Whew! Just Made It!

My team, Top Middle: Steve Rogers, Top Right: Justin Banks, Middle Right: Jose Pichardo, Bottom Left: Lily Ramos, and Bottom right: myself, , Ray Violett, John Stillwagon andVinny Albano

I really don’t know where to start. 2025 has been such a seminal year for me. It started out like any other year but then things took a hard right. I guess I can say the moment I started to drift from my lane (continuing the driving metaphor) was when I went with my son Ray Violett to a shoot they were assisting on. I had already been thinking about the documentary by then, having discussions with Ray, but then it started to become real. I mentioned the film to Vinny Albano, a classmate of Ray’s who was also filming that day. He was really excited as he had just finished a short doc and really wanted to do another one. He offered to work with Ray and I on our film. And so it began.

What began was ten months of filming interviews, absorbing as much as I could about filmmaking (thanks FilmStack! you literally saved me tens of thousands of dollars pursuing a master’s degree!), attending every filmmaker mixer I could find in New Jersey, NYC and Philadelphia, founding a Video Consortium Hub in New Jersey and seeing as many docs as I could at screenings, festivals or from my couch. Whew!

Along the way other amazing people have joined the team. John Stillwagon shot BTS at the interviews, Jose M Pichardo Jr. and his wife Lily brought their knowledge and equipment! to the interviews, Justin Banks joined out film after I met him at a mixer and has composed the music for our POC, Steve Rogers, who has been an invaluable resource since day 1, and finally, Elena Toccafondi, who will be adding animation and assisting with the edit.

I’m going to let the pictures tell the story from here:

…Vinny Albano on the left and Ray Violett, setting up for our first interview.

Downloading footage after the first interview

Finishing up our 2nd interview with Zellie Thomas, founder of BLM Paterson.

Capturing B roll

Our third interview with Alan Powell, a professor, artist and experimental filmmaker since the early ‘70s

Back to my house after a shoot.

Attending a filmmaker event where Ray told students about our project.

Ready for our next interview with Anthony Diaz, the founder of the Newark Water Coalition

Gotta get that BTS!

Again, have to at least feed the crew!

Attending a festival in Jersey City with my good friend Anthony Marinelli, an amazing editor, filmmaker and playwright.

Video Consortium event in Brooklyn

The family minivan to haul equipment and crew.