HBO Documentary
Hannah, director, from HBO with her camera woman and producer setting up for our interview.
Paul and I haven’t been in the world or local news for quite some time now. Thank god! After March, and the end of our newsworthy events, there has still been some interest from writers and documentary filmmakers in using my footage and/or interviewing us. We did interviews with the BBC and Vanity Fair, but haven’t heard anything from them since. Fuji TV was the last broadcast I know with our footage and interview, dubbed in Japanese.
Recently, I’ve been working with the wonderful director, Hannah Creek Olsen, on our part in an HBO film documentary about the Coronavirus on the Diamond Princess. We have been relaying photos, videos, and our story by email, phone, and Zoom to Hannah and her colleague Emily for the last few months. I’ve loved the communication, getting to know a little about Emily and her family, and life in NYC for Hannah. Emily will be moving on to another project as a director. Congrats Emily!
This week, Hannah and a small crew, drove up from NYC and formally filmed an interview with Paul and I, in our home in Syracuse, NY. We were excited and a little nervous, but they were wonderful and made us feel comfortable. It was a long day since they arrived at 10:30 AM and left at 4:30 PM. The crew, especially the camerawoman, did the work that usually would be done by more people, for example, sound and lighting. Because of Coronavirus HBO is limiting the amount of people on set. We all wore masks, except Paul and I during the filming, and kept a social distance when possible. We really enjoyed seeing the process and care taken setting up the scene in our living room and the portrait shots.
When all was set up, Paul and I perched on two chairs, took off our masks and prepared to tell our story. Hannah was skilled in making us feel comfortable and asking questions that got to the heart of our experience. She was encouraging, empathetic, and a wonderful interviewer. She sat next to the camera and communicated with her facial expressions and her hands, to avoid interrupting the interview audio. I like talking about our “epic story.” Why we wanted to go to Japan, how we decided to take the cruise, the places we visited, the fun we had. It gets a little more emotionally challenging when we talk about Coronavirus and quarantine aboard the Diamond Princess, but it’s still an adventure we made the most of. Then we get to the part I don’t like to recall, the trauma of the evacuation flight to the USA and learning we were sharing the same airplane air as unfortunate citizens who had tested positive for the Coronavirus. It gets emotionally difficult reliving the uncertainty, fear, exhaustion, and anxiety of that long, long, night.
After the interview, we were both very tired and my sleep that night was a bit disturbed with negative images. Despite this, I think it’s important that we tell the hard parts of our experience. We’re part of history, being among the first Americans to encounter Coronavirus and the pandemic. I hope the world and the USA learn from this experience we have shared.
The filming today, working with HBO professionals, was an interesting experience. Here they are in Syracuse, when they have filmed and interviewed people around the world for this project. The bits and pieces we have heard about sound fascinating. We’re honored and can’t wait to see the documentary. We will be invited to the film’s premiere. I’m so excited!
Thank you so much Hannah, for giving us the chance to tell our story!
