Pastor Mullery Jean-Pierre of Beraca Baptist Church discusses emigrating from Haiti to the U.S. as a child and his parents’ involvement with the first Haitian church in New York City:

Interview courtesy of Independent Lens. For more interviews and other Independent Lens film content, visit their blog.

What impact do you hope this film will have?

I hope the film will create a resurgence of interest in the role of women in the civil rights movement and serve as a reminder to Americans that the struggle for equal education in America continues.

What led you to make Daisy Bates: First Lady of Little Rock?

I fell in love with Daisy Bates’s story and wanted to share her story with Americans, thereby returning her to her rightful place in our history.

What were some of the challenges you faced in making this film?

One of the main challenges in producing this film was that my main subject had passed away and there were parts of her life that she never spoke or wrote about. Another challenge was that Daisy Bates became famous in 1957 and her autobiography ends in 1960, so there is very little archival material on her before and after that time period. In some instances I was forced to use personal letters to piece together the timeline of her life post-1957.

How did you gain the trust of the subjects in your film?

I truly believe the measure of a person’s life is the friends they left behind. Daisy Bates left behind a wonderful group of friends who loved her for all she was and wasn’t. The instance I reached out to these friends and told them I wanted to do a film on Daisy Bates, they gladly opened their homes and lives to me.

What would you have liked to include in your film that didn’t make the cut?

I would have liked to include Daisy’s activism in the 1960s. She worked for both Presidents Kennedy and Johnson to register black voters, and she supported the college students in Little Rock during their sit-ins. On a lighter note, I would have loved to include a hilarious story about Daisy cheating at poker.

Tell us about a scene in the film that especially moved or resonated with you.

There are several but my favorites would be the moment Daisy realizes that her life is a lie and she is an orphan; another scene is when the Little Rock Nine describe the abuses they suffered inside Central High School.

What do you remember most from the process of making the film?

One of my earliest interviews was with one of the white students from Central High who participated in burning and stabbing an effigy outside Central when the Little Rock Nine were locked out. We were introduced by a third party, so we had never met. The day of the interview he arrived and realized much to his surprise that I was black! His first words were a bit belligerent “Are you the one doing this interview??” I said, “Yes.” He responded, “Well, I’m going to tell you a few things you might not like.” I told him to be honest throughout the interview and that would be fine with me. It was a very complex interview because unbeknownst to me, he was hard of hearing. We had to devise a system so he read the questions in advance of my asking them. He was very honest throughout and although I didn’t agree with many of his comments at the end of the interview I really respected his honesty. Since then we’ve become pen pals. Every now and again he would write me to see how I’m doing and find out if I was able to find funding and give me ideas of where to look in Arkansas. He didn’t end up in the film because there wasn’t enough time. But that interview always stayed with me.

The only time I remember ever crying during an interview was when I interviewed Jefferson Thomas, who was the first of the Little Rock Nine to die. When he described the pain he suffered at the hands of the white students in Central High and the day he begged God to just give him the strength to endure it. I started to cry for the loss of his childhood and innocence. Yet he wasn’t bitter; he found a way to make jokes about his predicament. He was inspirational.

What has the audience response been so far? Have the people featured in the film seen it, and if so, what did they think?

I’ve screened various versions of the film over the years and the response has always been enthusiastic. Adults and teenagers are always baffled as to why they’ve never heard of Daisy Bates before. The people in the film have seen portions of the film. They love the film and are always amazed at depth and richness of the archival material. Most have either never seen Daisy Bates when she was young or remember her then. They are all very excited to see the final version of the film and can’t wait for a premiere in Arkansas.

The independent film business is tough. What keeps you motivated?

It is extremely difficult, and I must confess that although I had worked in it for many years before beginning my own film, I was still unprepared for how difficult it could be. What keeps me motivated is love of the subject and the commitment I made to both Daisy Bates and her supporters that I would finish this film. Also, I compare working on this film to jumping off a cliff — once you jump there’s no going back.

Why did you choose to present your film on public television?

I grew up watching PBS and fell in love with documentaries because of their exceptional programming in the ’70s. The PBS audience is very loyal and unique in their love of documentary films. It’s a dream come true to have my film join the impressive list of films that have showcased on PBS in the past.

What didn’t you get done when you were making your film?

Personally or professional? I rarely had any vacations and since I’ve had to spend so much time going to Arkansas I haven’t been able to return to my former hometown Atlanta.

What are your three favorite films?

My Lai Massacre; Eyes on the Prize; and Going Up River: The Long War of John Kerry

What advice do you have for aspiring filmmakers?

I would recommend that aspiring filmmakers find a film community to join before starting their own film. No one can make this journey alone and the people who complete the journey tend to have developed an extensive network of supporters along the way.

Mark Lieberman (l), Alan Light (r)

Inside Thirteen recently spoke with Live from the Artists Den’s Executive Producer, Mark Lieberman, and Director of Programming, Alan Light to discuss the fourth season of the popular music series. Joining the Artists Den’s lineup this season are artists Adele, The Fray, Death Cab for Cutie, Kid Rock, Iron and Wine, and Amos Lee. Here, Lieberman and Light discuss what planning a season of the show entails, and what makes Live from the Artists Den so unique.

Season four of Live from the Artists Den premieres Friday, February 3 at 10 p.m. on THIRTEEN.

Enter to win an Artists Den prize package, including Adele’s hit album, 21, and a Live from the Artists Den season three compilation DVD.

Inside Thirteen: What does planning a season for the show entail, in terms of selecting artists and venues?

