SCREENS<strong>The</strong> Body as Canvas,Ready<strong>in</strong>g for Life<strong>in</strong> a Kill ZoneAFS Documentary Tour: ‘Tattooed Under Fire’BY KIMBERLEY JONESIn Tattooed Under Fire, a young soldiershows off his deeply <strong>in</strong>ked body and says tothe camera, “This is my storyboard.” It’s aneloquent and apt summation of the storytell<strong>in</strong>gaspect of tattoo<strong>in</strong>g, and the moment isone any filmmaker would know was golden.Nancy Schiesari recalls her reaction: “Ithought: ‘Wow. A film student would come upwith someth<strong>in</strong>g like that.’”In fact, the documentarian and Universityof Texas professor would br<strong>in</strong>g a whole crewof film students with her to weekend shoots<strong>in</strong> Killeen, Texas – 20-year-old kids haul<strong>in</strong>gequipment, hold<strong>in</strong>g boom mics, record<strong>in</strong>g thestories of 20-year-old kids embroider<strong>in</strong>g theirbodies with tattoos, steel<strong>in</strong>g their m<strong>in</strong>ds fortours of duty <strong>in</strong> Iraq and Afghanistan.Tattooed Under Fire profiles Killeen’s RiverCity Tattoo shop, its deeply car<strong>in</strong>g staff, andsix Fort Hood soldiers who spend time <strong>in</strong>the chairs before go<strong>in</strong>g to war, <strong>in</strong>dividuat<strong>in</strong>gtheir bodies <strong>in</strong> a communitythat <strong>in</strong>sists on conformity.Schiesari recently satdown with the <strong>Chronicle</strong>to discuss her awardw<strong>in</strong>n<strong>in</strong>gfilm, which willscreen Jan. 20 as part ofthe Aust<strong>in</strong> Film Society’sDocumentary Tour series.Aust<strong>in</strong> <strong>Chronicle</strong>: <strong>The</strong> filmis about the <strong>in</strong>tersection oftwo very traditionally toughcommunities – the militaryand tattoo culture. How didyou break <strong>in</strong>to those worlds?Nancy Schiesari: I got<strong>in</strong>to it because, first of all,the owner, Roxanne Willis,and her ex-husband, Glen, who’s the seniorartist <strong>in</strong> the film, welcomed me to do thefilm. <strong>The</strong>y thought it was a great idea. <strong>The</strong>sepeople are <strong>in</strong>credibly smart. And they’ve seenthis for many years. <strong>The</strong>y’ve experienceda war, Vietnam, and now these wars. Andboth of them are very educated. Roxannehas a master’s <strong>in</strong> psychology, and Glenn hasa degree <strong>in</strong> anthropology from UT. So theyknew exactly what was go<strong>in</strong>g on; they knewexactly what the significance of the tattoo<strong>in</strong>gis. I mean, they’re sages <strong>in</strong> their own way. Sothey opened their doors and made it very easy,no problem at all. Plus, I cast very well whenI crew people. I always took with me youngpeople – either my students or ex-studentsFilmmaker Nancy Schiesarion location at River City Tattoo<strong>in</strong> Killeen, Texasor whoever had a genu<strong>in</strong>e curiosity to knowwhat it’s like for another person their age togo to war. So I would stand around with these20-year-olds who were my crew, and I couldtell they weren’t there just to do a job. It wassometh<strong>in</strong>g that for them was fasc<strong>in</strong>at<strong>in</strong>g. Plusthey understand tattoo<strong>in</strong>g; I mean, just abouteverybody [of their generation] has a tattoo.AC: You teach 16 millimeter film at UT, but youshot Tattooed Under Fire on digital video, right?NS: On [Sony] PD 150s/170s. <strong>The</strong> lowest possibletechnology, ’cause those are the camerasthat everybody had. It made it really easy tograb a camera and go up on a weekend andhang out.This technology has made it possible forwomen especially to make documentaries. …I’ve seen women M.F.A. students, documentaryfilmmakers, come up with phenomenal stuff earlyon when the technology got to