2014 (Production)

2014-01-14 (Production)

English (Original)

Professional production

United States

Documentarian and cinematographer Joan Churchill is interviewed by Betsy McLane in 2014 at Churchill’s home in Venice, California. Beginning with the history of her father's educational film company, Joan describes her exposure to film realism. She details her work on several cross-country documentaries, from GIMME SHELTER (1970) to SOLDIER GIRLS (1981) to ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT (1994), concluding with her unnamed passion projects.

Documentarian and cinematographer Joan Churchill is interviewed by Betsy McLane on January 14, 2014 at Churchill’s home in Venice, California. Born at Doctor's Hospital in New York City in 1943, Churchill details her father's early educational film company, Churchill Wexler Films, as her first exposure to the craft and to working with crews. Having pursued a film education at UCLA under the direction of Professor Colin Young, Churchill discusses how her first ethnographic thesis film introduced her to connections that she cultivated relationships with throughout her career. Churchill describes her early music-centered cinema verité documentary film, GIMME SHELTER (1970), as the launching pad for her cinematography work on the PBS series AN AMERICAN FAMILY (1973) which was the nation's introduction to a completely new documentary style. She says that her music-centered film, JIMI PLAYS BERKELEY (1971), served as the bridge to her cinematic work for Peter Watkins' PUNISHMENT PARK (1971). All of which allowed her to cross paths with Haskell Wexler who played a large role in her inspiration as an artist. Churchill, upon request, describes teaching documentary workshops in England where she met Nick Broomfield, with whom she eventually photographed and co-directed several pictures. Those titles include grant-funded works, JUVENILE LIAISON (1975), TATTOOED TEARS (1979), SOLDIER GIRLS (1981), and LILY TOMLIN (1986), AILEEN: LIFE AND DEATH OF A SERIAL KILLER (2003), and SARAH PALIN: YOU BETCHA! (2011). She recounts shooting 80 BLOCKS FROM TIFFANY'S (1979), RUSH (1980), and BIGGIE AND TUPAC (2002). Throughout the interview, Churchill continues to emphasize how essential it is for documentary filmmakers to have charm, know how to win trust, gain intimacy, and recreate experiences, which she recalls came in handy when securing the subject for LILY TOMLIN. Dually serving as cinematographer and director, Churchill expounds on her process of creating ONE GENERATION MORE (1989). Before musing about teaching experiential film to students in Cuba, she inserts her producer work for the television series AMERICAN HIGH (2000) and THE RESIDENTS (2003). Far from the days of beseeching grants, Churchill interjects that her 21st century work is often contracted by HBO. She closes reflecting that her exclusive work and her collaborations have allowed her to share experiences with the world.

Joan Churchill (born 1943) is an American documentarian and cinematographer working in both film and reality television. Churchill, whose father was documentary filmmaker Robert B. Churchill, attended UCLA, studying English before ultimately taking classes at the film school. Her cinematic debut was GIMME SHELTER (1970) which led to AN AMERICAN FAMILY (1973), a cinema verité style public television series, before her directorial collaborations with Nick Broomfield to whom she was married. Churchill's cult classic JIMI PLAYS BERKELEY (1971) preceded her work on Peter Watkins' PUNISHMENT PARK (1971) as a cinematographer. The Broomfield-Churchill collaborations include: JUVENILE LIAISON (1975), TATTOOED TEARS (1979), SOLDIER GIRLS (1981), LILY TOMLIN (1986), AILEEN: LIFE AND DEATH OF A SERIAL KILLER (2003), and SARAH PALIN: YOU BETCHA! (2011). Her singular directorial work is ASYLUM (1992). Churchill’s work as a dual cinematographer-director was the Jewish-centered narrative, ONE GENERATION MORE (1992). Churchill taught documentary workshops in England and experiential filmmaking classes in Cuba. Her work as a cinematographer includes 80 BLOCKS FROM TIFFANY'S (1979), produced by Lorne Michaels, and BIGGIE AND TUPAC (2002) directed by Nick Broomfield. Her 21st century passion includes telling the story of Haskell Wexler.

W1282024