Alan Light: There’s not a simple equation — it’s lining up a lot of different moving parts. Certainly where we start from is trying to find the artists who are active during that time who we think are the strongest live performers that are out there. We’re in the fortunate position of not really having to worry about one genre or one style; we can really just look for excellence from whichever musician we really love out there, and that’s where the conversation starts. Simultaneously, a search is going on and venue possibilities being amassed and gathered, and then comes an elaborate jigsaw puzzle of trying to schedule when they’re free, when they can be available, where they’re most interested to play, and what’s the most perfect spot that lines up with that. It can vary – sometimes there is a break in somebody’s schedule in a city and so we try to find the best spot that’s close by. Sometimes, as with Kid Rock playing Graceland, we were in conversation with Kid Rock and the Graceland opportunity presented itself, and his team said, “We’ve gotta do that, that’s the coolest thing ever. So, we will work our schedule around that to get ourselves to Memphis for the show.”

The challenges are, who’s out there working, what’s the right timing, when can we get to them, and then, where is the right place to put them and when is that place free? So, we spin the wheel until they line up.

Mark Lieberman: Really for us the goal is to try to create a once in a lifetime experience for television viewers and for that audience. We spend a lot of time trying to put the right artist and the right place together. When we do, we end up with something really magical that has the ability to be of interest for many, many years.

Season 4 Trailer from Artists Den on Vimeo.

IT: What makes Live from the Artists Den unique, especially to public television?

ML: I think it’s a couple of things. The first is that we’re re-imagining the stage for music, and what’s important to us about finding these locations is we believe that they inspire a rare and very creatively inspired performance that you won’t see that artist provide in a traditional venue setting.  The second is that we are able to honor some of the great historic landmarks of our country and tell a local story. So, in the Tucson Amos Lee episode, there’s a real strong tie between the artist and Tucson, where he made his last album, “Mission Bell.” A band from Arizona called Calexico performed on that album and ended up playing in our episode, and we were able to tell the story of the historic Fox Theatre and the redevelopment effort around culture in Tucson, all in an hour. We think that’s really interesting for public television viewers, who care about the arts and culture and music, that we’re able to do all those things in one. There’s even a taste of architecture and the history of some of these great buildings and iconic landmarks, whether it be the Brooklyn Museum and its rich history with Death Cab for Cutie, or the Angel Orensanz Center, which used to be an old synagogue and has been part of the cultural fabric of downtown New York for the last 30 years. There are so many interesting stories to be told — we believe we do a really nice job of telling them, and they’re contextualized with a wonderful performance of music.

IT: Are there any artists or genres that haven’t yet appeared on the show that you’d like to feature?

AL: Well, I think there are lots of directions to go. With the right hip hop artist, I’d love to feature them if we could find the right way to present that on our stage. We’ve had a couple of country and R&B singers, but I think there are still lots of opportunities to do new things in those communities. I don’t think that we look at it with any kind of limit on what we would do…it’s more a matter of if we think somebody makes sense in that setting, who really can play without hiding behind anything, even we when we get the big, arena-sized stars up there. Obviously, they’re in a room in front of 300 people, no pyrotechnics, no explosions – it’s about who we think can really work that stripped down and up close.

ML: We try to celebrate both the greats in music — the Robert Plants, the Elvis Costellos — and also provide an element of discovery where we’re introducing a public television viewer to an Amos Lee or an Iron and Wine. So that opens us up. We’re always able to have flexibility to just put what we think would be exciting from a television standpoint and from a music standpoint on the stage, being genre agnostic.

IT: What are you most excited about this coming season on Live from the Artists Den?

Grammy nominee Adele kicks off the fourth season of Live from the Artists Den from Santa Monica.

ML: Adele was an artist that we’ve been following for quite a while, from her album “Nineteen” back in 2009. When we had the opportunity to be a part of her week of release in the United States, we really had no idea what the year ahead was going to entail. I think what that episode presents of her and her music is a real innocence, and a real preview of things to come, and obviously honors the greatness of her music. We’re very excited about that episode.

AL: Adele very quickly became the absolute biggest star music has seen in recent years in the months that followed our shoot with her, so it’s an incredible thrill that we got to her just immediately before she really took over the world. And certainly shooting Kid Rock – no one has ever done a shoot inside of Graceland, with a performance inside Elvis’s home, and it took a lot of disparate pieces aligning to enable us to do that. For Kid Rock, he approached it as a highlight of his career and a real landmark appearance for him. So, the fact that we could enable something like that and take a multi-platinum artist and get them access to something that they couldn’t otherwise do, I think that’s always what’s most exciting for us. They have a lot of choices about the things that they could do – the shows that they could play, the stages they could appear on; we have the ability to do something that they can’t do, which is to get them into these really unique spaces and otherwise inaccessible spaces. So when we can do that on that kind of scale, that’s a new level of accomplishment for us.

ML: Overall, I think this season takes us to the most cities that we’ve ever been in a season. The majority of season four is outside of New York – whether it be Santa Monica, Tucson, Memphis, Atlanta – and what we’re seeing as we go into pre-production on these shows is a real excitement from the local arts community about the Artists Den coming to town. People know the show, they like the way we’re honoring their city, their connection to music, their connection to the arts, and they’re very proud of their own Artists Den that we jointly selected. Many times the selection process now comes with the Mayor’s Office and the film office and people locally who help us define what’s special in their city and what would be a great place to showcase music. We think that is a unique piece of this for public television, in that public television is about the local community and the arts community, and we involve public television in these shows, their guests are in the audience, and obviously they get to celebrate when the show comes on to television. We’re told that for most of the season four episodes, they’re actually doing premiere parties in the venues where we did the taping.

IT: What’s your favorite part and the most challenging part of your job?

