When rehearsals began for the Michael Jackson `This Is It` shows, Michael decided he wanted to document the early origins of the show from the beginning for his personal use.
Hollywood documentary maker Sandrine Orabona was chosen to capture the moment. The intention was to capture some behind the scenes footage and for Michael Jackson to have video of the occasion for his personal library.At the start of the project, no-one could have predicted the what was to happen.
Sandrine and fellow videographer Tim Patterson were to be the two people who would capture the last months of Michael Jackson.
The documentary that was to become ‘This Is It’ shows a Michael Jackson the world had never seen before. He was bright, articulate and an absolute musical genius.
Jackson is often seen as stern yet part of the team when it came to put this show together.
Sandrine Orabona told the story about her time on ‘This Is It’ to Undercover.com.au
Paul Cashmere: Why was Michael Jackson being filmed and what the video was originally intended for?
Sandrine Orabona: The footage was originally intended for Mr. Jackson’s personal library as well as for “behind the scenes” material that could potentially be used for future marketing or documentary purposes. This is fairly common practice in the entertainment industry and I’ve worked as a documentarian for several musicians and filmmakers in the past to produce material for promotion on the internet, in DVD’s, or on television shows. This obviously became something much bigger.
Paul Cashmere: How did you come to work on the movie?
Sandrine Orabona: I received a phone call from my friend Steve Stone who had worked with director Kenny Ortega on the “High School Musical” films. Kenny and AEG’s Paul Gongaware were looking for two field producers that also had the unusual skill set of being able to shoot and edit - traits Tim Patterson and I both share. My focus is documentary filmmaking and I have a habit of approaching everything I document as if it’s going to be seen by the largest audience - both technically and creatively - even when I’m part of a small two-person crew. I’ve always believed that if done properly even something this intimate can yield great results, an approach that Roger Ebert praises in his review of the film.
Paul Cashmere: You worked with Michael the person. The movie shows a professional, good-natured person as opposed to the image the media portrayed of the man.
Sandrine Orabona: What I feel is really incredible about “This Is It” is that Kenny Ortega truly captures the unique experience of being around Mr. Jackson the man and the working professional. Friends and strangers alike have come up to me and hugged me outside of theaters when they found out that I was part of the documentary team. I think fans really appreciate seeing this side of Mr. Jackson and I consider it an honor and a privilege to not only have seen but also filmed something rarely shown in the media up until this film was released.
Paul Cashmere: What stands out in ‘This Is It’ is the genius of Michael Jackson. The movie specifically spotlights the talent that went into the creation of the music and the show.
Sandrine Orabona: It seems logical that Mr. Jackson’s artistic sense would be so intuitive, but when I was there I felt the magic of this process - something I absolutely think comes through on screen in the film. He doesn’t use a lot of technical jargon to convey what he wants to hear, he uses more emotional terms - a creative shorthand that Kenny Ortega, Travis Payne, Michael Bearden and the rest of the crew understand and use themselves since they are also working artists. More than once I caught myself up in the moment and dancing while I was shooting - “Billy Jean” being a perfect example - and had to remind myself to stop moving so the camera wouldn’t move too much.
Paul Cashmere: The movie shows him with incredible energy, not a man about to die. When Kenny let the first clip of They Don't Really Care About Us out a week of Michael's death it was to dispel the rumors that he was not physically up to the tour. Even days before his death there must have been no signs of what was to come.
Sandrine Orabona: What I filmed and experienced was Mr. Jackson and his crew at the height of their creative process and on their way to putting together one of the greatest concerts the world has ever seen. Everyone involved was putting an incredible amount of energy into that goal, and I’m happy that “This Is It” serves to dispel whatever rumors were perpetuated in the general media.
Paul Cashmere: When the news did break, and you were all together, what was the reaction within the room?
Sandrine Orabona: I was filming at the time the news of Mr. Jackson’s passing was announced to the crew, and I can honestly tell you that my emotions were so strong that I had a difficult time just holding the camera - my head was spinning and I couldn’t stand up so I did most of the shooting on my knees. I don’t want to go into too much detail out of respect for the people that were there, but if you remember that the entire world was shocked and in mourning, I think you can imagine the impact the news had on the crew. Some of that footage is in the trailer and maybe someday the rest of the world will get to see it.
Paul Cashmere: This Is It was the first glimpse of what went in to preparing for a major tour. Given the success of the movie, do you think other major acts will follow and capture a similar document?
Sandrine Orabona: I certainly hope “This Is It” paves the way for more of this type of material. This is exactly the kind of work that I believe in - documentaries on musicians that at once can entertain but also send a powerful message. I think it’s important to document our artists and share their process, especially as more funding is being cut from our art programs in governments and schools. The music documentary is a great vehicle since the public is so receptive to this genre and obviously we now have the technology to do it at a low cost.
Paul Cashmere: You shot over 100 hours of footage of the This Is It rehearsals. The DVD will feature additional content and one of those songs is ‘Stranger In Moscow’ that isn’t in the film.
Sandrine Orabona: “Stranger in Moscow” is one of the songs that we shot during rehearsal that wasn’t included in the movie. I think since it’s a ballad, you can expect to see something that’s visually similar to the “Human Nature” section of the film. It’s also personally one of my favorite moments of the rehearsal process, so I’m very happy to hear that Sony has chosen to include it in the DVD bonus content for the film.
Paul Cashmere: What’s next for you after this?
Sandrine Orabona: I hope to continue to be involved in producing, shooting and editing more of this type of material in the future. I always have a great time when I’m documenting musicians and their crew - and I also think it makes for powerful, entertaining documentaries that everyone wants to watch.
Sandrine Orabona’s work can be seen at www.littlebleufilms.com.
