- Welcome to Independent Lens.
I'm Pete Schwaba,
host of PBS Wisconsin's Director's Cut.
Back in the 1970s, it was easy for a Cal Arts student
to get fake press credentials
and pretend he was from The New York Times,
San Francisco Chronicle, or even Rolling Stone
to get into big events and rub shoulders with celebrities
or interesting people who made fascinating subjects
to a young photographer.
This was the practice and lifestyle
of tonight's main character.
His name is Michael Jang,
and what better way to get to know him
than by watching a film titled Who is Michael Jang?
In addition to taking photos of celebrities,
Jang spent his 20s also capturing candid moments
of scenes on the streets of San Francisco
and in the world of punk rock.
Jang also captured his own extended family
in and around San Francisco's Chinatown,
snapping away and amassing tons of what became special,
if unspectacular snapshots
of his relatives living their everyday lives
amid a backdrop of retro 1970s aesthetics.
His family proved to be great subjects,
as they let him click away, not knowing at the time
he was creating a scrapbook of their lives.
As he got older and started to raise a family,
Jang segued into a more practical career
as a photographer, shooting stills and portraits.
It wasn't until about five years ago
that Jang rediscovered the work of his 20s.
Who is Michael Jang? is directed by Michael Jacobs,
an Emmy-nominated filmmaker.
Jacobs met Jang at a live magazine show
while Jang was presenting photographs
from a summer weather series from the '80s.
The two started talking,
and Jacobs became fascinated with Jang's collection of photos
and thought there might be an interesting documentary there.
The director says he and Jang talked and Jang was on board.
There were some details to work out
when it came to Jang as a subject
and what he was comfortable with on camera.
Jacobs said that Jang eventually grew more natural
not only in being seen on camera,
but in allowing himself to be vulnerable and opening up.
When it came to bringing a style to the film,
Jacobs worked with his cinematographer, Tyler McFerrin,
to find a look that worked cinematically
while enhancing the story.
The director felt that a film about a photographer
should have an interesting and unique aesthetic
and not be conventional.
Jacobs says budget is always a challenge,
but he and McFerrin found a visual style
that was complementary to Jang's work.
When Jang was talking to the camera, Jacobs filmed in color,
but with other subjects, Jacobs changed the aspect ratio
and filmed in black and white, sort of a shout-out
to Jang's classic '70s black and white photos.
You might've noticed I use the phrase
"when the director filmed."
To give his documentary an authentic, classic look,
Michael Jacobs shot on 16 mm film.
Now let's sit back and watch this engaging leading man
tell his story from the other side of the camera.
Who is Michael Jang? starts now on PBS Wisconsin,
your home for independent film.