Sep 29, 2023·edited Sep 29, 2023Liked by Taegan MacLean
Moving, affecting and a beautiful tribute to your father, as well as an opening of your heart around grieving.
I sort of feel like I watched two documentaries then, the first half really focussed on your father and his life and the importance of the racetrack. I love how you can bring such intimacy with the people you interview, and I think part of this comes from you filming them whilst they are doing things (I'm sure there's a filmy term for that, haha). John driving (and later Kelly, and your mum walking) seems to enable this freedom that perhaps isn't so readily captured in a face-on interview. The fact that you have so much video footage of your father is such a lovely thing. I don't think I have any of my own father! I have photos, but no video. This Christmas I'm going back to the UK to see my family and this has inspired me to make sure I record some video, even though I'd say my father is camera-shy (in many photos of me and my brother as kids, he's the one behind the camera) or simply not fussed about being on film.
The second part of this was especially impactful. Moving into it, because of what you did in the first half, I felt more connected to who your father was as a person, built on top of what you've said about his passing in previous videos and comments. You all open your heart where many may keep it closed, and that's a beautiful thing.
The black hole analogy made me stop and pause.
And then the hole in the fence? And the name of the creeper??
Your dad had some amazing skill on those rollerblades!
Finally, I love that you shared what you were *going* to do with the video, but how that changed.
A stunning conclusion to One Word's first season, Taegan. Your father would be so proud.
If you are OK with me asking (you don't have to answer), does this give you any added sense of closure at having reached this point and made this?
I just want to first say I've read your comment here many times, and it's been helpful to me. Your thoughtful reading and viewing has been a big reason why this platform encouraged me in this first year.
You know, I've always wished I had more footage of my dad. Your comment made me realize how lucky I was to have as much footage as I did. Without it, this film would have been very different. Please capture footage of your dad, your family. As much as you can. The power of film grows over time. Consider it planting seeds for future harvest. It may not even be you who harvests them.
As for your question... I think it changed my relationship with his death, yes. Not closure though. Now, I feel I have done my best to tell his story, and I've been given the opportunity to explore other stories. But the hole in the fence will always be there.
Hey Taegan. Thanks so much for this reply, those words mean a lot and are powerful. You know, after reading what you said a few days ago, I went and took several videos of my wife whilst we were still away on holiday. Just mundane things, little questions and silliness and chatting over a drink. Too often I've worried about cluttering up my phone with video (it's not like phones are short on space these days), so I'm glad to be changing my perspective and when I see my parents this Christmas I'm going to make sure to get the video out plenty. So, thanks 🙏
I hope I wasn't overstepping the mark asking about closure. You've done an amazing job with telling his story.
That's so freaking amazing! I'm so glad you captured some moments. I often think the same way: don't want to clutter up the phone. Or, don't want to make the people around me feel awkward. But whenever I see the reaction of people watching their family footage on VHS decades later, the amount of joy they have is infectious. We capture family moments today like adding savings into an account. The value grows over time.
You didn't overstep at all. I appreciate your thoughts. I consider you a talented artist and your insight has has helped to shape this project.
Taegan, thank you. This is helpful and healing work. The death of a parent is so nuanced and delicate. I just lost my own father last week. It's hard because no one really knows what to offer another human being at a time like that. What can we possibly say? Your storytelling consoles where platitudes fail. You show how the conversation between a parent and child never really ends.
I'm really sorry about your dad's death. I don't believe the ones we love ever really leave. Who you are would be impossible without them, and who you will turn out to be after they're gone would also be impossible.
Taegan, this is such a beautiful tribute to your father; gentle, intimate, honest. It was so wonderful to briefly meet Dave Maclean. I especially loved seeing him with Mrs. Specklewing—their bond seemed so apparent. I also really appreciated you speaking to the toll that this took—it’s big, beautiful work that you’re undertaking. I’m happy to see you have some vacation time coming up! Thank you for the thoughtful, considered images and poetry that you offer to the world, friend. It makes it a friendlier place to navigate.
Thanks for the kind words. The vacation and time away from the project was much needed. I'll be in touch next month - I have an idea I want to run by you.
A Woodbine Double! Outstanding Taegan and Matt for the Soundtrack 💎💎💎. So, so, good and touching. The duffel bag scene got to me... that’s all that remains in the physical world, for a while until that, too, is gone.
