BEYOND BURNING MAN
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What is Burning Man?
Why are you making a documentary about it?
What story will BEYOND BLACK ROCK tell?
How will you tell the story?
What makes BEYOND BLACK ROCK different from previous Burning Man documentaries?
Who will be featured in BEYOND BLACK ROCK?
Who's making BEYOND BLACK ROCK?
When did the film begin production?
In what format is BEYOND BLACK ROCK being shot?
When will the film be completed?
What form will the final version of the film take?
Where can I see the film?

What is Burning Man?
Each summer, in the week leading up to Labor Day, more than 25,000 people converge on an ancient lakebed in Nevada for an experiment in radical self-expression and self-reliance.

In the unforgiving elements of the Black Rock Desert, a city is raised and populated by a vast community of organizers, artists and freedom-seekers from all walks of life.

Why are you making a documentary about it?
The construction of a temporary city of 30,000 in the desert each summer is staggering in itself. Add to that the sheer volume of sculptures and structures, art cars, and theme camps, and there's more than enough to make a culturally significant documentary.

What we find most impressive, though, is the community - the thousands worldwide for whom Burning Man transcends the annual event, becoming equal parts lifestyle and ethos.

Against the backdrop of global economic, political and social strife, the organizers, artists and participants of Burning Man abide by a social contract that encourages community, kindness and complete freedom of expression. As a utopia in microcosm, Burning Man speaks to society at large, providing an example of the best aspects of human creativity and interaction.

What story will BEYOND BLACK ROCK tell?
BEYOND BLACK ROCK will reveal how the utopian ideals of Burning Man - free expression, social participation and humanitarian consciousness - are preserved, supported and advanced through the dedication and year-round efforts of the community.

The underlying theme of the film is that idealism can only be put into practice when it is driven by commitment and hard work.

How will you tell the story?
Spanning the year between the 2002 and 2003 gatherings, the film will chronicle the work of Burning Man LLC, whose staff plans, designs and builds Black Rock City under the watchful eye of Burning Man founder Larry Harvey.

The film will also trace the yearlong creative process of several artists, documenting - from concept to creation - their contributions to the cultural tapestry of Black Rock City.

These profiles of artists and participants, along with insights into the organization's inner workings, will converge to form the structural foundation of the film: Black Rock City itself.

Having met the human faces behind the lifestyle, viewers will see Black Rock City as the marvel that it truly is - a five-square-mile city bursting with sculptures, art cars, and theme camps. A planned community with daily newspapers and radio stations, a Department of Public Works and Rangers to ensure public safety and provide vital information.

The voice of the documentary will be that of the organizers, artists and participants. Their narrative will drive the film, giving full weight to personal experiences as the defining elements.

The filmmakers will make careful and measured choices when choosing stylistic elements. For this particular story, the driving force will be the people themselves - the personalities that shape the Burning Man event from the high profile artists to the unseen organization crew. Each of these subjects has a different style and approach to their work that should be represented.

We plan to use a mixture of formal interview footage and fieldwork to give a (sometimes iconic) view of each of our main subjects. The formal interview will be shot in traditional format, but often focusing on the individual characteristics and mannerisms of the subject. The field photography will have a more sweeping approach. Shots will utilize a "you are there" type of feel to help immerse the viewer in the experience and keep from distancing the subjects.

Edits will range from the traditional to the surprising and perhaps incongruous. One of the most interesting aspects of the Black Rock City's organization is its seeming impossibility and mixing of the concrete with the abstract. Edit and shot layout will follow this pattern. Establishing shots, close ups, tracking shots and similar traditional technique will serve to give the viewer a sense of grounding. Then the mixing of odd edits, seemingly unmatched shots that make sense only after viewing the entire work, motion effects that enhance certain elements will allow a sense of mystery and wonder (one of the more provocative elements of the event itself) to remain intact.

What makes BEYOND BLACK ROCK different from previous Burning Man documentaries?
BEYOND BLACK ROCK is being produced with the full cooperation of the Burning Man organization, which views this point in time as a significant turning point in the community's history, and is eager to chronicle where they've come from and where they're going. The Project Staff is actively participating in shooting and production, and this unprecedented level of access ensures that this film will offer the most in-depth examination of the organization and its work ever undertaken.

