Traverse City Film Festival
TRAVERSE CITY — A laid-back, more comfortable side of Michael Moore came through in the final panel discussion at the Traverse City Film Festival, as he reminisced with some old friends and co-workers about what it took to pull his films together.
The group included Jason Pollock, who worked as Moore's assistant for three years, and Gini Reticker, who taught Moore the basics of logging film footage. Tia Lessin, a producer of Moore's television show, "TV Nation," and film archivist Carl Deal gathered to talk about the angst, the brainstorming and some of the spontaneous decision making that went into Moore's films.
Deal and his team track down the film outtakes that make it into Moore's movies.
"When you saw Paul Wolfowitz licking his comb, that was Carl Deal," Moore said of some unreleased footage that found it's way into his film "Fahrenheit 9/11". "The world has seen a number of things in my films because of Carl."
Lessin called Moore's television show, "TV Nation," a boot camp for documentary filmmakers.
"I felt there was more to her than being a tape runner," Moore said of Lessin. "I felt I'd met a fellow traveler."
Moore reflected on being broke, on welfare and literally begging for $10,000 to complete the sound work on "Roger and Me," and his relief when people from Sound One Corp. in New York believed in the film and did the work for free.
Moore said he couldn't have done it without the other panel members, and the four said he returned inspiration as all of them went on to produce their own independent documentaries.
Pollock credited Moore's work as the impetus for the growing voice of political satire on television. Lessin agreed.
"Michael encouraged us to speak the unspeakable back when there was no 'Daily Show' or John Stewart, no magazine or reality television shows," she said.
Moore admitted he's not as fearless as people think when it comes to stirring controversy.
"It's a false thing to project that I'm a brave or courageous person. I'm as scared as everyone else," he said.
He'd also — if he could — pass on a legacy of do's and don'ts to the next generation.
"I'd like to write a book for teenagers — what I've learned in life, how rejection is good, failure is good. I got Cs and Ds all through my senior year in high school, it's OK — you'll turn out OK," he said.
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