Bryan Smith chats with
A.J. Eaton
The son of a musician and songwriter, AJ Eaton grew up in rural Idaho but has worked as a television and film director in Los Angeles for the last 20 years. His 2019 documentary David Crosby: Remember My Name (produced by Cameron Crowe, Greg Mariotti, and Michele Farinola).
From its premiere at Sundance and subsequent theatrical release, the film garnered positive reviews with a 98% “Certified Fresh” rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and won multiple awards, including Best Music Documentary at the Boulder International Film Festival, as well as a Grammy Nomination for Best Music Film.
What you will learn:
- How growing up in a musical family influenced him creatively.
- How aj eaton learned about filmmaking in a state that has no film school (Idaho).
- Why he was appointed by the Governor of Idaho to help encourage filmmakers to shoot movies in that state.
- How jobs he took as an aspiring filmmaker helped him hone his skills as an editor, producer, and director.
- How he turned his idea to interview David Crosby on film, with no funding and no backing from a studio, into a fully-realized documentary, produced by world-renowned, iconic filmmaker Cameron Crowe.
- What it was like to attend the Sundance Film Festival with David Crosby.
- What it was like to work with Cameron Crowe and how Cameron’s unique interview techniques resulted in profoundly touching disclosures and revelations by Crosby.
- The unique challenges presented by the documentary filmmaking process.
Resources About AJ Eaton:
- https://www.sonyclassics.com/davidcrosby/#5thPage
- https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1740505/awards?ref_=nm_awd
- https://twitter.com/ajeaton
- @ajefilm on Instagram
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ln9dtQ8tuKk
- Click Here for the Full Transcript of the Interview with A.J.
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