>>> EVERY SUMMER THOUSANDS OF

LARGE WILDFIRES BURN ACROSS

THE HOT,

DRY WESTERN UNITED STATES.

AS CLIMATE CHANGE INCREASED,

AVERAGE TEMPERATURES,

A SUDDEN INCREASE IN FREQUENCY

AND INTENSITY OF WILDFIRES.

INSIDE EACH OF THESE FIRES ARE

SMALL CREWS WHO WORK TO

CONTAIN THEM BY HAND USING

SHOVELS AND PICKAXES AND

METHODS THAT HAVEN'T CHANGE

EADE ESSENTIALLY IN 60 YEARS.

AS A PART OF OUR PBS

INITIATIVE, PERIL AND PROMISE,

A LOOK AT THE EFFECTS OF

CLIMATE CHANGE.

WE FOCUS ON A NEW INDEPENDENT

LENS DOCUMENTARY CALLED

"WILDLANDS" WHICH TELLS THE

EPIC YET INTIMATE STORY OF ONE

CREW BATTLING WILDFIRES IN THE

WEST.

TAKE A LOOK.

>> I DON'T NEED IT TO PLAY

EVERY DAY.

I CAN DO THIS THING CALLED

ADULTHOOD.

>> FIGHTING FIRE IS JUST HOURS

OF HARD, BORING WORK,

PUNK KMU AKMU -- PUNCTUATED BY

MOMENTS OF SHEER TEARROR.

>> I WANT TO WORK HARD FOR A

REASON.

>> THIS KID FINALLY REALIZES

HE'S ALIVE.

>> "WILDLAND." PART OF

INDEPENDENT LAND ON PBS.

>> JOINING ME NOW FROM LOS

ANGELES,

CO-DIRECTOR AND PRODUCER OF

"WILDLANDS." GLAD TO HAVE YOU.

>> THANKS FOR HAVING ME.

>> WHAT BROUGHT YOU TO THIS

SUBJECT?

>> SO IT'S PRETTY EASY.

I FIRST SAW MY FIRST WILDFIRE

WHEN I WAS 10 YEARS OLD,

ON A HIKE OUTSIDE OF JACKSON,

WYOMING,

AND I REMEMBER SEEING THE GUYS

GOING IN,

HIKING IN TO FIGHT IT,

AND JUST BEING IMMEDIATELY

INTERESTED IN THE IDEA OF

GOING A FIRE TO GO AND PUT IT

OUT.

IT SEEMS INSANE.

BUT IT ALSO SEEMED JUST THIS

KIND OF BEAUTIFUL DANCE WITH

NATURE.

AND REALLY INTERESTING TO ME.

AND THEN AS I WAS LOOKING FOR

A NEW FILM TO MAKE,

THE QUESTION OF KIND OF,

WHAT'S A STORY WE COULD TELL

ABOUT HOW YOUNG MEN GROW UP OR

COME OF AGE THAT WOULD BE

INTERESTING AND HASN'T BEEN

DONE BEFORE?

WHAT WOULD THAT LOOK LIKE?

IMMEDIATELY KIND OF THE IDEA

OF THAT WITH A LOT OF MY FIRE

FIGHTING CREW CLICKED AND IT

WENT FROM THERE.

>> I UNDERSTAND YOU ALSO DID

TRAINING?

FIRE FIGHTING TRAINING FOR

THIS?

TO GET A SENSE OF THIS?

>> YEAH.

I MEAN,

TO ACTUALLY -- EVEN BEYOND

THAT.

TO MAKE THE FILM WE ACTUALLY

BECAME FIREFIGHTERS AND WERE

ACTUALLY MEMBERS OF THE CREW.

SO WHEN WE WERE OUT THERE

DOING SHOOTING 10% 15,

15% OF OUR TIM ACTUALLY

WORKING.

HAULING HOSE, HIKING,

DOING EVERYTHING YOU SEE OUR

CREW OR ANY OTHER CREW DOES

AND ON OCCASION BREAK OUT THE

CAMERA AND GET SHOT.

>> TELL ME ABOUT THE PERSONAL

MOTIVATIONS THAT GOT THE

CHARACTERS IN YOUR FILM TO

SAY,

THIS IS WHAT I WANT TO DO.

>> I THINK THAT WITH THIS CREW

IN PARTICULAR,

THIS IS A CREW WHERE GUYS ARE

GETTING THEIR FEET WET IN FIRE

FOR THE FIRST TIME.

THESE ARE ALL ROOKIES.