be much smallerand when the flip-out monitor happened.When I started shoot<strong>in</strong>g,I was shoot<strong>in</strong>g on 16millimeter, shoot<strong>in</strong>g documentaryon film <strong>in</strong> placeslike Africa and Pakistan.And then it went to Beta,which was also a big dealon your shoulder withyour eye <strong>in</strong> the eyepiece.And so with the camcorderand the flip-open monitor,you’re sitt<strong>in</strong>g there andyou’re really <strong>in</strong>teract<strong>in</strong>gwith [<strong>in</strong>terview subjects]for the first time. You’rekeep<strong>in</strong>g your eye contactwith them. So you lookat the frame and then youlook up at them. It’s awhole different experience, and it’s one thatwomen have been able to enter a lot moreeasily because the technology has made it alot more unobtrusive. Women tend to be lessobtrusive; they tend to traditionally be listeners.All the qualities women have been fight<strong>in</strong>gaga<strong>in</strong>st hav<strong>in</strong>g – be<strong>in</strong>g “passive” – are the onesthat give you the best results <strong>in</strong> documentary.Because it’s about channel<strong>in</strong>g who’s <strong>in</strong> frontof you. Be<strong>in</strong>g present to their pa<strong>in</strong>, pride,whatever they want to express.AC: Have you had to change your approach withthe switch to video?NS: Well, I’ve been shoot<strong>in</strong>g documentaryfor other people for years and years. My firstlove is c<strong>in</strong>ematography. And I started mak<strong>in</strong>g[my own] documentaries because nobodyelse was mak<strong>in</strong>g a documentary on that subjector because, you know, why not? And theyall tended to be films about people us<strong>in</strong>g amedium which isn’t necessarily consideredhigh art but that has some creative strandto it. In my first film, it was a Republicanflute band that learns how to play the fifeand drum <strong>in</strong> Glasgow to go and support theIRA <strong>in</strong> Belfast because they’re of Catholicdescent. … And then the second film wasHansel Mieth: Vagabond Photographer, andthat was a woman who was an artist andphotographer, but she used it as a means toexpress what was go<strong>in</strong>g on around her. Sheused art, she used photography, as a meansto take part <strong>in</strong> a cultural/social/politicalexperience and to try to make a differencethrough her art.And then tattoo is a form of art practice onthe body. It was a way of channel<strong>in</strong>g their feel<strong>in</strong>gsabout the war and about what was go<strong>in</strong>gon <strong>in</strong> their own lives. It was us<strong>in</strong>g art aga<strong>in</strong> asa way of talk<strong>in</strong>g about th<strong>in</strong>gs that don’t necessarilyhave a voice but speak a language.AC: How did you go about decid<strong>in</strong>g which soldiersto profile?NS: When you walk <strong>in</strong> a tattoo parlor,there’s about five or six people gett<strong>in</strong>g tattooed.I would k<strong>in</strong>d of cruise. I would wait. Iwould establish eye contact with the people<strong>in</strong> the chair. <strong>The</strong>re was a magnet betweenthe ones that were creative and <strong>in</strong>telligentand wanted to talk. So I tended to gravitatetoward these ones. It was just short, quickeye contact, but I knew that they were theones that would be the ones that were goodto talk to. And they were all really smart,articulate, and talented people.AC: So you basically got a good feel<strong>in</strong>g.NS: To be honest, I avoided the macho ones,the scary ones. <strong>The</strong> heavy-duty guys thatlooked like Mar<strong>in</strong>es. <strong>The</strong>y scared me. [Laughs]But then you get someone like Jonathan <strong>in</strong> thefilm, who admits to kill<strong>in</strong>g a child [<strong>in</strong> combat],and he’s pretty