ML: The favorite part is being able to make very big artists really excited and inspired in a unique way that no one has done for them before, and to translate that into making a local, national and a global audience excited about that artist’s music in a way that no other vehicle may provide. The fact that we’re able to deliver an hour-long performance of that artist really separates the show from what has become a world of clips. We think we can help create new fans. So that is the most important part I think of what we do at the Artists Den – it’s very creative, it’s dynamic – we’re constantly trying to push the envelope of what adventure we can come up with next. It’s no fun to plateau, so we’re just going to keep on hunting for more exciting, more creative venues that inspire even better performances. All of that is also all the challenges we have in front of us. We set the bar high, and the artists that we’re now working with are looking back at past seasons and saying, “I want something even more interesting. I want something even more special than what you’ve done.” The creative challenge that presents makes our jobs very hard, because we can’t just show up with a good idea, it just isn’t going to cut it.

AL: I think the most rewarding and the most challenging are pretty much the same thing – continuing to find ways to spin that wheel and to line up artists and locations and timing, and to get bigger and better artists, better and cooler and more unique spaces, and produce more frequently. Any one of those you could compromise to make it easier, but we’re still at a place where we want to keep making each of them more interesting and more exciting. So, that’s the greatest reward, but also the most difficult task.

For more information and Web extras, visit the Artists Den site for behind-the-scenes photos of each show, check them out on Facebook for “Inside the Den” videos about the venues featured each week, and watch previews of all the episodes on Hulu.

Below are some of the programs featured this year. (View our full Black History Month line-up).

Sunday, February 5 at 11 p.m.:

Independent Lens – Daisy Bates: First Lady of Little Rock

Examines Daisy Bates’ support of nine black students to attend the all-white Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas in 1957.

Tuesday, February 7 at 8 p.m.:

American Experience – Freedom Riders

Explores the story of the 1961 Freedom Rides through America’s Deep South for Civil Rights.

Thursday, February 9 at 10:30 p.m.:

Alexander Clark – Lost in History

A documentary profiling Alexander Clark, who brought about school desegration in  Iowa’s schools more than 85 years before the rest of the nation.

Sunday, February 12 at 11 p.m.:

Independent Lens – The Black Power Mixtape 1967 – 1975

A look at the Black Power Movement in the African- American community and Diaspora from 1967 to 1975.

Monday, February 13 at 9 p.m.:

Slavery By Another Name

Reveals the interlocking forces that enabled “neoslavery” to begin and persist from 1865 to 1945.

Tuesday, February 14 at 9 p.m.:

FRONTLINE – The Interrupters

Three former Chicago criminals place themselves in the line of fire to protect their communities.

Thursday, February 16 at 10:30 p.m.:

Images of Tony Gleaton

This documentary showcases cultural photographer Tony Gleaton’s award-winning images of black and American Indian cowboys, the African diaspora in Latin America, and the assimilation of Asians, Africans, and Europeans with indigenous Americans.

Sunday, February 19 at 11 p.m.:

Independent Lens – More Than A Month

A 29-year-old African American filmmaker is on a cross-country campaign to end Black History Month.

Friday, February 24 at 9 p.m.:

Great Performances – Memphis

The story of a radio DJ in the 1950s whose love of music transcended racial lines and airwaves.

Sunday, February 26 at 8 p.m.:

American Masters – Cab Calloway: Sketches

The life and career of Cab Calloway, who was at the top of his game in the jazz and swing era and was rediscovered in the 1980s.

Series Creator and Executive Producer of American Masters, Susan Lacy

The Producers Guild Awards celebrate the year’s finest producing work in motion picture and television. This past Saturday, American Masters was honored as Outstanding Producer of Non-Fiction Television, beating out 30 for 30 from ESPN, Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations from the Travel Channel, Deadliest Catch from the Discovery Channel, and Undercover Boss from CBS.

The PGA Awards win follows other honors for the 25th anniversary season of American Masters, including an Emmy Award for Outstanding Primetime Nonfiction Series – its eighth win in 11 years! – and two Peabody Awards for A Letter to Elia and LennoNYC .

Congratulations to the American Masters team! Other winners from the PBS family include Masterpiece’s Downton Abbey (with the David L. Wolper Producer of the Year Award in Long-Form Television) and Sesame Street (with the Children’s Programs award).

THIRTEEN announces the launch of Mission US: Flight to Freedom, the second in a series of innovative role-playing games developed to transform the way middle school students learn U.S. history. Timed to support curriculum activities connected to Black History Month in February 2012, Flight to Freedom immerses learners in the experiences of a runaway slave in the years before the Civil War. Educators and students can access the game via streaming and download through any Internet-connected computer, making it accessible in the classroom, the library, school technology lab and at home.

In Flight to Freedom players take on the role of Lucy King, a fictional 14-year-old enslaved in Kentucky in 1848. As they navigate her escape and journey to Ohio via the Underground Railroad, they discover that life in the “free” North is dangerous and difficult. Players encounter a diverse group of people – from abolitionists to slave owners – and make decisions that affect the game’s outcome. Flight to Freedom helps students learn how enslaved people’s choices – from small, everyday acts of resistance to action that sought an end to slavery – affected the lives of individuals, and ultimately the nation.

As students play Flight to Freedom, they build knowledge of the history of slavery and the abolitionist movement. Their understanding and critical perception of the historical context deepens through the accompanying curriculum of activities and by examining a robust collection of primary sources such as maps, posters, runaway ads, slave narratives and other materials. Students also interact with the game’s embedded “Smartwords” to build vocabulary and historical literacy skills.

Flight to Freedom, like all Mission US games, includes a comprehensive collection of resources and materials for educators. These materials include document-based questions, a rich collection of primary sources, activities for individual, small group, and whole class implementation, vocabulary builders, standards alignments, writing prompts and visual aids. Teachers can project content from the game using a variety of technology tools such as interactive whiteboards. The game and supporting materials are free and downloadable for use in classrooms, libraries and homes.

