Over the previous two years, the staff that created Headwaters Down, a documentary following the journey of 5 pals paddling 250 miles of Virginia’s James River over 13 days, has been engaged on a brand new movie, Headwaters Down: TIDAL RIVER. The upcoming feature-length documentary follows the identical group as they proceed to discover probably the most important waterways within the nation.
With two Virginia showings developing, February 27 on the Byrd Theatre in Richmond and March 7 at MOCA’s theater in Virginia Seaside, we caught up with Will Gemma, author and narrator of the movies.
BRO: What impressed you to start this mission?
Gemma: Apart from the river, which is all the time inspiring us, it needs to be the response to our first movie. The quantity of people that reached out to us after seeing the primary movie meant the whole lot to us. Individuals have been sharing tales of how sure elements of the river was, of what it meant to them of their youth, what it means to them now, loopy journey tales and happenstance, all of it was simply unimaginable to listen to. I get emotional simply eager about it. It gave us the boldness that we have been making one thing worthwhile, one thing that really held that means for individuals.
And naturally, our first movie coated the James River from its headwaters to Richmond, however the river doesn’t finish there. It goes all the best way to the Chesapeake Bay, so we additionally felt like we owed it to the river to maintain going and to complete what we began.
BRO: How has this mission developed since your first movie debuted in 2022?
Gemma: We tried to raise each single facet of the method, from utilizing higher cameras to tackling harder material. We made the primary movie in about six months; this one took us two years. We knew we would have liked to lift cash to make the movie we envisioned, so we dove into the grant writing course of and have been lucky to obtain a beneficiant grant from the Cabell Basis. That modified the whole lot and allowed us to spend money on our concepts.
BRO: What themes and factors does Headwaters Down: TIDAL RIVER proceed out of your first movie?
Gemma: It’s the identical group of 5 pals, so the theme of friendship within the outdoor is a really sturdy a part of the movie. However this movie, greater than the primary one, is about exploring the civil and ecological historical past of the river by a contemporary lens. We management the destiny and well being of our waterways, and that doesn’t should be a foul factor. The story of the James proves it may be a superb factor. That’s a giant theme.
BRO: Who’s concerned and what do they bring about to the canoe?
Gemma: Now we have the identical group of 5 pals on this movie, and so they every carry one thing distinctive to the display. Justin Black is a raft information and unimaginable musician; he created the soundtrack for the movie. Dietrich Teschner is our cinematographer and is gifted in something involving filmmaking. Stephen Kuester is a legend of the Richmond music scene and likewise options on the soundtrack. He’s about 15 years older than the remainder of us, so he’s the smart, balancing drive in our group. Andrew Murray is a forester and arborist for Richmond and, shock, yet one more gifted musician who options on the soundtrack. I’m the author and narrator of the movies, however these initiatives are created equally by Dietrich, Justin, and myself.
BRO: Why did you determine to concentrate on the James River? What does it symbolize for you personally and on a bigger scale?
Gemma: This group of pals began happening paddling journeys years in the past, and we began on the James. The extra we explored the river, the extra we realized how misunderstood it was. Simply 50 years in the past, the James was essentially the most polluted river within the nation, and it has had a tough time shaking that popularity. But it surely’s really a particular river and an emblem not solely of a river’s potential to recuperate, however of humanity’s potential to wash up a river.
Personally, the James is the primary river I paddled after I moved again to the East Coast throughout a tough a part of my life. It’s a spot of peace, a spot that holds therapeutic worth for me. It’s an emblem of tolerating magnificence and salvation.
BRO: What do you hope is the most important takeaway for individuals who watch your new movie?
Gemma: We knew little or no concerning the tidal James, principally as a result of it’s not a preferred place to paddle. It’s the realm of energy boats, that’s for certain. However similar to the Higher and Center James, we discovered that a lot of our assumptions have been flawed. We hope it conjures up individuals to discover this a part of the river. We hope individuals see the river in a brand new mild, whereas additionally understanding that whereas the river has come a good distance, it has a methods to go. And once more, that’s not a foul factor. The James is superb now, however we get giddy considering of what it may be.
BRO: Had been there takeaways from the viewers that you simply didn’t count on from the primary movie?
Gemma: We didn’t count on individuals to love it as a lot as they did. The primary movie is a quite simple story and that’s most likely why it succeeded. Hopefully, we didn’t lose any of that magic by taking the possibilities we did with this second effort.
BRO: What was one thing that shocked you throughout this whole course of?
Gemma: Probably the most shocking a part of the river was the tidal wetlands. We had no concept there have been such lovely wetlands on the James and people elements of the movie are my private favorites. Probably the most shocking a part of making the movie was simply how a lot work it took. Even with the grant and different monetary help, we every put in a whole bunch and a whole bunch of unpaid hours.
BRO: Will there be one other movie? What’s subsequent for the Headwaters Down crew?
Gemma: We hope so! We don’t know what it could possibly be, however we’d like to hold following the story of water. We began within the headwaters and made it to the Bay. Exploring the Bay in some capability appears like the subsequent logical step, however that mission can be many magnitudes bigger than this one and would require the funding to match. I’m undecided I’m prepared to consider it simply but.
BRO: Is there something you’d wish to share?
Gemma: If you wish to help us, come to a viewing. We’d like to have a giant crowd on the Byrd, and we’ve already offered a superb variety of tickets. One other good way is to purchase a T-shirt from our web site. Sounds foolish, however these gross sales assist us hold the lights on. If you wish to help the James River, the James River Affiliation is an excellent place to start out.
All photographs courtesy of Headwaters Down
