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Past Filmmakers
Sam McMillan: The Dot Man
 The
Interview
1. How did you come up with the idea for the film?
I have long appreciated Sam McMillan's art and his inimitable personality.
This project emerged from that appreciation and our developing friendship.
He is a kind, generous man who habitually wears the warmest smile
you've ever seen. Walking into his art gallery is guaranteed to
improve your mood and outlook on life. I think I just wanted to
take something from my own interactions with Sam and couple that
with his own reflection on his work then make those two elements
available to others.
2. How long did the production process take?
We shot one and a half days, using two cameras the first day. I
spent several weeks logging the field tapes and planning the edit
session then the better part of a week on the final edit. We began
shooting on March 8 and were finished editing and making initial
dubs April 16, 2002.
3. What challenges did you experience in the creation
of the film?
This is a self-funded project, so money is always a challenge and
limits the amount of time you have as well as the equipment available,
etc. Aside from that, I found it challenging to try to do something
entirely new to me: a documentary on an artist and doing so with
a visual style as fluid as that artist's own work. Those were the
aesthetic concerns. Politically, I wanted Sam McMillan to have the
opportunity to tell his story, in his own voice, in a form that
would be relatively unfiltered. I did make all of the editing decisions,
but I wanted this to be a work Sam would be proud of and consider
collaborative between us, so I carried that concern with me through
post-production.
4. What is your favorite memory from creating the
film?
My favorite part always occurs in editing when I realize that everything
will come together and work in a way I find satisfactory--or even
a little better than that!
5. When someone has finished watching the film,
what do you hope they take away from the experience?
I hope viewers will appreciate Sam's sincerity and his simple but
very powerful philosophy of work, art, and life. He has achieved
a balance and a sense of peace and joy through his creative expression
and interaction with others in his various communities that few
of us can hope to match.
6. What type of reaction has your film received
from viewers?
Sam likes it; that's most important. My son felt that I should have
used more close-ups of him in the painting class! At this point,
few other people have had the opportunity to view the work.
7. What advice would you give to aspiring young
filmmakers?
I suppose I will offer two ideas that are important to me. First,
there are many stories that should be told, and some of them are
local. Look around. Second, be aware of the implications of the
work you do and take responsibility for it. It really doesn't matter
if you are making a documentary or working from a fictional narrative
because creative expression is never absent a larger critical context,
so choose your projects with an awareness of that.
8. Please tell us about the next film you plan
to work on?
I am trying to secure funding for a documentary on two North Carolina
folk potters, one representing the Catawba Valley tradition and
the other from Seagrove. I want to shoot this project in October.
Of course, I'm always two projects out and have a couple of other
ideas in development.
9. What are your thoughts on the film industry
in NC?
Naturally, I would support any opportunities or enterprises that
nurture the work of North Carolina writers, directors, and producers.
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