Mission US launched in September of 2010 with its first mission, For Crown or Colony? The next two installments of this ongoing series are planned for release in 2013 and 2014. In Mission 3, The Race for the Golden Spike, players will take on the role of workers helping to build the transcontinental railroad. In Mission 4, The Sidewalks of New York, players will explore early 20th century New York as a muckraking journalist.

Mission US is produced by THIRTEEN in association with WNET and is funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) with additional support from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Sandra Sheppard, THIRTEEN’s director of Children’s and Educational Programming, is the executive-in-charge. Jill Peters serves as executive producer, with Michelle Chen, coordinating producer.

At the Paley Center

In keeping with the Paley Center’s history of celebrating women’s contributions to the media landscape, the series features digital media’s next generation of women leaders, entrepreneurs, and innovators while also looking at the work and wisdom from some of media’s icons.

At the Paley Center airs Thursdays at 8:30 p.m. on THIRTEEN.

Enter our giveaway for a chance to win a pair of tickets to an upcoming screening of “Hey Hey Hey…it’s Bill Cosby” at the Paley Center for Media.

Check out the full lineup of guests:

January 19: Glenn Close

January 26: Marlo Thomas

February 2: Jane Fonda

February 9: Arianna Huffington

February 16: Eve Ensler

February 23: Maria Elena Salinas

Check out photos from the event:

Season Two of Downton Abbey airs Sundays January 8 – February 19 at 9 p.m. on THIRTEEN. This season, get caught up with episode recaps on The Downton Dish, and learn more about the series with videos clips and extras.

Watch the full panel discussion here:

When Downton Abbey returns this Sunday, viewers can expect major changes as World War I makes its presence felt throughout the household and the lives and conventions of Downton’s residents are turned upside down.

Maggie Smith, Hugh Bonneville, and Elizabeth McGovern are back with an all-star cast for the second season of Julian Fellowes’ Emmy Award winning drama.

Matthew Crawley and Lady Mary (Courtesy of (c) Carnival Film & Television Limited 2011 for MASTERPIECE)

Learn more about the series with video clips and extras, along with our brand new blog, Downton Dish, featuring episode recaps.

Season two of Downton Abbey airs Sundays January 8 through February 19 at 9 p.m. on THIRTEEN. Full episodes will also be available to watch online the Monday after broadcast, and available through March 6.

Neal Shapiro, President and CEO of WNET, recently sat down with Downton Abbey star Elizabeth McGovern (Lady Cora) to discuss season two, similarities to her character, her career in the theater, and much more:

Interview courtesy of Independent Lens. For more interviews and other Independent Lens film content, visit their blog.

What impact do you hope this film will have?
We want viewers to remember why they love the movies. We hope that our film will remind people how important movies are to our individual memories and our cultural heritage, and why we need to preserve them.

Aside from an obvious love of cinema, what led you to make These Amazing Shadows?
Becoming aware of the existence of the National Film Registry (its scope and purpose) and becoming aware of the shocking loss of American film.

What were some of the challenges you faced in making the film?
Our initial challenge was getting interviews with the “right” people — filmmakers and film preservationists who were both passionate and persuasive. After getting those interviews, it was challenging finding a way to tell our story in a manner that was interesting and informative to the average moviegoer.

How did you gain the trust of the subjects in your film?
We spoke with them about things they were passionate about, be it films that were important to them, their role on the National Film Preservation Board, their love of film, or their passion for film preservation.

What would you have liked to include that didn’t make the cut?
There were films and film genres that we would have liked to have included, but couldn’t because of time limitations. There were individuals (like Martin Scorsese and Woody Allen) who we would like to have interviewed, but couldn’t because of their schedules.

Tell us about a scene in the film that especially moved or resonated with you.
There are two: The first is the interview with Stephen Peck. When he speaks about the effects of war on the soldiers who fight, you know what he says is true. When you see him talking about the effects of Vietnam on him personally, you feel it. The second is the segment on Topaz. That section says so much about us as individuals and about us as a nation. It also speaks to the indomitable spirit of humans in the harshest of situations.

What has the audience response been so far? Have the people featured in your film seen it, and if so, what did they think?
Audiences have loved These Amazing Shadows. They say it has reconnected them to the reasons they love the movies, has informed them about the tremendous loss of our film heritage, and has made them aware of the need to preserve that heritage.

Many people featured in the film have seen it and have been overwhelmingly enthusiastic and positive about it.

The independent film business is tough. What keeps you motivated?
The excitement of meeting new people, learning new things, and sharing in their passion for these subjects.

Why did you choose to present your film on public television?
There is no better way to reach such a large audience of educated and sophisticated individuals, who will relate to our subject matter and appreciate our story.

Tell us about some moments during your nomadic filming journey that stand out for you.
We filmed our interviews at various locations in diverse cities, but a few moments stand out:

What didn’t you get done when you were making your film?
Car upkeep, maintaining healthy eating habits, and learning to play the piano.

What are your three favorite films?
Paul: Two for the Road, The Wizard of Oz, and Once Upon a Time in the West.

Kurt: The Best Years of Our Lives, The Maltese Falcon, and Bananas.

What advice do you have for aspiring filmmakers?
Don’t give up and don’t get overwhelmed by what seems like an impossible task. If you believe in your subject (or subject matter), you’ll find a way to tell a cohesive and compelling story.

What literally sustains you while you’re in the midst of making a film like this?
Gray’s Papaya hot dogs and chocolate chip cookies.

Watch outtakes from the film:

Rafael Pi Roman

On Thursday, December 22nd, THIRTEEN and WLIW21 will debut an on-air MetroFocus special, “Tech Campus NYC.”