This is such a beautiful work of art. You remind me very much of filmmaker Ross McElwee. Have you by chance seen his "Sherman's March"? I am very much looking forward to following your career.
When I started making these films earlier this year, I didn't know of McElwee. But a writer and friend of the project mentioned McElwee and I have since watched some of his work. He's incredible. I've learned a lot from his visual narrative and shooting style. I can't believe he was making memoir documentaries back in the 80s. I really loved Bright Leaves. His work hit especially hard for me because I was raised in the American South until I was about 11 years old.
I guess what I'm saying is - thank you. There's no better compliment to me than reminding someone of McElwee.
Glad to have you here and looking forward to what you think of the work ahead.
Thanks for the kind response, Taegan! Making bold to pass along just ONE more reference to someone else I immediately thought of with your fascinating "One Word" approach. Am a huge fan of Turkish writer Orhan Pamuk. Excerpt below is from a very perceptive review of his mystery/thriller/one-of-a-kind novel "My Name Is Red." I recommend him most highly. Cheers with the content work this week. I was abruptly laid off a month ago from a law firm (I do admin/paralegal/legal web stuff as my day gig) and am rocking the "Branded Surveys" as I figure out my next move. Am such an incredibly SLOW creative writer that I have to keep that old $$ coming in any way I can. Ahh, what can we do? : )
From review (citation available on request):
"The book is written in the form of 59 short chapters, each a monologue by one of the characters. Most of the chapters are narrated by the central characters - Black Effendi, Enishte, Shekure, the miniaturists and so on - but several are unconventional. The opening chapter is narrated by a freshly killed corpse, while others are narrated by the picture of a dog, a horse and even the colour red, from which comes the title of the book. The multiple perspectives work very well as a murder mystery - the narration by the killer, for example, invites the reader to guess at his identity through his style - and help Pamuk to push his complex cultural debate much better than any single perspective could have managed.
The amazing thing is that the book works at every level. As a murder mystery, it is thrilling and loaded with suspense, while as an allegory on the clash of cultures, it is masterful and subtle. Pamuk is far from being didactic or one-dimensional. The Ottoman world is indeed depicted as a despotic and insular culture, increasingly constrained and hampered by rigid and oppressive orthodoxies. But the orthodoxies have their own internal justifications and rationalisations. In a world where 'the center will not hold and mere anarchy is loosed upon the world', these certainties do have an appeal. Pamuk is too much of a postmodern intellectual to actually embrace these ideologies but he is not above suspecting that in all this 'progress' something has also been lost...."
I avoided watching this when it came out because I had a gut feeling the empath in me would start crying; and boy was I not ready for this. I was deeply moved by Dave's story and I could almost feel your mom, brother and you going through katharsis toward the end of the documentary. Thank you for sharing this with us.
That feeling of katharsis, of the viewer feeling that the film is moving towards something new, is exactly what I want to explore with my work next year. This was a revitalizing comment and I appreciate you taking the time to watch. I'm grateful for your attention and support.
Taegan, this was a moving piece of art. My wish is that this is good for your soul and inspires viewers to ponder and act on their relationships in this moment. I think about my relationship with my own parents and how I want to write down the few memories I have of my childhood, and seek out and write down their memories while I have the chance. Thank you for sharing this with the world. ✨
Thank you. I hope you end up writing out or talking with your parents about their memories. You don't have to do anything with them now, but they could be fruitful later. I've also been following your poetry and it's incredible. I'm especially interested in your process element. Poets that can illuminate the inner workings of a piece are few and far between.
Such a beautiful, touching homage to your father. He would have been so proud of you. Sorrow and grief makes us re-examine our choices and teach us how to be better, if that's any consolation. Thank you for your bravery, openness, and vulnerability in sharing such a personal part of you, your family, and familial experience. No doubt this will help so many navigate through their own mourning.
That's really kind of you to say. I agree, I think he'd be proud of this one. Also, I really enjoyed your Grim Fandango piece. It's a game I've always wanted to play. A majoy piece of video game cannon - and your thoughts on it have pushed the game up higher on the list.
Thank you. Woodbine. This is absolutely extraordinary. Beauty. I missed it earlier, somehow, and now, after once through, will return to see this again in the light of day.
I'll answer to just about anything (!). Ken for friends, Kenneth being the first port o' call, and at yoga (for some unexamined reason). Kenny, still from a few very old friends, and it makes me think of youth hockey, someone yelling for the puck...
