The Clam Basket
August 24, 2010
Currently in post production; this documentary is the second installment of a cultural film that follows Suquamish elder and master basket weaver as he weaves his signature clamshell basket passing down a waning traditional art form to his grandchild in Indianola, Washington.
The first film, Holding to Form, covered the work Ed did on a authentic bark basket he completed for IslandWood’s cultural center. The basket, now resides in the great hall open for children and adults alike to capture wishes while teaching our youth about a waning tradition.
This project was important to me because we are loosing a very critical and authentic portion of our human history, Native American traditions. There is a great need for us to pass down our knowledge to our youth. In many Native American tribes there is a great migration and thus an extinction to a way of life.
Making this production was imperative to continuing their ritual, story, art form, and cultural history. But most importantly, pass down a way of life, a tradition in an age of modernity. It is so easy for us to dismiss our past in order to make way for the future.
Choosing the JVC GY HD 200 video camera was a natural choice to follow up the first documentary. Over all it is a great camera with a super powerful piece of glass. The Fujinon lens is fantastic and allows for great depth of field. I shot Holding to Form at 30fps and wanted to test out 24 frames per second with this project. I then used a 1/48th shutter speed and a circular polarized piece of glass. most importantly was it’s ability to film good images in low-light situations. Keeping the camera close was important to me because I really wanted to show Ed Carrier’s ninja weaving skills, his dexterity, and how he works.
Production took place on location in Indianola, Washington where Ed has lived and learned all his life. Shooting on the beach of course is always tricky when the wind is howling. Even more fun is the flight pattern of planes passing overhead every 15 minutes, like clock work.
Still frame from the documentary
The production took a splendid turn when we were able to set up and film at a clambake on the beach prepared in the traditional ways, which to Ed’s knowledge, has not been caught on camera. Shooting on the beach we had limited ability to light with anything other than natural light, I opted to film using the fire itself as my key and fill light. This meant the subjects had to be close to the fire, and the fire had to be a little bigger than normal. But in the end it looked great and a little dramatic.
This project was certainly a wonderful experience and I am so fortunate to have been able to work with Ed learning and seeing firsthand the power of traditional basket weaving.