tough. He’s beaten up quite afew people. Killed a few people <strong>in</strong> his life.AC: Jonathan, who suffers from post-traumaticstress disorder and has done multiple tours, says<strong>in</strong> the film, “<strong>The</strong> more times I go to Iraq, themore of Iraq that comes back with me.” Whenyou started the project, did you have any ideaPTSD would become such a dom<strong>in</strong>ant theme tothe film?NS: No. No, I didn’t know where it was go<strong>in</strong>gto go. I had an idea that war is not a goodth<strong>in</strong>g for people and that they were go<strong>in</strong>g tocome back with someth<strong>in</strong>g not so good. But Ithought they were go<strong>in</strong>g to come back <strong>in</strong>juredphysically. That I was go<strong>in</strong>g to come back andsomebody was go<strong>in</strong>g to be miss<strong>in</strong>g a leg. But,no, they came back with m<strong>in</strong>ds disturbed.AC: As a filmmaker, how do you stay objective <strong>in</strong>the face of that?NS: I didn’t hold back my feel<strong>in</strong>gs; I didn’ttry and direct [the soldiers] so much as reactto what they said. So it was a conversation.I would [ask them], what did it feel like tohave to do what they did? Did they everfeel sympathy for the enemy? Th<strong>in</strong>gs thatwouldn’t necessarily be patriarchal questionsto ask, I would go there with them. And theywould answer.AC: Did you ever feel like you had to pullyourself back?NS: No. <strong>The</strong>y would ask me: “What’s yourop<strong>in</strong>ion about the war? Do you th<strong>in</strong>k weshould be there?” And I would go, “You knowwhat, I’m really not sure.” ’Cause you don’tknow the whole story. I said: “I’m anti-war.I’m aga<strong>in</strong>st war anyway, because it <strong>in</strong>volveskill<strong>in</strong>g people.” As Travis [a 23-year-old combatmedic] says, “I’m either go<strong>in</strong>g to kill awhole bunch of people, or my ass is go<strong>in</strong>g todie.” It’s a no-w<strong>in</strong> situation.AFS Documentary Tour presents Tattooed Under Firewith filmmaker Nancy Schiesari <strong>in</strong> attendance Wednesday,Jan. 20, 8:30pm, at the Alamo Drafthouse at the Ritz.Tickets are $4 for AFS members and $6 for the generalpublic. For more <strong>in</strong>fo, see www.aust<strong>in</strong>film.org.40 T H E A U S T I N C H R O N I C L E JANUARY 15, 2010 a u s t i n c h r o n i c l e . c o m
S<strong>in</strong>k or Swim?BY B ELINDA ACOSTA“<strong>The</strong> first th<strong>in</strong>g we do, let’s kill allthe lawyers.”Shakespeare’s oft-quoted l<strong>in</strong>e from HenryVI is usually <strong>in</strong>terpreted as a mockery oflawyers. In the context of the play, it is reallyhigh praise for those who uphold the rule oflaw for all. However, after view<strong>in</strong>g <strong>The</strong> DeepEnd, the newest law firm drama to hit theairwaves, the critical <strong>in</strong>terpretation of theBard’s words may be more appropriate.At the core of this series is a group ofyoung lawyers, fresh out of law school, readyto start their careers. <strong>The</strong> newbies havelanded their dream jobs at the high-poweredSterl<strong>in</strong>g Law Firm. Dylan (Matt Long, lastseen <strong>in</strong> the superb but short-lived Jack &Bobby) is the most wide-eyed. He has a penchantfor cry<strong>in</strong>g “no fair” to his superiors,but he means well and works hard under theimpossible circumstances he’s thrust <strong>in</strong>to.Colleague Addy (T<strong>in</strong>a Major<strong>in</strong>o, Big Love) isa pushover until she discovers her backboneand earns a small piece of turf. <strong>The</strong> least likableof the newbies is Beth (Leah Pipes),whose sense of entitlement is gall<strong>in</strong>g. Andthen there’s Liam (Ben Lawson), who justcan’t seem to keep his penis <strong>in</strong> his pants.Fortunately, Liam and