THIS IS THE KIND OF BOTTOM

RUNG WHERE YOU'RE GOING TO

START OUT ON YOUR CAREER IN

WILDFIRES,

THAT'S WHAT YOU'RE GOING TO

DO.

I THINK A LOT OF PEOPLE COME

TO THIS JOB ALMOST TOSSING

THEMSELVES TO THE WIND TO SEE

WHAT FATE HAS FOR THEM.

TRIED OTHER THINGS BUT ARE

YOUNG.

TWO ARE OUR CHARACTERS JUST

TURNED 23.

AT THAT AGE,

TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHAT'S

GOING ON WITH THEIR LIVES.

WHAT KIND OF MEN THEY WANT TO

BE.

AND THERE'S AN ELEMENT OF KIND

OF TESTING YOURSELVES WITH

THIS JOB.

TO SEE HOW YOU'RE GOING TO

HOLD UP UNDER THE STRESS AND

PRESSURE AND UNDER THE LONG

HOURS.

I THINK THAT THESE GUYS WERE

LOOKING FOR THAT.

KIND OF LOOKING FOR,

DO I HAVE THIS IT GRIT?

DO I HAVE THE DETERMINATION TO

DO THIS?

AND IF I DO,

HOW IS THAT GOING TO CHANGE

THE COURSE OF MY LIFE?

>> TALK ABOUT THE CHALLENGES

OF TRYING TO FILM WHEN IN THE

MIDST OF FIGHTING A WILDFIRE?

>> THE PHYSICALITY OF MAKING

THIS FILM IS SOMETHING I THINK

SETS IT APART,

BECAUSE WE HAD TO HIKE IN.

CARRYING 55 POUNDS OF GEAR,

AND WORKING LONG HOURS.

WORKING SHIFTS AS A MINIMUM OF

ABOUT 12 HOURS.

I THINK THAT THE CHALLENGE,

OF COURSE, IS, NOT, YOU KNOW,

BEING EXHAUSTED.

BUT WITH THAT EXHAUSTION COMES

-- FINDING MOTIVATION TO STILL

MAKE GOOD WORK.

FINDING A WAY TO STILL, LIKE,

GO AND GET THAT SHOT OR PAY

ATTENTION TO WHAT'S GOING ON.

YOU'RE THE ONLY PERSON ON THE

CREW TRYING TO MAKE A SPARK IN

THE MIDDLE OF THAT THING.

>> ONE GENTLEMAN SAYS HOURS OF

LONG, HARD, BORING WORK.

PUNCTUATED BY MOMENTS OF SHEER

TERROR.

DOES THAT CAPTURE IT?

>> A LOT OF HURRY UP AND WAIT.

A LOT OF JUST, RIDING IN CARS.

TO GET FROM ONE PLACE TO

ANOTHER, AND EXHAUSTION,

AND BUG BITES, AND HEAT,

ALL THAT.

I THINK THAT ALL OF THAT -- IS

A BIG PART OF THE JOB AND THEN

THERE ARE TIMES EXHILARATING,

HELICOPTERS FLY IT'S OVERHEAD

AND BUCKET DROPS.

WHEN YOU'RE AT A FIRE YOU FEEL

LIKE YOU'RE AT THE CENTER OF

THE ALL THE OTHER STUFF.

G IS WORTH- >> ON YOUR JOURNEY

OF DISCOVERY HERE,

WAS THERE SOMETHING THAT

SURPRISED YOU MOST ABOUT THAT

JOURNEY?

>> I THINK THAT THE THING THAT

SURPRISED ME THE MOST IS --

HOW THE GUYS DRAW ON THE

EXPERIENCES THEY HAD AT 22 AND

23, PARTICULARLY IN FIRE,

THEY CARRY THROUGHOUT FOREVER,

THROUGHOUT THE REST OF THEIR

LIVES AND SOMETHING THEY

ALWAYS POINT BACK TO,

WHEN GOING THROUGH DIFFICULT

TIMES.

IF I SURVIVE THAT,

I CAN SURVIVE THIS.

>> A FABULOUS FILM AND YOU DID

MARVELOUS WORK.

I THANK YOU FOR SPENDING A

LITTLE TIME AND TALKING WITH

US ABOUT IT.

YOU BE WELL.

>> THANK YOU.

TAKE CARE.

>>> A REMINDER,

THE DOCUMENTARY "WILDLAND"

LAUNCHES THE NEW SEASON OF

INDEPENDENT LENS MONDAY

OCTOBER 29th,

2018 ON PBS AT 9:00 P.M.

FOR MORE INFORMATION,

GO TO METROFOCUS.ORG.