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©2009
The Duncan Group, Inc.
All Rights Reserved.
Any unauthorized duplication is a violation of applicable
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LANDSLIDE
- A Portrait of President Herbert Hoover
The film premiered nationwide on
PBS on MONDAY, OCTOBER 26
LANDSLIDE - A Portrait of President Herbert Hoover
is a one-hour documentary created for public television in
the United States. The film is produced as a co-production
between The Duncan Group, Inc. and Stamats Communications,
Inc. with Iowa Public Television as the presenting station
for the PBS system. For a complete list of underwriting credits
for this production, please contact Iowa
Public Television.
The
producers of LANDSLIDE - A Portrait of President Herbert
Hoover are Chip Duncan and Tracy Dorsey. Chip Duncan is
also the writer/director of the documentary. Tom Hedges and
Stevie Ballard are the executive producers. The film was edited
by Bob Huck. The original music score was composed by David
Barrett. Patricia Ostermick and Tracy Dorsey conducted the
research for the film and Stevie Ballard and Elizabeth Gibson
were responsible for archival research and acquisition. The
film includes narration only in the prologue and epilogue
featuring the voiceover of Harry Smith. Duane Huey is the
production executive for Iowa Public Television. Interviews
for this production were conducted by Tracy Dorsey and Chip
Duncan. The Duncan Group, Inc. is solely responsible for the
editorial content of the completed production under the supervision
of Iowa Public Television and with consultation from Stamats
Communications, Inc.
The
following Q&A represents the perspectives of producers
Duncan and Dorsey and is not intended to represent the viewpoints
of any other people associated with this production.
1)
Please reflect on the importance of producing a Herbert Hoover
biography at this time.
Duncan:
When we began production in 2007, we had no idea that the
release of the documentary would be so closely timed to a
significant downturn in the global economy in 2008. The parallels
between the economic and financial crises faced by Herbert
Hoover and those in today's economy are remarkable and lend
a timeliness to our production. The challenges faced by Hoover
were considerable and his decisions remain controversial.
Yet as Robert Reich reflects in the film, Hoover had little
economic theory to go on and few precedents to guide his decision
making process. Today's economy is far more global and market
risks are shared by a much greater percentage of the American
public than they were during the stock market crash of 1929
and the depression that followed. Much can be learned from
the successes and failures of the Hoover administration.
Dorsey: Initially, the documentary seemed most relevant as
part of our country's ongoing debate: Exactly what does our
government owe its people? That issue was at the heart of
American Individualism, the term Herbert Hoover coined for
political philosophy, as well as his presidency. Many, including
Margaret Hoover, argue it is the fundamental issue that defines
and separates the Republican and Democratic parties today.
But as production continued, and the day's newspaper headlines
became eerily reminiscent of Hoover's era, the project has
taken on a new life. As our interview subjects reflect on
the politics and policies of the early Depression, they provide
a historical perspective on the same thorny issues - financial
bailouts, government secured mortgages, tax increases - grabbing
headlines today. It's worth noting that Robert Reich, who
faults Hoover for not recognizing the importance of "government
as the spender of last resort," is among the current
economic advisors to president-elect Barack Obama.
2) What did you find particularly revealing or interesting
about Herbert Hoover as you became more involved in the production
and interview process?
Dorsey: Amity Shlaes remarks that Herbert Hoover was the "Bill
Gates" or the "Steve Jobs" of his day. As a
young mining engineer, his early career was marked by technological
innovation, overwhelming financial success and adventure in
far-flung lands. According to historian David Kennedy, Hoover's
signature characteristic as a presidential candidate in 1928
was his "sheer, unqualified competency." Hoover's
entrepreneurial spirit, intelligence and ability - as well
as the limitations of those traits during his presidency -
were all revelations to me.
Duncan:
Our discovery process is reflected in the film. For many Americans,
the name Herbert Hoover is synonymous with widespread unemployment
and economic collapse as well as The Great Depression. Yet
those associations alone are far from articulating a fair
portrayal of the man and his remarkable career. Hoover's legacy
as a humanitarian leader during and after WWI and WWII and
his success as a two-term Secretary of Commerce are noteworthy
achievements. His ability to manage crisis and to mitigate
suffering and starvation rank him among the greatest humanitarians
of all time.