especially Beth makeup for their self-absorption by be<strong>in</strong>g torturedby ethical dilemmas. And seek<strong>in</strong>g the guidanceof their elders, who are thoroughly lack<strong>in</strong>g<strong>in</strong> humanity, gets them no help. But noone is as awful as the shark tank of seniorassociates the newbies toil under.Billy Zane (the baddie fromTitanic) has built his careerplay<strong>in</strong>g foul-hearted cads. Here,he does it aga<strong>in</strong> as Cliff Huddle,the associate who’s been runn<strong>in</strong>gthe firm <strong>in</strong> the absenceof its namesake, Hart Sterl<strong>in</strong>g(Clancy Brown, Carnivàle). WhileSterl<strong>in</strong>g was tend<strong>in</strong>g to his term<strong>in</strong>allyill wife, Huddle has been mold<strong>in</strong>g the firm<strong>in</strong>to a moneymak<strong>in</strong>g mach<strong>in</strong>e with thehelp of his toady, Rowdy (Norbert LeoButz). Rowdy is the fast-talk<strong>in</strong>g associatewho lured the young ones to the firm,promis<strong>in</strong>g guidance and mentor<strong>in</strong>g, only tocut them off at the knees at every turn. Hemay have the most complicated relationshipat the firm. Brought on by Sterl<strong>in</strong>g,a lawyer who still believes <strong>in</strong> justice forall, Rowdy f<strong>in</strong>ds himself sw<strong>in</strong>g<strong>in</strong>g betweenboth poles as he tries to placate Sterl<strong>in</strong>gwhile enjoy<strong>in</strong>g the spoils that work<strong>in</strong>g forthe cutthroat Huddle br<strong>in</strong>gs.<strong>The</strong> other senior member of the firm is theimperious Susan Oppenheim (Nicole AriParker). She’s married to Huddle and is theonly th<strong>in</strong>g keep<strong>in</strong>g her husband and Sterl<strong>in</strong>gfrom tear<strong>in</strong>g each other’s eyes out <strong>in</strong> theirburgeon<strong>in</strong>g power struggle. <strong>The</strong> fifth newbiethat will surely become the ball Sterl<strong>in</strong>gand Huddle bat between them is Malcolm,<strong>The</strong> Deep Endplayed by Aust<strong>in</strong> native Mehcad Brooks(see “He’s Not a Lawyer, But He Plays Oneon TV,” p.39). Hired outside the normal process,Malcolm is already out of step with theother newbies and likely to make Huddle gofor the <strong>in</strong>visible mustache he always seemson the verge of twirl<strong>in</strong>g s<strong>in</strong>isterly.With a few splashes of colorand some wilder clothes, thiscould be the law firm versiontveyeof Ugly Betty, the big differencebe<strong>in</strong>g that <strong>The</strong> Deep End<strong>in</strong>tends to be mostly serious,while Ugly Betty is a caricatureof the high fashion world.Yet, <strong>in</strong> spite of its primary-coloreddepictions, I actually like <strong>The</strong>Deep End. It makes me giggle. I’m not sureI’m supposed to be giggl<strong>in</strong>g all the times If<strong>in</strong>d myself giggl<strong>in</strong>g, but I’m hav<strong>in</strong>g a goodtime, nonetheless.<strong>The</strong> Deep End premieres Thursday, Jan. 21,at 7pm on ABC.What Else Is On?Jan. 17: Human Target. Mark Valley(Fr<strong>in</strong>ge) stars <strong>in</strong> this new drama based onthe DC graphic novel. <strong>The</strong> two-hour, eighthseason premiere of 24 follows, both on Fox.Jan. 25: Damages returns for a third seasonon FX.And lastly, the 67th Annual Golden GlobeAwards, hosted by Ricky Gervais, will betelecast live on Sunday, Jan. 17, on NBC.As always, stay tuned.Follow TV Eye on Twitter: @<strong>Chronicle</strong>TVEye.E-mail Bel<strong>in</strong>da Acosta at tveye@aust<strong>in</strong>chronicle.com.NOWOPENTHE BOB BULLOCK TEXAS STATE HISTORY MUSEUMFROM THE DIRECTOR OF “TITANIC”AT AUSTIN’S ONLY IMAX THEATREIMAX ® 3D is a registered trademark of IMAX Corporation1800 N. 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