While many documentaries have been made for the purpose of conveying the experience of Burning Man, BEYOND BLACK ROCK will fully chronicle, for the first time, the planning and preparation required to conduct the festival on an annual basis, and how this commitment serves as a binding force for a world-wide, year-round community.

Who will be featured in BEYOND BLACK ROCK?
The film will feature key members of the organization, from founder Larry Harvey and other senior staff, to members of the Rangers, Department of Public Works, Greeters, Lamp Lighters, and volunteers.

It will also profile and follow artists as they take their projects from concept to completion, exploring the unique philosophy of "temporary art" and the significant hurdles in creating, transporting and sharing the hundreds of art projects that adorn the playa each year.

Finally, the film will explore the immediate experience of Burning Man participants - those who attend the event and make up the population of this unique city.

Who's making BEYOND BLACK ROCK?
BEYOND BLACK ROCK is being produced by Austin, Texas-based Gone Off Deep Productions (www.goneoffdeep.com), established in 2002 by producer Michael S. Wilson. Overseeing cinematography are Director Damon Brown and Director of Photography Rob VanAlkemade, with additional and specialized footage from videographer Carrie Schultz. The crew at this year's Burning Man event will include videographers and audio professionals from across the US contributing their talent to the project. We have received footage shot by the Burning Man org and independent artists like the aerial and time-lapse photography of Tim Childs, as well as footage shot by Bay area based Ian Inaba and Stephen Marshall, also known as GNN. William Haskins is the project's story supervisor and assistant producer, and the film will feature original music by composer Allen Robertson.

Contributing to the project as Executive Consultants are noted documentary filmmaker and author Bruce Jackson and director and Charger Entertainment owner Sundae. Legal issues are handled by General Counsel Michael Lee Jackson.

When did the film begin production?
Gone Off Deep began pre-production in May of 2002, shooting the first footage at Burning Man '02. To date, the producers have captured over 100 hours of footage of the event itself, along with interviews with senior staff members, organizational meetings and the works-in-progress of Burning Man artists.

In what format is BEYOND BLACK ROCK being shot?
BEYOND BLACK ROCK is being shot on Sony's DVCam format with some contributed content on mini DV. For professional journalists and documentarians, the DVCam format is fast becoming a very cost effective, quality video alternative to traditional larger production formats like BetaSP. Not only will the DVCam footage we shoot integrate well with the archival footage we're receiving from past Burning Man participants, but also the construction of the DVCam format cameras themselves is a boon when shooting in harsh or rugged conditions. The cameras are small and can be toted by a single operator for many hours while still producing a broadcast level of video quality. DVCam has come into its own in recent years by proving itself in the field of journalism, sometimes taking center stage in the 2003 war in Iraq as a small, easily transportable, and effective communication and documentation tool.

After shooting and digital editing, the final movie will undergo extensive audio and video sweetening and adjusting, including the de-interlacing of the video fields, to give the finished product a more "film" look and remove some of the harsh, brassy edges and colors produced by video. You can see some of that process at work in the trailers for BEYOND BLACK ROCK, which are a combination of DVCam, mini DV, and even other formats all mixed down and post-processed to flow together in what we hope will be a seamless fashion.

The musical score for BEYOND BLACK ROCK will be completely written by composer Allen Robertson based on the final cut and, unlike the process of using "canned" or pre-recorded tracks, will help the themes on stories of the documentary to be felt on all levels, from the visual to the auditory.

When will the film be completed?
Shooting will wrap at the end of Burning Man '03, completing the full one-year cycle between the 2002 and 2003 events. Post-production will then begin, with the film slated for completion in early 2004.

What form will the final version of the film take?
BEYOND BLACK ROCK will be a feature-length documentary (with an approximate running time of two hours). In addition, extended materials will be made available, including in-depth profiles of artists and key personalities behind the event.

Where can I see the film?
Gone Off Deep is currently exploring a variety of distribution and broadcast cable options. Information will be added to the website as it becomes available.

Currently, there are two promotional trailers available at www.goneoffdeep.com.