By Brendan O’Meara (@BrendanOMeara or @CNFPod)
“You’re really finding the film in editing the documentary.” —Emer Reynolds (@emerpreynolds on Twitter).
Ever catch yourself staring at the sky at night and being categorically floored, hair blown back by the scope of it all?
This happens to me almost nightly and there’s two distinct approaches you can take and I’ve taken both of them, believe you me.
I look up and realize the lottery we all as animals have won by being born on this little blue dot the perfect distance away from the nearest star and also how lucky we are that we weren’t collectively born into one of this planet’s ice ages. Thinking like this makes fear seem so trivial. Why not write that book, make that movie, start a podcast, hang up your shingle. You already won! Go cash your ticket at the 7-11.
The other approach is we are so insigificant, so alone, so tiny, that, quite literally NONE OF THIS MATTERS. It will all end up burned or under water and when the sun reaches full maturity, our little blue dot won’t be so blue anymore. Might not even be a dot, but dust, wiped from the cosmic hard drive, so why do anything at all?
I prefer approach one, but sometimes it’s hard not to be hijacked by approach two, which brings me to my guest today, the brilliant filmmaker Emer Reynolds, whose documentary The Farthest (@thefarthestfilm) chronicles the incredible story behind the Voyager Mission and the desire to seek out the unknowable while also seeking to be known. The Golden Record, Carl Sagan, the personification of this little spacecraft carrying with it everything that makes us human.
Hey, this is my show where I talk to the best creators about the art and craft of telling true stories so you can apply those tools of the trade to get better at your work.
I’m Brendan O’Meara and this is The Creative Nonfiction Podcast.
My guest today is based in Ireland and talks about the craft of making doc film, her obsessiveness with research, and how exciting and empowering making a film is. If you love film and true stories, as well as the vast reaches of space, then you’re going to love this.
If you don’t already subscribe to the podcast, please head over to Apple Podcasts and do so. And consider leaving a rating or a review to help with the show’s visibility. Also, head over to brendanomeara.com for show notes and to subscribe to my monthly newsletter where I send out my book picks and other goodies from the podcast. Please share this episode across your platforms if you dig it.
Why wait any longer, here’s Emer Reynolds!
Well, that was nice, wasn’t it?
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I think that’s it, CNFers. Thanks for listening. I’m gonna for a walk and think about some things. See ya!
