This week, Ben is on a solo mission to a freezing New York City, where legendary filmmaker Alan Berliner guides him through his studio that's equal parts fine art gallery and documentary laboratory. We're talking about a 108 drawer sound sculpture that Alan plays like an instrument, flood-destroyed film reels turned gorgeous works of art, and the kind of collections that make you wonder where archiving ends and genius begins. Alan waxes poetic on the fine art vs. filmmaker debate, breaks down why every film portrait is really about the person behind the camera, and encourages thinking like a filmmaker even when you’re not on set. We get into his philosophy on acting at the speed of thought, editing without treatments, trusting your gut and letting the material tell you what it wants. Then there's his new film, BENITA, a deeply personal work born from decades of friendship and unimaginable loss — Alan's tribute to a woman whose story yearned to be told, even after she was gone. He opens up about what it means to honor someone through film, and why he believes the documentary world is about to shrink fast. This one's about honoring both your mentors — in the case of Ben learning from Alan — and your mentee’s — in the case of Alan coming to know Benita. Buckle up for a beautiful, wild walk through Alan Berliner’s studio and his filmmaking career.

Discussion Links

DISCUSSION LINKS: INTIMATE STRANGER (1991) | NOBODY'S BUSINESS (1996) | THE SWEETEST SOUND (2001) | WIDE AWAKE (2006) | FIRST COUSIN ONCE REMOVED (2012) | BENITA (2024) | THE FAMILY ALBUM (1986)

Timestamps:

00:00 Welcome to Doc Walks: Ben Solo in NYC

00:49 Meeting Alan Berliner at His Studio

02:42 Audio File: The 108 Drawer Sound Sculpture

07:00 The Object Cabinets: Bells, Keys, and Lock Drawers

11:17 Composing with Drawers: Live Demonstration

14:00 "Slow Dissolve" and Think Like a Filmmaker

19:56 Fine Art vs. Documentary: Does the Distinction Matter?

23:00 Parts and Labor: The 534-Frame Machine Sculpture

30:00 Translucent: Film Reels as Light Sculptures

34:24 The Title Card Lens Installation

40:00 The Martin Luther King Jr. Citizenship Award

45:00 Oklahoma, Graduate School, and Unlikely Origins

50:00 From Grandfather to Father to Self: The Portrait Films

56:00 Never Writing a Treatment: The Intuitive Process

1:03:00 Acting at the Speed of Thought

1:07:00 BENITA: A Collaboration with the Departed

1:16:00 The Documentary Landscape in Crisis

1:22:00 Windows and Mirrors: The Purpose of Portraiture

1:26:00 Advice for Filmmakers: Fascination and Need

1:31:00 Closing and Next Episode Preview