Got this in email, wanted to share:
The making of "The People's Joe" led us to Brooklyn to find Joe Paterno’s history. We went there with Rick Brandt, our director of photography, and two interns, Penn State seniors in the communication school.
The first place we filmed in Brooklyn, Joe’s boyhood hometown, was not his house, but his grade school. A place rich with the godly imagery and authority of a higher calling that framed his core, and his family’s.
When we arrived, we went to the office of the school and church and explained to a receptionist that we had called ahead of time for permission. We had permission from the school but the police arrived as we were setting up and demanded a permit to film, which we did not have.
Immediately, a priest appeared from the back office, inquired what the issue was and stridently guided us back to the schoolyard which was empty for the summer. He told the police, “This is private property. We have given them permission to film here.”
“They still need a permit,” replied the officer. “What are they filming?”
“They are filming the childhood elementary school of Joseph Vincent Paterno,” said the priest. There was a pause. The officer looked at us and proclaimed, “My father knew him. Loved him". He wished us luck with the film and walked away.
And so it was for a week in Brooklyn. From Atlantic Avenue to the shore, we were operating with an angel on our shoulder. Our interns had just witnessed the power of love. And Joseph Vincent Paterno.
The making of "The People's Joe" led us to Brooklyn to find Joe Paterno’s history. We went there with Rick Brandt, our director of photography, and two interns, Penn State seniors in the communication school.
The first place we filmed in Brooklyn, Joe’s boyhood hometown, was not his house, but his grade school. A place rich with the godly imagery and authority of a higher calling that framed his core, and his family’s.
When we arrived, we went to the office of the school and church and explained to a receptionist that we had called ahead of time for permission. We had permission from the school but the police arrived as we were setting up and demanded a permit to film, which we did not have.
Immediately, a priest appeared from the back office, inquired what the issue was and stridently guided us back to the schoolyard which was empty for the summer. He told the police, “This is private property. We have given them permission to film here.”
“They still need a permit,” replied the officer. “What are they filming?”
“They are filming the childhood elementary school of Joseph Vincent Paterno,” said the priest. There was a pause. The officer looked at us and proclaimed, “My father knew him. Loved him". He wished us luck with the film and walked away.
And so it was for a week in Brooklyn. From Atlantic Avenue to the shore, we were operating with an angel on our shoulder. Our interns had just witnessed the power of love. And Joseph Vincent Paterno.
