1) Can you talk briefly about your background, and how you first got interested in filmmaking?

I grew up in South Jersey and was a deeply curious kid. I remember running around my suburban neighborhood with a notepad and pocket mirror, making observations about my neighbors. My dad filmed everything on his early 90s camcorders, and when I was old enough, I was always more interested in helping him film than being filmed myself. Despite that, I didn't make the connection that film was something I wanted to pursue until I was in college. I realized that documentary was a form where I combine my curiosity about the human experience and my natural creativity and appreciation of art.

2) What was the initial idea and how did it evolve from there?

I've known Ruth my whole life, as she's my mom's aunt, but it wasn't until my partner met her and her friend Dave that I realized there was more to explore. At the beginning, we weren't sure what the nature of Ruth and Dave's relationship was. We thought maybe they were romantic, but it quickly became evident that that wasn't the case. What started out as a story about companionship morphed into something a bit more meaningful as we followed Ruth to visit her family's gravesite, pondering her own death along the way.

3) What was the biggest challenge in making this film? And generally what part of the creative process do you enjoy the most?

I think the biggest challenge was finding the right rhythm with Ruth and Dave when we began filming. Ruth was very shy, and Dave was very eager, often addressing the camera or narrating his every move ("And here I go, walking through the door!). It took some patience and trust for them to open up in authentic ways, but once they did so, things became quite easy and fluid.

I'm truly a fan of all stages of the filmmaking process. During production, I love to be immersed in a new world, getting to know new places and new people in ways that I couldn't anticipate. Given the loose approach I take to narrative during production (I prefer to film a lot, just following the story where it takes me), it's really rewarding to put the pieces together during post production and find the subtleties that reveal greater meaning, which I perhaps missed while filming.

4) What’s a film you’ve seen recently, new or old, that you really loved and why?

One film that is perpetually on my mind is América by Chase Whiteside and Erick Stoll. It's a fitting companion for Old Young, focusing on an elderly woman who is facing the end of her life. Its intimate portrayal of family dynamics is so pure and true, and despite dealing with such a heavy topic, it maintains such playfulness and beauty. The end of the film blows me away every time I see it.

5) What’s next for you?

My partner and I are currently raising finishing funds and are in post production on our first feature film, Song of Salt, about the isolated mining town of Trona, California. Burned out, abandoned, and neglected, Trona appears to be in its death throes, but, like in most deserts, life here takes on surprising and beautiful forms. It's both an elegy to and a celebration of rural, post-industrial America, and it aims to reveal the complexity of one community that serves as a microcosm of the many like it across the country today.

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http://hierophantfilms.com

IG: @baiadae

5 Questions with Emma Baiada