Interview with Lewis Cohen, series director.
Q. What was your role in choosing the characters?
A. I helped choose the characters with the producers and our researcher. I was looking for emotion, humor, talent, diversity, ambition, fear and charm. People who would heighten the dramatic charge, and also represent an interesting cross-section of the cultures that make up Varekai; most importantly, people who interested me and I could care about.
Q. How did you find the starting point for filming?
A. The shooting period was built around the arrival and departure of the performers, who were our main characters. We began as their planes landed from England, Brazil, Romania, and so on. We finally ended our year-long shoot as the big top was dismantled to go on the road.
Q. How did you keep the stories evolving and capture them on film?
A. I never had to force the stories to evolve; stories are just there in every human life. We had to build trust to have access. We also had to keep our ears open for the little details that would clue us into their stories; snippets of conversation, the look on someone's face, and so on. There is also the art of being at the right place at the right time (with a soundman and cameraman in tow), which is not always obvious or easy. We got the hang of it, though. I also used my own camera without a soundman for delicate situations or when we didn't have time to alert the crew.
Q. How did the characters feel having the crew involved in their day-to-day lives?
A. In many cases, we became close to the characters. For some of them, having the crew around was like seeing friends. Going over to the apartments after an absence of a week, they would ask where we've been and why we hadn't been around. Other times, when the characters were going through tough, emotional challenges, I'm sure at first they felt slightly ill at ease, but as we got to know them we became good listeners and I hope were of some help.
