Too Many Characters & Pride NETA Pick

Happy Pride! My father hung the rainbow flag from his house in rural Maine, and I couldn’t be prouder! He’s happy he doesn’t live in a retirement community—but who knew there were retirement homes for LBGTQ+ people?

For this revelation, we have veteran director Pam Walton to thank! Her documentary The Lodge, about the nation’s first state-licensed retirement community for LGBTI+ seniors and their allies, will premiere this weekend on public television. Congratulations!

As Pam told the LGBT Aging Center, “Ruth and I, both filmmakers, were married in 2008 in California and decided in 2017 it was time to sell our house and retire.”

While editing, Pam and Ruth consulted with me about story structure. At the time, they had been living at The Fountaingrove Lodge in Santa Rosa, CA for three years. And they had filmed many of the 100 residents.

So…as you can imagine, one of their biggest editorial challenges was winnowing the cast. There were too many characters for viewers to follow.

I suggested she cut a few people who were duplicating other characters’ roles. And then focus  first on couples as the “A Characters”, i.e. those with most screen time.

My Story Notes read, “Just focus on three couples in the beginning: the first lesbian couple, the first gay couple, and then the straight couple. That’s 3 units, 6 people. Viewers can keep track of that many.”

Winner of several festival accolades, “The Lodge” was also selected by NETA, the National Educational Telecommunications Association. Why should you care?

NETA is a terrific way for independent filmmakers to receive distribution through America’s PBS and member stations. They air about 1200 programs per year. Last year, we at New Doc Editing story consulted and/or edited several documentaries that became NETA picks.

NETA producers must conform their show length to PBS standards: 28:46 or 58:46. If you’re aiming for television broadcast, check out how we collaborate with directors to create a “TV cut down” here.

Watch The Lodge on “The World”, sponsored by KQED this Sunday on 6/26 at 7 and 11 pm PT, and 6/30 at 2pm and 8 a.m. PT. The Lodge is also available anytime on KQED Passport for KQED members.