Rock the Boat

by Stephen Ashton | Published March 31, 1999

In the feature-length documentary, Rock the Boat, audiences aregiven an inside look at the astounding courage, humor; compassion and adventure (some might add `folly") of nine unlikely sailors who brave high seas, hurricanes and personal challenges as they race across the Pacific Ocean. Not only are the crew members new to sailing, they are all HIV positive and determined to show the world they can perform against the greatest odds ...and win the game of life.

Stephen Ashton (MM): Congratulations on your stirring film. Can you tell us how you came up with your vision for Rock the Boat?

Robert Hudson, producer (Hudson): We were winning races off the coast of California and most of the crew was HIV positive. The thing is that none of the crew of the other boats realized that they were being beaten by a bunch of HIV positive sailors. So we thought, "There must be some kind of message there:"

We decided to do a more challenging race, and the Trans Pac (race from California to Hawaii) is not just challenging, it is downright grueling! Within six months we were at the starting line. That was six months of working day and night with one assistant ...looking at boats, getting crews together and raising money at the same time. We had to raise at least $100,000.

MM: Where did you go to raise the money?

Hudson: We went everywhere. A lot of people championed our cause. Corporations put in a little cash, survivors of people who have died of AIDS sent in a little, and we got enough to finance the race.

Ashton: You have a non-profit media organization called "Get Challenged." What is that about?

Hudson: We develop role models for people who are HIV positive. It's a case of "show 'em, don't tell 'em."We can write brochures til the cows come home, but if we can show one person sailing across the Pacific it might just be the impetus to hire him back to work, or say "These guys really can do stuff!"

MM: What are your film backgrounds?

Bobby Houston, director (Houston): Rob made these award-winning films in the 5th grade. That was the last we ever heard from him (laughing).

Hudson: They were really good though! I had an editing machine in my bedroom and worked all the time on them. I loved it!

Houston: I was actually a p r o f e s s i o n al (sarcastically)...

Hudson: (interrupting) I was a professional unrecognized! (laughing)

Houston: Seriously I had done independent features (Trust Me, Caged Fear), episodic TV and acting. But when my partner died in 1995 I bailed out. I had lost all heart for film work.Then I met Robert and got swept up in his whirlwind. I ended up chasing these guys in their dream of sailing across the Pacific.

I started shooting in Hi 8 and realized that they were actually going to pull this off. I got a digital camera and jumped about the boat by myself ..a one man film crew. I thought that I might have a sound man, but there wasn't even room for him. I had a couple of lights, a digital camera, a spare wrapped in plastic in the front of the boat.

MM: What kind of cameras?
Houston: Sony DVX1000's. I had a Sennheiser shotgun which I was able to use sometimes ...only sometimes, though ...and the camera mic.

MM: Were there problems with the camera mic?

Houston: Not really. It was surprisingly effective.

Hudson: There's a funny thing about doing sound on a boat.You're usually shooting from the middle of the boat pointing back, 'cause that's where a lot of the action is ...and you're usually racing into the wind, but when you race to Hawaii the wind is behind you, so the sound is carried. It's really unique ...you are shooting someone who is 20 feet away and you're picking up their voice perfectly. So you think they must be miked or boomed. But the wind is traveling at 30 knots. It brings the sound right to you.

MM: "at was the most challenging part of the shoot?

Houston: The night shooting, for sure. It was absolutely forbidden to use any lights ...it destroys the night vision. It was a real problem. I was unable to shoot at night for the most part. I had to shoot at dusk.

MM: Were you wearing two hats? Were you also sailing?

Houston: Yeah, I was!

Hudson: You know when you bring a camera on board, or an extra person on board, the crew will quickly develop a dislike for that person because they are not pulling their weight. We knew about this ahead of time so we decided to place Bob on one of the crews. I think that helped a lot. He wouldn't have been accepted, otherwise. What happens is that if you put a bunch of people in a confined space, after two or three days the people don't even know the camera is there, which is the magic of the film.They just carried on with what they were doing or said anything they wanted. They didn't even know the camera was going.

After a few days Bob said, "This is ridiculous, I am completely exhausted. I'm covering two shifts. I can't get the footage I need, I can't get any sleep.You have got to take me oft the sailing part of it." So I did and he was able to shoot straight for seven days.

Houston: I shot 100 hours of tape.

MM: How did you approach a structure for the film?

Houston: Bob and I brought an editor to our little ranch in Ojai and set up an editing room in a 10 x 10 pool shed.We went into the editing room, and for seven months we cut on an Avid. We would invite people over in groups of 10-just people we knew from town.We would show them the film and they would make comments on scratch paper. People would write pages! And we did this all the way along until we finally had no comments. Then we knew we were done. Now it's 84 minutes.

It's a great way to cut a film; to work and show and work and show. A lot of people don't want to do that. Bob didn't want to do that originally. But I really knew the audience would tell us what worked and what didn't. I really knew the audience would tell us where they laughed and cried; where they were bored and what turned them on, and they did!
Then at the end of the seven months we went into sound and we mixed for a week and half. We came back and bought some new songs.

MM: How is the film being recieved?

Hudson: Here's the funny thing ...we have not been able to get a bad review, knock on wood. I know eventually it will happen, but up until this day they're great.The thing in Rolling Stone this month (February) is good, our Film Journal International is over-the-top good ...lots of raves.

MM: Getting back to the Post Production...

Hudson: The post was difficult; it went on and on. We had four editors; I wanted someone to make a good thing better. I brought in Hanna Rudkilde and Tom Miller. They brought the film up to really good comprehension.Then in the end we brought in a young editor named Louie Maggiotto who really brought it all together. He was the hippest. Everyone worked on the sound all the way along. They all worked overtime, polishing and polishing.

MM: Did you as a producer have differences with Bob the director?

Hudson: You bet! We fought like cats and dogs. Bob wanted to keep the audience serious, and I wanted to make them cry. And the two of us fighting for our positions make the film what it is today. I would do all of our fights all over again.You know, films need to be debated, heavily debated. MM: Well that extra effort is something that needs to be done. More filmmakers need to be more ruthless in the editing room, don't you think?

Producer: Yes, indeed. We just did a benefit and got standing ovations! You can feel the energy in the film. That's just what's so beautiful about movies, right. It carries the energy. You know all that polishing will stay ...it doesn't go away ...it doesn't tarnish.

MM: So you were at the stage where you had a video of the film. Had you always intended to blow it up to 35?

Hudson: Absolutely! When we shot it we knew it would be a feature. MM: Tell us about the blow-up process...

Hudson: What a nightmare. As much as I like WC, it was tough. You always seem to lose resolution when you blow up. It's like you're seeing your baby get smushed across the screen, and you get scared. And then you work with them and it changes, always working up the quality. We did a second negative after we did all our polishing; we warmed it up and it looks beautiful. Now it's a great-looking print and will look great for the theatrical run.

You know, most filmmakers can barely put together enough money to make one negative when they blow up, at 18, 20, 30 thousand dollars, and we had to go back and do a second neg. which really hurt ...it was so expensive.

MM: So how much was the second neg. and did they cut you a break?

Hudson: Yeah, they cut us a break and it was still $20,000.

MM: Do you have any recommendations for filmmakers?

Hudson: Yes, don't ever get discouraged. If you get rejected by some film festivals, never take that to heart. Never let a rejection get to ya! That absolutely doesn't mean audiences all over the place won't love your film. What people seem to like about this film is that it's about life. It's about not letting anything get in your way.

Also, as I said, screen your film as you work on it.You learn so much about your storytelling that way. After all, we as documentary filmmakers are storytellers. Tell the story first. MM