Many of you know that I am working on a short documentary called MORE ALIKE THAN DIFFERENT. Early Thursday morning, Mwita and I flew to Chicago to interview and video one of the featured performs in this film, Trent.
We arrived in Chicago around 12noon, were picked up at the airport by Cathy (Trent’s mom) and off to grab some lunch before the day really kicked in. Everyone gathered at a great restaurant where we had fantastic food and enlightening conversation. Trent’s dad, Omar, and his magic teacher, Paul, were there with us. It’s amazing how much you can learn about people when conversation happens over food! This was the perfect way to begin our time in Chicago.
After lunch, we all made our way to P.J.’s Magic Shop in Arlington Heights. This is where Trent works 3 days a week. And this would be the perfect environment for us to capture him demonstrating magic to customers.
After capturing lots of footage of Trent, it was time to start the interviews. First up was Paul Lee, Trent’s magic instructor and friend for the past 8 years. Paul was able to provide a lot of great background and history of Trent’s involvement in magic.
After Paul, it was time to interview Omar. This was an unexpected interview but one that I’m really glad that we were able to do. Omar added so much to the story giving us a father’s perspective on the challenges of raising a child with a severe disability. This will be a powerful addition to Trent’s segment.
Once we finished up at P.J.’s, we loaded up the equipment and were off to the hotel. We wanted a different environment for the final interviews with Trent and Cathy, something more casual. We started with Trent. It was difficult at first to get his focus off magic and onto the questions we really wanted to ask. The best approach was simply to engage him in conversation…and that worked well. His answers were heartfelt and his honesty about the way he’s been treated by others was, at times, a little overwhelming.
Cathy was able to fill in many of the blanks that we had after our first interview in February. Her honesty about the struggles and challenges were touching but it was her optimism and positive attitude that will encourage other parents when this film is completed.
While we are still a good way off from having this complete, here’s a very brief glimpse of Trent…HERE.
Friday morning, Mwita and I were on our way back to Virginia just in time to spend Easter with our families.