SAN QUENTIN PRISON MARATHON PRODUCTION
YOU DON’T EXPECT TO EXPERIENCE any joy or levity INSIDE A PRISON”
was also Korean-American – and he was basically like my brother – so that deeply impacted me. I felt very powerless to do anything, so when I happened upon this article, suddenly, somehow, that jumped out at me as the answer.” Immediately inspired, she contacted Frank Ruona, the 1000 Mile Club’s head coach, to try and start the process – but was informed that Condé Nast was also sniffing around the story. Undeterred, she drove up to the Bay Area and met with Ruona to pitch herself. “I explained why I was really interested in this topic and what it meant to me. He told me Condé Nast is making an offer, so I didn’t think my chances were great: it was a classic David and Goliath situation!” she laughs. “I said to him – I can tell you that they probably have 20 or 40 projects in development, but I will completely devote myself to doing this. A week later, he called me back and he said, we've decided to go with you.” With a background in narrative film (past credits include rom-com Wedding Palace and anime series Afro Samurai ), Yoo hadn’t originally planned to make a documentary, but when she started researching, she realised the story would be best served as a non-fiction piece. Having never produced a documentary before, she had her work cut out – but she never wavered in her commitment to bringing the story to light. It felt, she says, like ‘destiny’. “I arranged to go into the prison to see a half-marathon event, and what was unfolding in front of me was rehabilitation in action – this real community of people that was astounding to see in a prison
KEY FIGURES Director Christine Yoo (top middle), coach Frank Ruona (above left) and Markelle Taylor (above right)
“It just sounded like a great story. And then when we started getting deeper into it, I realised, this is a special opportunity,” he recalls. “It was a real treat to be able to be exposed to something like that – and at the same time know that you can leave afterwards. It was a whole different universe, and then to be able to apply the skill sets that I have towards making that story stronger, that was a genuine gift.” A RUNNING NARRATIVE The marathon serves as the narrative spine for the film, playing out over the course of the documentary as we dip into the backstories of three 1000 Mile Club members. The story centres around head coach Ruona – a volunteer – and prisoners Markelle Taylor, Tommy Wickerd and Rahsaan Thomas, all of whom are sentenced to life in prison for murder.
environment,” she recalls. “You don’t expect to experience any type of joy or levity inside a prison, and that was the thing that really captured me.” Yoo then launched a Kickstarter campaign and set about assembling her team, approaching DOP Cliff Traiman after a recommendation from a friend. “I had seen his reel and loved the work he did. He had this sense of being able to create big spaces, and a lot of atmosphere. It had a polished look, but it felt very kinetic. That really attracted me,” she comments. Traiman was easily persuaded on her vision – and saw huge potential for the project right from the start.
37
definitionmags
Powered by FlippingBook