No idea where you find the courage to share these parts of you, but thank you
Looking forward to watching this. And listening to FogChaser’s soundtrack.
Thanks Peter,
Hope you enjoy it. I'm taking the film down on Nov 13th so I can enter it into a film festival. Just fyi.
Stunningly beautiful. Well done.
Thanks Scoot. Really appreciate your support.
Moving, affecting and a beautiful tribute to your father, as well as an opening of your heart around grieving.
I sort of feel like I watched two documentaries then, the first half really focussed on your father and his life and the importance of the racetrack. I love how you can bring such intimacy with the people you interview, and I think part of this comes from you filming them whilst they are doing things (I'm sure there's a filmy term for that, haha). John driving (and later Kelly, and your mum walking) seems to enable this freedom that perhaps isn't so readily captured in a face-on interview. The fact that you have so much video footage of your father is such a lovely thing. I don't think I have any of my own father! I have photos, but no video. This Christmas I'm going back to the UK to see my family and this has inspired me to make sure I record some video, even though I'd say my father is camera-shy (in many photos of me and my brother as kids, he's the one behind the camera) or simply not fussed about being on film.
The second part of this was especially impactful. Moving into it, because of what you did in the first half, I felt more connected to who your father was as a person, built on top of what you've said about his passing in previous videos and comments. You all open your heart where many may keep it closed, and that's a beautiful thing.
The black hole analogy made me stop and pause.
And then the hole in the fence? And the name of the creeper??
Your dad had some amazing skill on those rollerblades!
Finally, I love that you shared what you were *going* to do with the video, but how that changed.
A stunning conclusion to One Word's first season, Taegan. Your father would be so proud.
If you are OK with me asking (you don't have to answer), does this give you any added sense of closure at having reached this point and made this?
Hey Nathan,
I just want to first say I've read your comment here many times, and it's been helpful to me. Your thoughtful reading and viewing has been a big reason why this platform encouraged me in this first year.
You know, I've always wished I had more footage of my dad. Your comment made me realize how lucky I was to have as much footage as I did. Without it, this film would have been very different. Please capture footage of your dad, your family. As much as you can. The power of film grows over time. Consider it planting seeds for future harvest. It may not even be you who harvests them.
As for your question... I think it changed my relationship with his death, yes. Not closure though. Now, I feel I have done my best to tell his story, and I've been given the opportunity to explore other stories. But the hole in the fence will always be there.
Hey Taegan. Thanks so much for this reply, those words mean a lot and are powerful. You know, after reading what you said a few days ago, I went and took several videos of my wife whilst we were still away on holiday. Just mundane things, little questions and silliness and chatting over a drink. Too often I've worried about cluttering up my phone with video (it's not like phones are short on space these days), so I'm glad to be changing my perspective and when I see my parents this Christmas I'm going to make sure to get the video out plenty. So, thanks 🙏
I hope I wasn't overstepping the mark asking about closure. You've done an amazing job with telling his story.
Hey Nathan,
That's so freaking amazing! I'm so glad you captured some moments. I often think the same way: don't want to clutter up the phone. Or, don't want to make the people around me feel awkward. But whenever I see the reaction of people watching their family footage on VHS decades later, the amount of joy they have is infectious. We capture family moments today like adding savings into an account. The value grows over time.
You didn't overstep at all. I appreciate your thoughts. I consider you a talented artist and your insight has has helped to shape this project.
🙏🤗
Taegan, thank you. This is helpful and healing work. The death of a parent is so nuanced and delicate. I just lost my own father last week. It's hard because no one really knows what to offer another human being at a time like that. What can we possibly say? Your storytelling consoles where platitudes fail. You show how the conversation between a parent and child never really ends.
Hey Ann,
I'm really sorry about your dad's death. I don't believe the ones we love ever really leave. Who you are would be impossible without them, and who you will turn out to be after they're gone would also be impossible.
Oh yes. Going forward into who you'll be... still loving life... living into your unfolding story. I'll keep that close.
Oh, Ann. I’m so sorry to hear about your loss. Sending you my deepest condolences.
Thank you, Matt.
