Production
According to McElwee, "Backyard was a sketch for Sherman's March, an experiment in how I could approach the bigger film"; Backyard is also "cruder" because, according to McElwee, "I was just learning to shoot as a one person crew. I was just getting over that odd sense of camera shyness in reverse. It takes awhile to summon the gumption to shoot people you know well, to be able to face them and talk to them as you're filming. Also, I was using a Nagra 4, a very large tape recorder: it weighs 20 pounds and I carried it slung over my shoulder. For Sherman's March I used a miniature Nagra SN, a very highly developed piece of recording equipment that could fit on my belt. This technological improvement made shooting much easier.
Initially, McElwee thought the film would be a "synthesis of Backyard and Space Coast," but the day after filming the Scottish games, his sister "said—somewhat seriously, somewhat joking—'You should use the camera as a way to meet women.' She's sincerely upset about my having ended my relationship with my girlfriend, and she's looking for ways to get me back on my feet. ...t the point when she gave me her advice about how to use the camera, I experienced a minor epiphany."
Principal photography last about five months, and, according to McElwee, "I'd guess the total amount of footage I actually shot was about 25 hours."
Read more about this topic: Sherman's March (1986 film)
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