3)
Herbert Hoover is not well known to the American television
viewer today though his name is often associated with the
1929 stock market crash and The Great Depression. In your
opinion, is that association fair?
Dorsey:
Yes, but the limited association most viewers have - of Depression
era "Hoovervilles" or a heartless, do-nothing president
- obscures a much more complex and interesting history. As
David Kennedy notes, Hoover's attempts to combat the Depression
were in many ways "unprecedented." Indeed, several
of those interviewed give him credit for initiating policies
Roosevelt later popularized under the New Deal. The fascinating
question - and one we explore - is why Hoover, to this day,
is blamed for the Depression while Roosevelt is celebrated
for ending it.
4)
How is the Hoover legacy relevant today?
Dorsey: Herbert Hoover's accomplishments - as a humanitarian,
Secretary of Commerce and President - directly impact who
we are and how we live today. Through relief efforts, both
at home and abroad, he's credited with saving tens of millions
of lives. His work in the Commerce Department galvanized trade
and increased public health through standardization and safety
regulations. But as those we've interviewed point out, Hoover's
legacy may be most relevant in the lessons it offers in political
leadership, or the lack thereof, in the time of crisis.
5) Why is this show important for public television?
Duncan:
Public television continues to be the best resource we have
in the U.S. for broadcasting free, not-for-profit programming
for viewers seeking in-depth, thought-provoking stories told
in a fair and balanced manner. The audience for public television
is active and seeks to engage in informal, life-long learning.
There's no better venue for a dialogue featuring noted scholars
and historians as they help paint the picture of one of history's
most noteworthy Presidents. PBS also has an established track
record for presenting history, culture and current event programming
in detail and with a genuine commitment to fairness, balance
and journalistic integrity. We hope we've continued that tradition.
6)
The program is produced with narration appearing only in the
opening tease and epilogue. Please explain this choice from
an editorial and creative perspective.
Duncan:
As a writer/director, I'm a fan of minimal narration. When
we do our job right in the field, our interview subjects become
the storytellers and help us to minimize the need for or impact
of a narrator. But it does require lengthy and detailed interviews
in which our subjects share both fact and opinion. In this
case, I was responsible for the decision to build the narrative
from interviews alone as well as the success or failure of
the technique. It's a significant challenge as a writer; however,
when it works, the narrative emerges in a relatively seamless
fashion. I believe we've been successful in establishing a
portrait of Herbert Hoover given the voices we've chosen to
include. With a one hour program duration, Landslide is not
the definitive Hoover biography. That said, I believe we've
managed to create something lasting and fair that will shed
new light on this unusual and remarkable President.
7)
You've chosen to work with composer David Barrett. How has
Barrett's score contributed to the film?
Duncan:
David Barrett is well known for his work as a television composer
including three previous television biographies with The Duncan
Group and one with Stamats Communications. Our entire team
was familiar with his work and is grateful for his participation.
In this particular score, we called on David to maximize his
compositional skills on the piano and to minimize the emotional
tenor of the score. Music can be manipulative and we worked
hard to create a sense of the period and the mood of the times
without exalting or demonizing Herbert Hoover. David's very
good at arranging and, in the case of Landslide, he's worked
in minimalist fashion. He hits his marks and works hard to
avoid stepping on the narrative. In that sense, David works
to enhance the vision of the filmmaker without putting the
music in the foreground. It also helps that David understands
the sound effects and mixing process as well as anyone working
in television today - he left ample room for sound designer
Scott Leamon to work his own magic. David and editor Bob Huck
also worked to ensure that the music and visual components
are seamless, a give and take process that continued throughout
the post-production process.
8) The archive process on this production was extensive.
Please discuss the choices you've made and the considerations
behind the archive decisions.
Dorsey:
The Hoover Presidential Library helped to make the job manageable,
if only because the lives of American Presidents are so well
documented. The staff of the library was outstanding and a
great resources for us. But the scope of the archival work
went well beyond the library to include resources from around
the country. It's a massive task and it was facilitated by
the outstanding work of Stevie Ballard, Elizabeth Gibson,
Theran Pfieffer and Patricia Ostermick.
Duncan: From a writing perspective, I believe the archive
process goes hand-in-hand with constructing the narrative.