The special report, hosted by Rafael Pi Roman, with a special contribution from Jane Pauley, will take viewers behind the breaking news of the winning bid for Applied Sciences NYC. On December 19th, Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced that Cornell University and its partner, Israel’s Technion Institute, had won the competition for a land grant and $100 million from New York City to build a massive new technology and engineering school on Roosevelt Island.

Viewers will hear commentary about the local significance of this project from special guests including Cornell University President David Skorton, The Technion Institute President Peretz Lavie, New York Academy of Sciences Director of Innovation Karin Ezbiansky Pavese and New York City Economic Development Corporation’s newly appointed and first Entrepreneur at Large Steve Rosenbaum.

Jane Pauley speaks with Steve Rosenbaum, New York City Economic Development Corporation’s first Entrepreneur at Large

“Tech Campus NYC” will air on THIRTEEN on Thursday, December 22nd at 11 p.m., and will rebroadcast as an encore on Saturday, December 24th at 7:30 a.m. The special will also air on WLIW21 on Thursday, December 22nd at 5:00 a.m. will rebroadcast as an encore on Friday, December 23rd at 7:00 p.m.

“Tech Campus NYC” marks the next phase of a multiplatform initiative to bring local news and culture coverage to the tri-state region. The website for MetroFocus launched July 11, 2011.  A mobile platform is expected to launch in early 2012 as well.

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“Tech Campus NYC” is a production of WLIW21 and the Interactive Engagement Group in association with WNET New York Public Media.

This MetroFocus special is made possible by the Cheryl and Philip Milstein Family, Josh and Judy Weston, Jody and John Arnhold, James and Merryl Tisch, The Shelley & Donald Rubin Foundation, Jean and Ralph Baruch and the Metropolitan Media Fund. Corporate funding is provided by Mutual of America.

Filmmaker Bill Jersey. Photo courtesy of Quest Productions.

Inside Thirteen recently spoke with New Jersey-based filmmaker Bill Jersey, co-director and producer of American Masters’ upcoming documentary, Charles & Ray Eames: The Architect and the Painter.

The film, which is narrated by James Franco,  explores the lives of the iconic couple, whose innovative work continues to influence the design world to this day. Here, Jersey discusses his inspiration for the film and the Eames’ lasting impact on American culture.

Charles & Ray Eames: The Architect and the Painter premieres Monday, December 19 at 10 p.m. on THIRTEEN.

Inside Thirteen: What inspired you to make this film?

Bill Jersey: [Co-director and producer] Jason Cohn. Jason fell in love with Eames’ movies, of all things, and when he bought his new house with his wife in Berkeley, he had Eames furniture. All I knew about Eames was that I was in Minneapolis with my then girlfriend and now wife, and she said, “Oh, my friend has an Eames chair.” I said, you live in Minneapolis, my children live in San Francisco, and I live in New York. What am I going to do with a chair?” I sat in an Eames lounger, and within five seconds, I said, “I’ll take it!” I didn’t think about what it would cost, how I would get it anywhere — I loved it. I’ve sat in it every day in my house and my office for the last 30 years.

Also, Jason did a lot of research, and I realized that the Eames, as Charles was of course fond of reminding people, were not just designers of chairs. Their philosophy, their way of being in the world and their excitement about everything — that excitement was infectious. To me, that’s what the film is about. It’s creating excitement around them, as they created excitement around their world. They inspired all kinds of people. A financial magazine in Norway that had one of the biggest circulations did a review of one of the Eames’ exhibits, and people said, “What in the world is a financial magazine doing with the Eames’ show?” But that was what was so exciting about them, they touched every world, and the film touches every world.

So that’s why I did the film…in the beginning it was, “Why not?” but then at the end, why? Because it’s so rich, so varied, and so much fun. Someone told me, “This is not your typical PBS show.” Well, I think that they were not your typical people, so if we made an atypical show, it’s because we had atypical people to make a film about.

IT: What kind of person did you have to be to work for the Eames?

BJ: Well, first I think you had to be fairly thick-skinned. Charles was not an easy person to work with. A friend of mine, Bill Couturié, a very well known filmmaker — his first job was with Charles. He went out on shoots and was scared to death that Charles would hate everything he shot, but he actually liked one out of nine. And Bill said, “Boy, did I feel good!” But then Charles added, “Well, one in nine is good; if I’d have shot it, nine out of nine would have been good.” He was a very tough task masker, in spite of his charm and dimpled chin. But obviously, as my favorite character in the film Jeannie Oppenwall said, “Well, I was exploited, but I was exploited by a proper master.” And as she said, you’d be really stupid if you didn’t exploit the relationship.

IT: What do you think the Eames’ greatest contribution was to American culture and design?

BJ: For me, it’s personal — they produced something that when you sat in it, you wanted to buy it — that’s a major contribution. Like Charles says in the film, they felt like they were the hosts, and the hosts had to prepare their guests something they would like. I think that attitude, and also the attitude that the designer’s job was not to be clever, or creative, or original — it was not to be an “artist” and certainly not a genius. The job of the designer is to satisfy a problem.

When Charles did the “Mathematica” exhibit for IBM, as creative as it was, it was an attempt to get people to understand what a computer could do and that it wasn’t a dangerous monster that would transform their lives into a number. So, I think it was attitude and a design sense. You still have people talking about Eames era. And there is so much knock-off Eames stuff; you know the difference. It saddens me that when you go into airports today, instead of seeing the Eames stadium seating, which is wonderful and attractive, there are cheap versions. You feel like, why did they do that? Why do farmers take a tomato that tastes delicious and redesign it so it ships and doesn’t taste like anything? But I do think it’s coming back. I think most people like it because it’s comfortable and attractive.  To me, that’s their greatest contribution, saying, “You know, what we should be about as designers is making something that works, and works better and with more beauty than ever before.” I think that’s why Steve Jobs was such a success. That’s why The New York Times connected Eames to Jobs — both of them set out to solve a problem. They weren’t about trying to create something pretty; they were about trying to do something that people needed done. But, once they accomplished that, they wanted to make it attractive.

