LBB Film Club: Head Above Water
Head Above Water is a powerful short film by True Gent director Jeannette Godoy, made for the Pico Youth & Family Center, a Santa Monica-based non-profit. The film focuses on Alex Aldana, the executive director of the facility. He has cerebral palsy and cannot walk or swim, but accepted the challenge to surf with Life Rolls On, an organisation that holds surf and skating events for people living with disabilities.
To find out more about capturing Alex’s challenge, LBB’s Addison Capper spoke with Jeannette.
LBB> How did this project initially come to be? How did you learn of Alex's surfing endeavour?
Jeannette> I was introduced to the Pico Youth & Family Center (PYFC), where Alex is the executive director, through a Latinos in Film+Entertainment community group that I’m part of called SOMOS L.I.F.E. They do monthly Zooms to help connect Latino creatives in film and support each other's work. One of those members is Frankie Garces, who was the head of the film department at the centre. He shared that they were looking for a filmmaker to come help out the PYFC by creating a project that their students could participate in.
I very much like the idea of mentoring Brown and Black students who are interested in the entertainment industry because, typically, we have not seen ourselves in these spaces. After meeting Alex and learning about the work he’s done for the centre, I was so impressed with his energy and drive, I felt a documentary project about him and eventually the PYFC made a lot of sense.
We discussed events that the youth centre had upcoming to consider shooting, and he mentioned that a colleague had told him about the Life Rolls On adaptive surf programme. Although he hadn’t been in the ocean since he was 12 yrs old, because of a near drowning incident, he was considering doing it. He wanted to prove to himself that he could overcome his fear of the ocean. That was something I absolutely wanted to shoot. He’s brave and determined and I admire that.
LBB> What was the timeline like? Did you do the voiceover before or after the surf?
Jeannette> It was about three months from when I first met with Alex to the surf event. Initially, it wasn’t completely locked in that he would do it. He had to decide if this was for him, and see if he could put himself out there in such a stressful environment.
I did record the voiceover before the surf event. I wanted to dig into the emotionality around the ‘before’ so I had something to go to after. The anxiety, the stressors. And it just so happened that a lot of his concerns for his personal safety and whether he could get through this event were parallel to how he feels about keeping the PYFC going. It’s a non-profit community centre which comes with its own stressors and anxieties trying to keep it afloat. As he says in the piece: ‘keeping his head above water’.
LBB> Tell me about the voiceover - it's so well delivered and soundtracks the film perfectly. How did you work with Alex to get his words?
Jeannette> One thing I find important in any docu piece I do is that I work well ahead of shooting to create trust with the person I’m building the story around. I realise that they’re talking to me about their lives and, usually, pretty vulnerable topics. I want them to know that I care - their story isn’t simply a commodity to me, I genuinely care. So, I spend time getting to know them. Whether in person, on Zooms, texting, etc.
We talk about much more than just the topic at hand. Their lives, their families, their joys, their fears. I share my own stories with them as well. I put my heart into the work and I think they realise that and then feel safe with me. So, by the time we get to the interview, they can feel comfortable sharing all aspects of their story with me. Also, by doing the voiceover ahead of the shoot, I’m able to plan to get specific shots that I really want on the shoot day because of the soundbites I instinctively know will make it into the edit.
LBB> With the sound, there's a nice interplay around the music, voiceover and sounds of the sea. How did you balance that?
Jeannette> As a former choreographer, music is integral to anything I do. The music had to suit what he said in his voiceover interview. His emotion. The tone of what he was saying. We tried a bunch of different pieces of music until we landed on something that best gave us a sense of his emotional state. With the sound design of the ocean/waves, I knew that had to be a part of the storytelling layers of this film. It allows us, as the viewers, to be there with him and let the story breathe. The peaceful opening with the birds flying over the ocean, to the rough sound of the waves pouring over Alex as he’s trying to catch his breath, every piece of the creative puzzle coming together tells the story.
LBB> What was the production like? How did you manage to capture the film without encroaching too much on the activity?
Jeannette> We had several cameras shooting that day; Main cam, GoPro, underwater, drone B cam, me with my iPhone. We tried to be as prepared as possible, not knowing what any outcome would be. One of the things I stressed to my team was that we could in no way encroach upon Alex’s experience unless he allowed us to. I didn’t want to create any more stressors for him.
We were very lucky in that he was excited to have us there but we all knew instinctively when we needed to back off. We also had to be extremely mindful of the fact that Alex was not the only person there for the event so as not to get in the way of another surfer’s experience. And of course, safety was the most important of all. For Alex, the people surfing with him, and of course my crew.
LBB> Generally, how was the experience of getting to know and work with Alex?
Jeannette> I truly admire Alex Aldana and what he’s doing for the underrepresented community he serves. I’m struck by the fact that, having been born with cerebral palsy, he doesn’t have an easy life. In fact, it’s hard. And yet, he devotes his energy to helping others. He wants social justice for minority communities. He wants to create access for those who don’t even know where to start. He’s very candid about his life in a wheelchair and yet it’s not his main focus. It's his passion for creating opportunities for the community he loves. We need more good people on the planet like him and I’m honoured to share a little part of his story.
