RBC Associate Loch Phillipps ACEs it with new short film
By Loch Phillipps, Offramp Films
One of the best things about documentary filmmaking is being able to indulge my interest in other people. I believe everyone has an interesting story in them, which might well render me less effective as a filmmaker because I don’t automatically gravitate towards the most charismatic person in the room. In the case of this video we made for ACE, however, I fell in love with Herbert in short order and I believe viewers will agree that he is magnetic.
https://vimeo.com/lochphillipps
At the outset, I was only going to shoot for a day and wasn’t going to be a part of any of the edit. But after meeting Herbert, Liz, and Donnell, I was hooked and wanted to capture what ACE is doing. Behavior change is among the most difficult challenges many orgs face, and ACE goes about it in the personally focused manner I think is essential to producing good results. My interview with Jim, ACE’s Executive Director cemented my feelings. How often is it that the head of an org knows the people they’re trying to help by name?
Because the org is local, I was able to shoot an ACE graduation ceremony, which Liz promised me would be moving. Herbert smiled when he saw me there with my camera. I pinned a wireless mic on him without knowing what to expect. Many people don’t want to be a center of attention and it was hard to guess what Herbert would do when called to receive his diploma. Probably he didn’t know either!
To me, he killed it and nailed what ACE is doing in the process. I knew we had a moment on film that would convey the power of what they do. I persuaded my filmmaking partner, Adam Bedient, to sign on to help and his first crack at editing the scene did the trick for us. We went out to spend a little more time with Herbert, now fully employed, and to visit Ricky, who ACE has helped to get a place of his own. ACE loves the film and it has helped them fundraise this year.