IT: What did it mean for the Eames’ career and reputation at the time to be selected to put together such high-profile international projects like “Glimpses of the USA,” representing the U.S. to the Soviets in Moscow, and the IBM Pavilion at the 1964 World’s Fair?

BJ: “Glimpses of the USA” made their career soar, as well it should have. Charles’ greatest interest was in ideas. “Glimpses of the USA” was not to show off; I think he just loved doing what he did. When he did the do-nothing machine, for instance, that was just because he liked to play. This was a guy who never grew up — he was never ashamed of what he did.

I think “Glimpses of the USA” was their biggest impact. They were lovers — with one another, with the world, and with their work. And that came through, so that it wasn’t just information well told (which it was). It was a kind of a love affair with America that Charles had that made him a good propagandist, because he really believed that this was a good country for him and for the rest of us. I think the inspiration derived from the enthusiasm and the commitment, as well as from any mechanics of design.  So while the chairs changed their careers as designers, “Glimpses of the USA” changed their public roles as filmmakers and communicators.

IT: Do you think the disparity between Charles and Ray’s positions in the company, at least in their public roles, was a product of the time, or was it because of their personalities?

Charles and Ray Eames. Photo courtesy of Herman Miller.

BJ: It was a product of the times; it was a product of Ray’s acceptance of that role of the times. Not every woman accepted that ‘stand behind the man’ role. Many others stepped out from behind and said, “I’m not going to stay behind that guy because I’m the one that’s doing it.” But at the time, the man was up front and you just accepted it…there was a certain level of comfort in that for her I suspect, but I don’t know. But she wasn’t shy in relation to the world. We never really got that in the film, but a number of people talked about that. She’d go to New York City and she’d walk down the street, and she would see everything — she would see the crack in sidewalk that had a great shape, she would see a little flower that wasn’t normally a flower. Everything attracted her, which of course terrified people when she was driving a car because she would even do that while driving! She’d look to her left and say, “Oh did you see that?” And the others in the car would say, “No we didn’t, and we don’t want you to!”

IT: Are there any misconceptions about the Eames that you hope this film will clear up?

BJ: Yes — the misconception that they were chair designers. Charles was a superstar; he was handsome, charismatic, famous. One of our delights was that moment where we looked at that letter Ray wrote to Charles in France where she revealed that she and some other people worked on and made some changes to the chair’s design. That was the kind of unarguable evidence of her contribution. As we look back, lots of people say, “Oh, Ray did this, Ray did that.” My hope is that people will see them as complex human beings and see the complex relationship that they had.

IT: You’ve produced many documentaries for public television, including for WNET in the past. What has attracted you to PBS as a venue for your films?

BJ: Many reasons. The shows I did for network television in the 1960s were similar to the shows I did with PBS. But 1960 was a very different world in television. There were four stations – three commercial networks, and PBS. Shows I did for network television at the time were part of The DuPont Show of the Week in 1960. The FCC was very aggressive in insisting that the networks provide information instead of just entertainment, so that The DuPont Show of the Week said, “Okay, we’ll do 13 dramas and seven documentaries.” And they couldn’t care less what we did! So it gave us the liberty to do whatever kind of film we wanted. That’s where I got my first Emmy in 1963. So it was a very different world then, and you could get attention doing network television; in a limited way, but a significant way. Whereas now, if you want to take a serious subject and make a sincere work that has nuances in it and doesn’t get cut up in five pieces so that you have to restart every ten minutes, there’s no place but PBS. Ken Burns said it well — he could’ve gone to commercial television, but there’s no reason to!

I did a two-part series for Fox on the Mob, but that’s all they want to do! All they [commercial networks] want to do is the Mob, sex and violence. Who wants to do a show on a guy who designed chairs and made pictures?  Only PBS, and only American Masters. We felt that this was the place we could really address substance rather than just surface. Where you could really engage in the pursuit of light rather than just heat. I don’t know where else you go besides PBS.

In November, WQXR – the nation’s most listened-to classical music radio station – and the venerable comedy club Carolines on Broadway honored the traditional pairing of comedy and classical music with WQXR’s Classical Comedy Contest, presented as part of the New York Comedy Festival. The contest was broadcast on THIRTEEN on December 9.

The competitors were chosen from 79 hopefuls from around the world. They have appeared everywhere from Carnegie Hall to Comedy Central, from the Metropolitan Opera to Late Night with David Letterman and include a harpist/stand-up comic from Brooklyn; a concert pianist/magician from Poland; a New York-based soprano whose partner plays the musical saw; an opera singer with a “rogue accompanist”; a Berlin-based recorder player who performs at variety shows and circuses;  and a Scandinavian pianist who got his start as a funny man during a concert at Victor Borge Hall in New York, whose audience included delighted members of Mr. Borge’s family.

The winner was selected by a world-class line-up of judges from the worlds of comedy and music, including comedian Robert Klein; Peter Schickele of PDQ Bach fame; Soprano Deborah Voigt; and Charles Hamlen of the classical music management company IMG.

The WQXR Classical Comedy Contest finalists were:

Magnus Martensson – pianist/comedian
Jim Wallenberg – stand-up violinist
David Cope – stand-up harpist
Igor Lipinski – pianist and magician
Gabor Vosteen – visual comedian/recorder player
Steve Russell and Kobi Shaw – cranial percussionists
Sarah Worthington and Nathan Carver – singer and musical saw player
Elizabeth Tryon & Mark Janas – opera singer with rogue accompanist

Photo courtesy of Paul Kolnik

Next week, Live From Lincoln Center gets into the holiday spirit with New York City Ballet’s take on the holiday favorite, George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker.

