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Episode 47: Rewrite (Again)
As we near the final stages of the film, Director Christian Taylor continues to get critical feedback and has to make difficult decisions. This time, more sacred cows are cut out and voiceover work is scrapped and rewritten to accommodate ...
Episode 46: Critical Feedback
What should you do when you get critical feedback? In previous episodes, we talked about the practice of killing your babies and working with experienced consultants to make the film better. This episode is all about hearing difficult feedback and ...
Episode 45: Consultants
It's critically important to get professional help or consulting throughout the entire process of producing a film. How else would a first time filmmaker know what to look out for when trial and error are so costly in both time ...
Episode 44: Picture Lock
Thanks to the many focus groups in 2019 Christian Taylor has accumulated a long list of things to fix and improve in The Girl Who Wore Freedom. The goal is to be "picture locked" by February 6th so that we ...
Episode 43: Rights & Clearances
When you're making a film, remember to take notes about the archival footage, usage rights, and sources for everything added to the film. Learn from our first time filmmaker, Christian Taylor as she talks to co-hosts Josh Lindsay and Jason ...
Episode 42: Birthday in TN
Christian Taylor visits her family in Tennessee and (surprise, surprise), she screens the film. While she was there she hears new stories that make her start thinking about her next film. (Is there some sort of filmmakers Stockholm syndrome?) She ...
Episode 41: Coast to Coast
In this episode, co-host and Director Christian Taylor recap focus groups events from one coast to the other: The Villages, Florida to Phelan, California. These two focus groups were on different ends of the spectrum but both very special for ...
Episode 40: Branson
In this episode, co-host and Director Christian Taylor recaps her experience running two of the most impactful focus groups so far at the Branson Military Film Festival. Hear how the original girl who wore freedom, Dani Patrix, visited from Normandy ...
Episode 39: Collaborators
Collaboration on a project as large as a film like The Girl Who Wore Freedom is difficult. Films take years to produce and it's natural for our priorities or goals to shift along the way. In this episode Director Christian Taylor ...
Episode 38: Blessings
In this special Thanksgiving episode, first-time filmmaker Christian Taylor looks back over the last year and shares the many things for which she's thankful. Want to help us make the film? We need volunteers and donations to help finish work ...
In this profoundly moving first installment of a two-part episode, Documentary First host Christian Taylor interviews Steve Cohen, Billy Joel’s longtime creative director and the executive producer of the new HBO docuseries Billy Joel: And So It Goes.
Steve Cohen, the executive producer, shares his journey from lighting stages to producing emotional documentaries, emphasizing the collaborative effort that brings these stories to life.
Steve reflects on:
Meeting Billy Joel in 1974 and forging a lifelong creative partnership
The soul of Billy Joel’s songwriting: honesty, heartbreak, and healing
How Susan Lacy’s empathetic direction helped uncover hidden emotional truths
What it means to tell someone else’s story with care, depth, and dignity
The healing power of revisiting past relationships through art
For listeners who’ve ever found themselves in a song—or wanted to understand the quiet brilliance behind a musical legend—this episode is a masterclass in the art of documentary storytelling and a heartfelt tribute to legacy, resilience, and human connection.
No DocuView Déjà Vu
Chapters:
00:00 Introduction and Emotional Connection
04:04 The Journey Begins: Meeting Billy Joel
08:03 The Documentary: A Deep Dive into Billy Joel’s Life
11:57 The Collaborative Process of Filmmaking
15:52 The Role of Relationships in Billy Joel’s Music
20:03 Reflections on Billy Joel’s Legacy and Impact
30:45 The Emotional Connection of Music
36:00 Creating Comfort in Documentary Filmmaking
39:41 The Art of Storytelling Through Music