It requires a tremendous effort on the part of the parents and if their interest was in being a 'stage parent' there are easier ways for them to do it
The first feature-length documentary from director Jeff Blitz follows a series of young Americans as they compete in the national institution that is the Spelling Bee competition. The University of California graduate reveals what attracted him to the p-r-o-j-e-c-t.
How did you encounter the national Spelling Bee competition?
I saw the Bee on ESPN in 1997
What was it that gave you the idea to make a documentary about it?
I believe that creative people never really know what shapes their work. They can hazard guesses but, in truth, it's a pretty unfathomable process, the way in which life influences work. But I was always struck by my mother's work ethic, specificly my parents' emphasis on education. It wasn't irrational or simply competitive on their part but part of a larger belief that through hard work one could advance oneself. That kind of old-fashioned idea was incredibly contemporary for me.
I grew up with a significant stuttering problem and, contrary to the good sense of everyone around me, I decided to become a high school debater. While there's a natural connection here (my stuttering prompted me to think about the power and significance of language long before my fluent pals), there's a bigger connection for me: I've always been impressed by people who try to do the nearly impossible. I'm just a sucker for those kinds of 'life quests'. For me, that was debating; why on earth would a bad stutterer want to debate? It wasn't self-destructive behaviour. It was a desire to do what the world said I couldn't.
I think, from the first time I saw the national bee in 1997, that I sensed a similar quest for many of these kids. Merriam-Webster's third international dictionary is virtually insurmountable and unlearnable. There are almost a half million words, many of them arcane. What 13-year-old in his right mind would think that this book could be conquered.... and by a kid, no less?
How did you go about choosing the children you'd be filming during the documentary?
I did spend months handicapping the spellers. I studied which kids had gone far in 1998 and were young enough to return. Then I examined the words they spelled in 1998, trying to figure out which of these kids had lucked into the later rounds and which really defeated some truly hard words.
By the end of 1998, I imagined myself a real Vegas oddsmaker of the Spelling Bee. But I also had the good sense to realise that in addition to wanting spellers who would go far in the 1999 bee, I needed great stories, stories that would resonate on their own and in the context of the event. We never set out to find a racial or ethnic mix of stories. We simply looked for the best stories and the mix provided itself. There was a deliberate attempt to find far-reaching geographic stories and a mix of socioeconomic stories because I wanted to tell a big American story.
How long did it take to find all the subjects, and how long did you shoot for?
We researched for about a year and shot for over six months.
How did you build a working relationship with both the children and their parents while shooting?
People can be unpredictable as to when they'll open up. But I think the real key to our success is that whenever we went home with these kids, the crew was just me and Sean Welch [producer/sound man]. That small size helped our kids get past the equipment pretty fast and just talk to us.
What was the biggest problem you encountered while making the film?
Lack of money. We financed the film on credit cards.
Some of the encouragement methods used by the parents are quite extreme - was there anything that shocked or surprised you while making the film?
We found that it is mostly the kids who drag their parents into it. It requires a tremendous effort on the part of the parents, and if their interest was in being a 'stage parent', there are easier ways for them to do it. I think that it's not the spelling skill as such that's valuable. It's the feeling that drive, discipline, and dedication pay off. I think many of these kids feel like they're taking on an impossible quest, and the real victory is in the effort, not in the result. Anecdotally, a majority of spelling champions go on to become doctors. Who knows why, but it is meaningful - that great spellers go on to lead productive and valued lives.
What would you say is the main theme of the documentary? Did that theme change as a result of the events of the filming, or was it reinforced?
From the first moment I saw the Bee in 1997, I knew that there was an American dream story here. As Alex Cameron, the former pronouncer of the Bee, said to me: the stage of the national Spelling Bee looks like a model UN. It's true. Actually, it's also true of the words themselves that are used in the Bee. They have come into the English language from all over, reflecting patterns of immigration as much as the kids themselves do. I think the choice of stories tended to reflect my interest in the American dream angle. With the help of Yana Gorskaya, Spellbound's amazing editor and herself a Russian immigrant, we further teased out that idea as we cut.
Did the film live up to your expectations?
That, and then some. The film is doing exceptionally well. We've broken onto the list of top-grossing documentaries of all time. I think we're currently sixth. It's an astonishing development, given the grassrootsy way Spellbound got made, with me on camera and my co-producer Sean on sound.
Have the kids and their parents seen the film yet? What was their reaction?
All of them amazingly were thrilled. We're doing epilogues on each kid for our DVD release.
What projects are you planning next?
Sleep. Then I'll figure out what the next feature is.