Set to Tchaikovsky’s score, Balanchine’s Nutcracker features New York City Ballet’s roster of more than 150 dancers and musicians, as well as two alternating casts of 50 children from the School of American Ballet, the New York City Ballet’s official school. In addition to Balanchine’s choreography, the work features scenery by Rouben Ter-Arutunian, costumes by Karinska and lighting by Mark Stanley, after the original design by Ronald Bates.

The live television broadcast will be hosted by School of American Ballet board member Chelsea Clinton, who danced several roles in the ballet with Ballet Arkansas from 1985-1992 and then the Washington Ballet from 1993-1996. In a Lincoln Center first, the program will also bring the holiday classic to service men and women around the world via a Christmas Eve re-broadcast on the American Forces Network.

Live From Lincoln Center’s presentation of The Nutcracker at the New York City Ballet premieres Wednesday, December 14 at 8 p.m. on THIRTEEN.

Watch a preview:

Check out our Facebook page for Season Two photos, polls, and more.

If you want to catch up on Season One, THIRTEEN is re-airing Downton Abbey at the following times:

• Parts 1 & 2 air Sunday, December 11 at 8 p.m. & 9 p.m.

• Parts 3 & 4 air Sunday, December 18 at 8 p.m. & 9:45 p.m.

• On New Years Day, a full Season One marathon, starting at 3 p.m.

Visit Shop Thirteen to purchase the complete first season of Downton Abbey for $25 (Thirteen Members get 15% off).

The series returns on January 8, 2012, but in the meantime, check out a preview and go behind-the scenes with the cast and creator, Julian Fellowes:

Season Two preview:

Downton Abbey cast interview:

Interview with Downton Abbey Creator Julian Fellowes:

The Patchogue Community (Photo courtesy of Jackson Hill Photography, LLC)

On Wednesday, December 7, join us at the Museum of Arts and Design for a screening of Not In Our Town: Light in the Darkness. The film tells the story of residents of a Long Island village who took action after a local immigrant was killed in a hate crime attack by seven teenagers. While starkly revealing the trauma of hate, the film provides a blueprint for people who want to do something before intolerance turns to violence.

Over 200 screenings of this film are being held across the country to spark dialogue and action in communities working together to prevent hate crimes, intolerance and anti-immigrant violence. Not In Our Town highlights the role of community and civic leaders in promoting a climate of inclusion and acceptance for everyone.

The screening will be followed by a discussion with the filmmaker and special guests about what each of us can do in the New York region to stop hate together in our communities and schools, and how you can support the Not In Our Town mission. The event runs from 6:30 – 8:30 p.m.; light hors d’oeuvres will be served before the screening begins at 7 p.m.

RSVP for this event here.

Learn more about the background of this film with MetroFocus’ feature about the Patchogue hate crime.

Watch a trailer:

This screening is presented by NIOT. Co-sponsors include Michele and Martin Cohen, Facing History and Ourselves, Center for Health Media and Policy, and The Working Group/Not In Our Town.

Digit from Cyberchase high-fives a young fan at last year's Winter's Eve celebration

Lincoln Square Business Improvement District hosted the 12th annual Winter’s Eve at Lincoln Square, New York City’s largest outdoor holiday festival, on Monday, November 28th from 5:30 – 9:00 p.m. WNET returned this year as an official media sponsor of the event.

The festivities kicked-off in Dante Park (Broadway and 63rd Street) at 5:30 p.m., with a performance by Arlo Guthrie and family and the Newark Boys Chorus, followed by the traditional lighting of the Upper West Side neighborhood’s holiday tree.  The Outer Borough Brass Band performed after the Tree Lighting.  Immediately following the festivities in Dante Park, Broadway — from Time Warner Center to 68th Street –transformed into a winter wonderland featuring free musical and theatrical entertainment, food tastings from area restaurants, and fun activities for people of all ages.  Activities took place on the sidewalks of Broadway as well as inside at area businesses and nonprofit organizations.

As a media sponsor, WNET hosted an open house at The Tisch WNET Studios.  Visitors to the studio had the opportunity to:

• Meet and pose for photos with Buddy from Dinosaur Train

• Be interviewed about public television for upcoming Street Talk interstitials

• Tour the studio

• Hear performances by the Kaufman Center’s Face the Music Quartet and Pannonia Quartet

• Watch outtakes from NATURE: Christmas in Yellowstone

• Pick up Membership, Education, and Kids Club Thirteen information

• The first 150 Thirteen or WLIW members to show their active MemberCard received a gift from WNET and Lincoln Square BID

View photos from WNET’s open house:

The New York Cares Coat Drive was the event’s charitable beneficiary, and the Parks Department ran a free trolley service up and down Broadway during the event. Winter’s Eve attendees were encouraged to donate gently used or new coats of all sizes on the night of the event at Dante Park at Broadway and 63rd Street, at Kids’ Central at the American Bible Society (Broadway and 61st Street) and at various other locations throughout the neighborhood. New York Cares especially needs children’s coats and large men’s coats this season to help people in need citywide.

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Winter’s Eve official sponsors include presenting sponsor Time Warner as well as The Shops at Columbus Circle, the American Bible Society, Con Edison, Glenwood Management, Ogden CAP Properties LLC, Fordham University, Roosevelt Hospital, Milstein Properties, Century 21 Department Store, Mandarin Oriental New York, Empire Hotel, Bonafide Estates, Inc., TD Bank, Titan, Trump International Hotel & Tower, Fidelity Investments, New York Institute of Technology, Atlantic Grill, Rosa Mexicano at Lincoln Center, Zagat Survey; media sponsors include WABC-TV, WNET, Time Out NY Kids, WFUV radio, WBGO, and IN New York and Where magazines.

