Ryan Rodriguez of Blue Hole Productions, along with the other Blue Hole team members, Jonathan Shick and Robert Ryan Weibush, will present their film, "Walking the River", at 9:15 a.m. on Oct. 19 at Bioneers-Cleveland 2008. After viewing the film, participants in this workshop will have the opportunity to ask questions of the filmmakers and brainstorm ideas for further distribution to schools, libraries, etc. The group also will discuss the overall impact of film and video on environmental education (effectiveness, current state, future, et. al.). The film is sponsored by The George Gund Foundation, The Cleveland Foundation, and the Cuyahoga Valley National Park Association (via Doll Family Foundation). For more information, visit Blue Hole Productions’ Web site at www.blueholeproductions.org.

BIONEERS CLEVELAND: You’re an English/Creative Writing graduate of Hiram College and Iowa State University and are currently attending the Northeast Ohio MFA program in Creative Writing. How did this writing background bring you to film, and are you involved with aspects of film production beyond the writing?

RYAN RODRIGUEZ: To start, the roles in the production of this film are fairly simple because there are so few of us. Jonathan Shick and I co-directed and co-produced the film. I came up with the concept of the documentary. Jonathan is the editor of the film. The other main member of our team, Ryan Weibush, acted in a variety of roles including some camera work, sound editing and as associate producer.

I study writing because it is one of the ways to become a better storyteller. My background in writing, and my current work in the field, is towards the goal of telling stories for the same reasons I work with films—to entertain and educate. Writing has helped in many parts of the filmmaking process. First, the structure of a story, especially creative non-fiction stories, is very similar to the structure of documentary filmmaking. Both, in my opinion, are enhanced when a holistic approach is taken and the role of the author or filmmaker is announced to the reader/viewer. In a time when so much information is just thrown at us without knowing its source or motives, allowing people to engage with the artist and get an understanding of their stakes in the subject is important to me as a storyteller.

Second, elements of organizing a story are similar between writing and filmmaking. In "Walking the River," we use a journey to structure a narrative—a device often utilized in writing.

Lastly, writing and filmmaking are both processes requiring hard work and diligence. I hope my understanding of this, which has grown in writing (slowly!), has carried over to filmmaking. The advantage in filmmaking is that you are part of a team (in most cases) and this helps to motivate you to work harder.

BC: What advice would you give to filmmakers who are just starting out?

RR: Have fun with the camera and have fun in the editing room. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes and allow the footage to work for you and not to some imaginary idea of what you see in your head. Digital media allows for much more freedom in terms of shooting, but it can also make you sloppy. Push for the shots that you dream about and make scenes with the best shots that you get.

BC: Do you plan to continue making films or do you see your focus shifting more to writing in the future? How important is it to you that your work deal with environmental and/or social issues?

RR: I plan on continuing both my writing and film endeavors. Currently, I enjoy the process of making films more than writing because I can do so as a part of a team and this team includes some of my best friends. In addition, the audience for our films (and the quality, I hope!) is growing. Writing does not reach as many people on the whole, as filmmaking, and as a storyteller, artist and educator, engaging with a wide audience is a major goal.

Environmental and social themes aren’t something we have actively sought out in our stories—they just are what we are interested in. These are major subjects that we read about, watch films about, and just generally discuss so it is only natural that we would make films within these parameters. I expect, however, that we will continue to make films with the environment and social issues in mind, but that we will also branch into non-documentary filmmaking at some point.

BC: How did the "Walking the River" project come about?

RR: Jonathan, Ryan Weibush and I moved back to Ohio after deciding that we wanted to make a film about the Cuyahoga River and Northeast Ohio. We started the process with a borrowed camera and part-time jobs. After almost four years of hard work, we have our own camera with different part-time jobs, and two films under our belts.

BC: With its films, Blue Hole Productions seems to be moving from the personal—The Blue Hole (2002), Pete & Popeye (2004) and A Family History (2005)—to the social/environmental—Citizen Hauser (2006) and Walking the River (2008). Is this a conscious move toward social activism? Or do you see Blue Hole handling a wide variety of projects in the future?

RR: We think that we will handle a wide variety of films in the future because our interests are varied. However, the success we’ve been having with our last two films, the educational components and the positive feedback from viewers and critics, has shown us that we can do something that we enjoy and that makes a positive impact. We plan on working in the documentary arena for at least one more major project (and we try not to plan too much farther than that!).

BC: The Blue Hole films focus mostly on people and problems local to Northeast Ohio. Are you looking to expand the scope if possible or continue with projects centered on local life?

RR: We are planning to expand the scope of each film that we make, especially in regards to its audience. In regards to subject matter, I suspect that we will take the best story that we find and that our opportunities may grow farther afield. However, I believe that Northeast Ohio is rich in material and that you could spend a hundred lifetimes documenting stories that are important to the whole world right in our backyards.