Pictures either enhance or diminish the storytelling. If we're
successful, the film becomes better by allowing the archival
material to play its role in furthering the narrative. In
contrast to our t.v. biographies on Woody Hayes and CS Lewis,
we were able to find considerable footage and still photos
of Herbert Hoover from WWI through 1964. However, we were
limited by the quality of the motion footage and the lack
of usable audio. Motion pictures were becoming sophisticated
during the 1920s but the combination of picture and sound
recording was still in its infancy. We produced the documentary
in state-of-the-art HD-CAM (high definition) yet there remains
a stark contrast between the color images and the significant
use of black and white archival material. In that sense, the
black and white material reinforces the shift between contemporary
and historic without imposing visual effects. It also forced
both the composer (David Barrett) and sound designer (Scott
Leamon) to remain authentic to the period. Both editor Bob
Huck and I were regularly surprised by the general quality
of photography in the historical motion footage we found,
especially as it relates to the sequencing of footage from
the 1927 Mississippi River flood and the 1932 Bonus March
on Washington D.C.
9) How did you go about choosing your interview subjects?
Duncan:
Tracy Dorsey and Patricia Ostermick were responsible for the
research conducted during pre-production. In that regard,
they played the most significant role in determining our interview
subjects. As a rule, however, we were looking for an interesting
mix of perspectives that would help to create a fair, detailed
and balanced perspective on Hoover's life and his Presidency.
In other words, we wanted a combination of opinions and insights
from the right and left juxtaposed with historians who could
speak to the facts of Hoover's life as well as the noteworthy
historical events that shaped his career. Once we'd made our
determinations, Patty, Tracy and I worked together on the
interview questions and tried to shape them around the specifics
of each subject's expertise and experience.
Dorsey: An in-depth knowledge of Hoover's life and presidency
were paramount, of course. But we also sought out storytellers
- authors, historians and scholars passionate about the president
and his impact on the American people. Though born too late
to meet her great grandfather, political consultant Margaret
Hoover offers a personal perspective of the man and his philosophies.
As author of The Worst Hard Time: A History of the Dust
Bowl, Timothy Egan reflects on Hoover's policies through
the eyes of a Depression era farmer. Hoover biographer George
Nash provides an encyclopedic knowledge of Hoover's life,
while Pulitzer-prize winning historian David Kennedy provides
both depth and breadth to our picture of Hoover and his role
in the global depression. Together with Robert Reich, Amity
Shlaes, Timothy Walch and Jonathan Alter, our interview subjects
have succeeded in transforming Hoover from a sepia-toned and
faded memory to a flesh and blood American leader struggling
with many of the same issues we face today.
10)
Were there any pitfalls in the production process that impacted
the final film? If so, what were they?
Duncan:
Pitfalls? Yes, the biggest pitfall was the one hour time frame.
Herbert Hoover lived a remarkable life and it was not possible
to capture the fullness and breadth of his accomplishments,
successes and failures in one hour. We also had very little
time to deal with his personal characteristics or his marriage
and family. In an ideal world, we'd have been able to work
in three acts including one hour for his life prior to 1928,
another hour for his presidency (1928-1932) and a third hour
for his post-presidency (1932-1964). Few Presidents have been
more active in their post-Presidency and few have been as
vocal. That said, if Hoover had not been President, there
would not be a film. For that reason, we chose to focus primarily
on the critical events that qualified Herbert Hoover for the
job of President of the United States of America and the key
events of his time in office.
For more information or to use excerpts from this question
and answer session, please contact Chip Duncan via email at:
Chip@DuncanEntertainment.com.
Additional email addresses include:
Tracy
Dorsey: Tracy@ResetMedia.tv
Tom
Hedges: Tom.Hedges@stamats.com
Stevie
Ballard: Stevie.Ballard@stamats.com
Bob
Huck: Bob@DuncanEntertainment.com
David
Barrett: Shiningmom@aol.com
Scott
Leamon: Scott.Leamon@stamats.com
Patricia
Ostermick: Patty@DuncanEntertainment.com
Elizabeth
Gibson: elizabeth.gibson@stamats.com
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©2008
The Duncan Group, Inc.
All Rights Reserved.
Any unauthorized duplication is a violation of applicable
laws.
|
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