Here, Makepeace discusses her inspiration for the film, and what didn’t make the final cut.

Interview courtesy of Independent Lens. For more interviews and other Independent Lens film content, visit their blog.

What impact do you hope this film will have?

I hope that the film will serve as both a cautionary tale and an inspiring model for Native communities whose languages are endangered. Language revitalization programs are springing up on reservations and among urban Native American communities across the country, but reviving a language is a hugely difficult and slow process. The film is already being used in this way to wonderful effect. Also, as I travel around to film festivals, I am finding that the film has an equally important impact on non-native communities. Few people are aware that the native people of New England who ensured the survival of the Pilgrims even exist, much less that they are having a cultural revival. Seeing the film has made them see our early history in a brand new way.

What led you to make this film?

I was transfixed by the unprecedented and astonishing story of the Wampanoag Indians of Cape Cod and Martha’s Vineyard bringing back their language. No one had spoken the language in a century, at least not in any fluent way. They were literally bringing it back from the dead, though they would say that the language was only sleeping. I found Jessie Little Doe — whose visions moved her to lead her fellow Wampanoags in reclaiming their language — enormously compelling, entertaining, moving, funny, and inspiring, and her daughter Mae, the first Native speaker of Wampanoag in a century, added another level of the story that made it impossible for me to resist.

What were some of the challenges you faced in making We Still Live Here?

Making a film about the resurrection of a language is an enormous challenge. How do you make learning a language, or language itself, visually exciting? It’s nearly impossible. Fortunately two things enabled me to do this: the talents of my fabulous animator Ruth Lingford, who made language come alive in a new way, and the existence of absolutely beautiful 17th and 18th century documents handwritten in Wampanoag by the ancestors of the people in my film. And of course the beautiful and compelling people who are bringing back the language.

What would you have liked to include in the film that didn’t make the cut?

I would have liked to have included a scene in which a Wampanoag extended family are looking over their genealogy, which extends back to 1612 when their ancestor was the sachem of Nantucket. The family includes members of every color, from black to white, but all identify as Wampanoag. To me this scene embodies the native values of acceptance, of inclusiveness, and of family, but since I couldn’t make it relate directly to language loss or revival, it didn’t quite work in the cut. I’m glad to say that I did use this scene as the centerpiece for the video extra, Are You an Indian?

Tell us about a scene in the film that especially moved or resonated with you.

I am always moved by the scene in which Jessie discovers that her advisor at MIT will be the linguist she insulted a few years before at a meeting in Aquinnah. She knows she screwed up and is ready to apologize, but Ken Hale apologies first and becomes her beloved mentor. Then later in the film when Jessie is speaking Wampanoag at his memorial service after his untimely death, and says it’s because of him that she is speaking her ancestral tongue, I always tear up.

Photo by Brian Hamill, courtesy of MGM

In American Masters’ upcoming documentary on Woody Allen, the film legend allows his life and creative process to be documented on-camera for the first time. The two-part film follows Allen’s career,  spanning over 40 years, and tracks his story from his childhood and first professional gigs as a teen to his most recent box office hit, Midnight in Paris.

Check out Woody Allen’s “My New York” feature on MetroFocus.

Join THIRTEEN for a look at some of the most memorable New York moments in Allen’s films.

American Masters — Woody Allen: A Documentary airs Sunday, November 20 and Monday, November 21 at 9 p.m. on THIRTEEN.

Get a closer look at the film with these excerpts:

When Woody Met Diane: See what happened when Woody Allen first met Diane Keaton and learn what they both first thought of each other.

Woody Allen at Taminent: Woody Allen describes how he began writing comedy sketches at the Tamiment, a Poconos resort.

Woody’s Improv – The Punatorium: Dick Cavett recalls Woody Allen’s legendary improvisation skills.

The anniversary event featured students and alumni telling stories of how Macaulay helped them achieve personal “firsts.” “Tonight you are seeing an institution that puts students at the center of everything we do,” said Dean Ann Kirschner. “Macaulay students are an incredibly talented, hard-working, and inspirational group.”

One of the featured student/alumni stories covered a recent highlight of the Macaulay-WNET partnership: a segment for SundayArts called “My First Opera.” Macaulay alumnus Daniel T. Allen, Production Coordinator for MetroFocus, WNET’s local news and culture magazine, presented alongside current student George Kruchinina about the project. During their winter break, six Macaulay freshmen spent weeks backstage as The Metropolitan Opera prepared Nixon in China for its Met debut. The SundayArts segment followed the students as they interacted with and interviewed composer John Adams, director Peter Sellars, Met general manager Peter Gelb and the many other professionals who make opera possible.

Watch My First Opera on PBS. See more from SundayArts.

Daniel began at WNET as an intern and went on to serve as the first Director of Community Engagement for Friends of THIRTEEN. He helped to develop several local documentaries including local supplements to Ken Burns’ The National Parks: America’s Best Idea and The Tenth Inning. Since joining WNET, Dan has been instrumental in establishing and cementing Macaulay’s partnership with the station. Since Dan came on in 2007, Macaulay has provided WNET with dozens of interns and volunteers, contributing hundreds of hours of volunteer service. Five Macaulay Honors College alumni are full-time employees at WNET.

The partnership has been beneficial for both parties, giving Macaulay students real world experience at one of New York’s premiere media, arts, and educational organizations, and offering the station access to a talented pool of passionate young pre-professionals with diverse interests. WNET looks forward to continuing this fruitful partnership for many years to come!