Hip Hop Producer Drumma Boy have said they love the film and most of the Experts and Professors that are in the film have seen it and loved it as well.  We have gotten accepted in to 8 film festivals so far and it has already screened at 5 of them.  We haven;t won any awards yet but the film has been very well received.  In fact, one festival in Frederick Maryland even scheduled an entire event around our film on June 27th with several live acts and hosted by Bill Wax, formerly of BB King’s Bluesville on Sirius Satellite Radio.  After the festival season we are planning on taking the film on a short tour to several cities where we will be hosting similar events with live acts and a screening of the film.  We are finalizing the details at 2 cities right now and are hoping to release it in at least 10 more depending on the cost and the funding we can get.

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WAMG: Would you like to make more documentaries or would you like to move into narrative filmmaking?

PB: Both actually.  I love documentaries, now after making one more than ever, but I still have a few narrative stories that I’d like to see on the big screen.

WAMG: Do you have other ideas for documentaries? What’s next for Patrick Branson?

PB: I’ve already started interviewing and making travel for my 2nd feature documentary which is called ‘Please Drink Responsibly’.  It’s about our society’s obsession with alcohol and partying.  It will explore the way that drinking is portrayed in the media and will show the real consequences that go along with having a society that not only accepts drinking, but encourages it.  This will be a much different kind of documentary for me and I am looking forward to the challenge.  In fact, since I started researching, it seems to be coming together much quicker than America’s Blues, but there are still a few pieces of the puzzle that I need to figure out.  People can find out more about my projects at www.facebook.com/tragikentertainment and the facebook page for the new film is www.facebook.com/pleasedrinkresponsibly.movie.  Finally, I keep the America’s Blues site updated with screenings as we get them and will be releasing the DVD and BluRay on our website at www.americasbluesmovie.com.  Thanks so much and I hope you all enjoy the film!