The Making Of
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Director/Writer/Producer Morgan Neville talks about his love/hate relationship with Los Angeles, the emergence of the storyline and the audience reaction.
What led you to make this film?
There were so many things that attracted me to this story: great themes, great characters, great context, great visuals, and it takes place in the city I love/hate, Los Angeles. I was surprised no one had already made this film and I’m glad I got the chance.
What were some of the challenges you faced in making THE COOL SCHOOL?
Since this was a story about an undocumented art scene, we had to find the story as we went. My co-producer, art journalist Kristine McKenna, helped with broad strokes, but it wasn’t until we did the interviews that the real narrative emerged. Each interview was like finding a piece of a jigsaw puzzle. We just had to figure out how the pieces fit.
What didn’t get included in your film that you would have liked to show?
There was so much that didn’t fit into the film. Fortunately, we are making an expanded DVD with longer profiles of some of the artists.
Tell us about a scene in the film that especially moved or resonated with you.
The lunch scene was important to me. We had been meeting these artists who kept talking about the group dynamic. It was a macho group of type-A personalities. Assembling them again was important for seeing the competitive dynamic that drove the scene.
Were there any technical challenges you faced while shooting, and if so, how did you resolve them?
The only technical challenge was not having enough money. We finally had a big fundraiser with the artists to finish raising our budget. It was a great party and great to know we could finish the film.
What has the audience response been so far? Have the people featured in the film seen it, and if so, what did they think?
The reaction has been great. We’ve screened in many festivals, won awards and had a small theatrical run. I was especially happy to see this film screened in N.Y., where people are just now waking up to the important work that happened in L.A. in the '60s. I really feel as though the film is helping to influence in some small way, the highly subjective world of art.
The independent film business is a difficult one. What keeps you motivated?
I’ve been making a living as a documentarian for 15 years. People always ask me for advice and I have to say, it never gets easier, but it’s never boring.
Why did you choose to present your film on public television?
PBS is a perfect home for THE COOL SCHOOL. People often grouse about PBS melding into the universe of TV channels, but this is not true. No other channel could have put this documentary on with the support and attention PBS can.
Is there anything else you’d like to share in this Q&A—interesting anecdotes regarding filming, a commonly asked question by audiences, etc.?
The scene that started in this film is really just now fully maturing. In just the few years we’ve been working on the documentary, L.A. has really come into its own as an art capital. After 30 years of telling his art students to move to N.Y., John Baldessari now tells them to stay in L.A. That’s big.
What didn’t you get done when you were making your film?
Since I started the film I had two kids, now one and three, so I’ve kept busy.
