Jane Garcia campaign poster made by her children

Technical Perspective

During our interview (and leading up to it) we came across more than a few unexpected technical difficulties and found some things that worked really well for us. The day before the interview we were scrambling to find a camera. The lesson we learned here is prepare in advance. We were eventually able to get the correct camera and it actually helped us find out that the wireless microphone is a far superior product. We accidentally got a wireless “lav” mic and it made shooting much easier. There was a wireless receiver that plugged into the camera while the interview subject wore a wireless transmitter. This made it so that we didn’t have to run a long cord from the interviewee to the camera and we weren’t tethered to each other. One big lesson we learned from this shoot is that no matter how well you frame up your shot, your interview subject is going to move (ours moved a lot). I found myself constantly making slight adjustments to the camera just to try to keep her in frame. We also learned that it would be hugely beneficial to bring some sort of filing system along with you. Luckily, Jane was able to give us a large stack of manila folders to help us organize her archive. Without these folders we would have just had stacks of different sized documents scattered all or the place. One big issue that we had was communication. While I was running the camera, Abe was taking notes. Part of Abe’s job was to mark times of odd noises and interesting points. This was hard to do because I was running the camera and he couldn’t see the screen. We ended up using a mixture of hand signals and him peering over my shoulder and clearing things up during breaks.

            The process was actually quite painless overall. After getting there, setting up the camera and doing sound checks, doing background setup, doing lighting checks, and make sure the white balance was good only took about a half hour but could have been accomplished much quicker if needed. I recommend the cameraperson find a chair as standing over the camera can get quite uncomfortable after the first 30 or so minutes. We had a very accommodating and short-winded interviewee and we wrapped up the interview after only about an hour of filming. One personal thing that I noticed was that I missed a lot of the story because I was focused on making sure I captured everything that she said rather than focusing on what she said.  

Interview Process

The view from behind the camera

            Christian and I got to La Sed at the exact moment that Professor Cotera pulled up in her car just after 2:30. Together we unloaded all of the equipment and went inside. La Sed is located inside of what used to be a bank. The gray-brown stone façade is still very attractive and it stands proudly on the corner of Vernor and Scotten. It still had the slight feel of a bank when we entered, though it that had not been its purpose for decades. We went upstairs to find Jane Garcia, our interviewee, in her office. She and Professor Cotera embraced warmly. She was kind when introduced to Christian and myself, and when given the details about the interview process, Jane did not seem self-conscious in the slightest. Here was a woman who was used to taking the spotlight when it was necessary.

            Elena Herrada arrived shortly after we did, ready to go. She would lead the interview process, not Professor Cotera. This added an interesting dynamic. From the interviews that I had seen on Medici, I noticed that Professor Cotera was much less involved. I got the impression that she wanted all of the attention of the view to be focused on the interviewee. Cotera was much more detached, allowing the interviewee to narrate with her giving only slight parameters. The interview between Jane Garcia and Elena Herrada was much more conversational in tone—and as a result it was a bit more superficial. There were moments when I would cast a glance at Professor Cotera to see her raise a finger, or lean forward in her chair at some point that she wanted Elena to get Jane to elaborate further on.

            We still did learn quite a bit about Jane though and our recorder caught the moments off camera where Jane revealed more in-depth details about the nature of her work. The fact that she had worked at La Sed as a volunteer for so many years amazed everyone. We assumed that she was a paid employee, but we learned that this was not the case. Having Elena interview Jane Garcia gave us a short overview of her life. She was detailed where required, but much like most people being interviewed, she did not seem to think that finer details of her story were very important.

            I think that Christian and I learned a lot at La Sed. We certainly gathered a lot of information from Jane’s own personal archive. Looking at the numerous letters of correspondence with corporations that Jane had acquired through the years, I got a glimpse into the dynamic and powerfully driven woman that was only partly revealed in her interview. You got the sense that there was a lot more hiding under the surface. And she was so humble about all of it—and funny; her laugh was seriously infectious. Jane Garcia’s sense of self was rooted in her community, and her years of unpaid service to La Sed and the people of Detroit provided evidence of this. We wrapped up and left shortly after 5:00, and Jane was the last person to leave the building.

Jane Garcia resumé