Michael Pack is the president of Manifold Productions an independent film and television production company which specializes in historical documentaries. Pack wrote, directed, and produced numerous award-winning nationally broadcasted documentaries, as well as corporate and educational films. On April 11 at 6:30 p.m., Pack will be screening his documentary “Rediscovering Alexander Hamilton” in Lane 124.
When did you first gain interest in film? What led you to pursue a career in documentary filmmaking?
I got out of college in the ’70s. I started my company, Manifold Productions, in 1977 shortly after college. I wanted to make films that changed the world and change the way people thought. And I had ideas and beliefs that I was committed to and it seemed a way to further the ideas. I took courses at NYU film school that summer. After those courses were over, I started this company, Manifold Productions, with some people I met at film school. We made a half hour independent short. That did well. it played at the museum of modern art in New York, and played on PBS and Showtime.
What type of projects does Manifold Productions produce?
We mainly do documentaries exclusively for public television. But we are producing a promotional video for Hillsdale, which is documentary style. We very rarely do videos for clients. We virtually only do documentaries for public television. We have a couple of dramatic films in development that we are trying to do. Documentaries have different styles. We have done a lot genres with non-fiction such as historical, Cinéma vérité, or documentaries with a lot of scripted dramatic recreations. The Hamilton film has a unique style and approach to history.
What elements are essential in choosing a topic for a documentary?
I look for a variety of things. Let’s look at the Hamilton documentary in particular. It has to be a subject that is important and intellectually engaging. Because it takes years to work on these documentaries, if you don’t want to put a lot of work into the subject, it’s a mistake to go down that road. Another thing: documentaries are a collaborative medium, and they are team effort. My wife, for instance, works on the documentaries with me. I look for a team. In the case of the Hamilton documentary, it is a sequel to a documentary we did about George Washington with Richard Brookhiser. Richard is a long-term friend of mine. I have known him for decades. I always wanted to work with him, and I respected him both as a writer and a historian. Before we begin a production I have to believe that I can raise the money to do the film and get it on public television. The Hamilton and Washington documentary had both of those elements.
In your opinion how has the documentary film industry changed over the last 40 years?
In some ways, the industry has changed dramatically. I began working in 16mm film and video tape, now we use digital media. Style of documentaries change, certain things are in fashion and out of fashion. But I don’t think the fundamentals of documentaries have changed. When I teach documentary film, I often use old books. The basic art of documentary storytelling, which is not that different from narrative fictional storytelling, has not changed. The principles of editing, the principles of using lens and angles, and the principles of storytelling remain the same. That is the key thing. You want to be able to make these films lively. That is the challenge. You have to use the techniques of filmmaking to do that. It is sort of like writing. Now, we are word processors which are drastically different from Hamilton’s quill pen or a typewriter. But the actual skill of being a good writer has not changed all that much.
Why documentaries?
Every film that I have ever made, I really hope that when people are done watching, they will have learned something that will actually stay with them. The subject matter has to be relevant – something that won’t fade over the years. Our films are nationally-broadcasted on PBS. Millions of people will view them. I am hoping to have a positive impact on the lives of the viewers. And every film that we do also has other uses beyond broadcast such as educational uses. The Hamilton film is extensively in high schools. We hope that it will be an aid to the history teachers trying to teach the founding. I am hoping that our films could help fill that gap, bringing curiosity and interest in the founding for the students. The key of a documentary is to get people interested in the subject. I hope it inspires people to want to learn more.
What have you enjoyed the most about your job?
I have learned a vast amount from every film I have ever made. Not only about the subject, but other information as well. For example, before production of our film “600 Meters,” which aired on PBS, I hardly knew any people who were serving in the armed forces. I didn’t know too many active duty military officers. But throughout the production, I met with marines who fought in Najaf and Fallujah, two of biggest battles during the Iraq War. The production of that film had a big impact on myself and my children.
What do your children think of your occupation?
It has helped inspired their own interest in American history. I make them all work on my films, something they all initially complained about. My middle son, Thomas, he is featured in the Hamilton film. We did a reenactment of the battle of Yorktown. We had a bunch of high school students reenact Hamilton’s famous charge. My son Thomas chose to be British. We had 500 students charging each other all day long. In the entirety of that day, in fact, in the history of Manifold Productions, no one has ever been hurt except my son Thomas, where my son broke a bone there in the Battle of Yorktown. He likes to call himself the last casualty at the Battle of Yorktown.
– Compiled by Alex Anderson