Taegan, this is such a beautiful tribute to your father; gentle, intimate, honest. It was so wonderful to briefly meet Dave Maclean. I especially loved seeing him with Mrs. Specklewing—their bond seemed so apparent. I also really appreciated you speaking to the toll that this took—it’s big, beautiful work that you’re undertaking. I’m happy to see you have some vacation time coming up! Thank you for the thoughtful, considered images and poetry that you offer to the world, friend. It makes it a friendlier place to navigate.
Hey Chloe,
Thanks for the kind words. The vacation and time away from the project was much needed. I'll be in touch next month - I have an idea I want to run by you.
Glad to hear it, Taegan. Looking forward to hearing from you.
A Woodbine Double! Outstanding Taegan and Matt for the Soundtrack 💎💎💎. So, so, good and touching. The duffel bag scene got to me... that’s all that remains in the physical world, for a while until that, too, is gone.
Hey Alexander,
Thanks a lot. I've been following your photography posts and each one is better than the last.
Did you ever get to Charleston?
I haven’t in some time, but I believe my mom is heading down there after Christmas
This is such a beautiful work of art. You remind me very much of filmmaker Ross McElwee. Have you by chance seen his "Sherman's March"? I am very much looking forward to following your career.
Best to you! Maureen Murphy
Hey Maureen,
When I started making these films earlier this year, I didn't know of McElwee. But a writer and friend of the project mentioned McElwee and I have since watched some of his work. He's incredible. I've learned a lot from his visual narrative and shooting style. I can't believe he was making memoir documentaries back in the 80s. I really loved Bright Leaves. His work hit especially hard for me because I was raised in the American South until I was about 11 years old.
I guess what I'm saying is - thank you. There's no better compliment to me than reminding someone of McElwee.
Glad to have you here and looking forward to what you think of the work ahead.
Thanks for the kind response, Taegan! Making bold to pass along just ONE more reference to someone else I immediately thought of with your fascinating "One Word" approach. Am a huge fan of Turkish writer Orhan Pamuk. Excerpt below is from a very perceptive review of his mystery/thriller/one-of-a-kind novel "My Name Is Red." I recommend him most highly. Cheers with the content work this week. I was abruptly laid off a month ago from a law firm (I do admin/paralegal/legal web stuff as my day gig) and am rocking the "Branded Surveys" as I figure out my next move. Am such an incredibly SLOW creative writer that I have to keep that old $$ coming in any way I can. Ahh, what can we do? : )
From review (citation available on request):
"The book is written in the form of 59 short chapters, each a monologue by one of the characters. Most of the chapters are narrated by the central characters - Black Effendi, Enishte, Shekure, the miniaturists and so on - but several are unconventional. The opening chapter is narrated by a freshly killed corpse, while others are narrated by the picture of a dog, a horse and even the colour red, from which comes the title of the book. The multiple perspectives work very well as a murder mystery - the narration by the killer, for example, invites the reader to guess at his identity through his style - and help Pamuk to push his complex cultural debate much better than any single perspective could have managed.
The amazing thing is that the book works at every level. As a murder mystery, it is thrilling and loaded with suspense, while as an allegory on the clash of cultures, it is masterful and subtle. Pamuk is far from being didactic or one-dimensional. The Ottoman world is indeed depicted as a despotic and insular culture, increasingly constrained and hampered by rigid and oppressive orthodoxies. But the orthodoxies have their own internal justifications and rationalisations. In a world where 'the center will not hold and mere anarchy is loosed upon the world', these certainties do have an appeal. Pamuk is too much of a postmodern intellectual to actually embrace these ideologies but he is not above suspecting that in all this 'progress' something has also been lost...."
I avoided watching this when it came out because I had a gut feeling the empath in me would start crying; and boy was I not ready for this. I was deeply moved by Dave's story and I could almost feel your mom, brother and you going through katharsis toward the end of the documentary. Thank you for sharing this with us.
Hey Walther,
That feeling of katharsis, of the viewer feeling that the film is moving towards something new, is exactly what I want to explore with my work next year. This was a revitalizing comment and I appreciate you taking the time to watch. I'm grateful for your attention and support.
Thanks Taegan. Because of your beautiful tribute, I know I would have really liked him!
He also loved South Carolina. I didn't get to explore that side in the film, but he was a Southerner in a past life, for sure.
Taegan, this was a moving piece of art. My wish is that this is good for your soul and inspires viewers to ponder and act on their relationships in this moment. I think about my relationship with my own parents and how I want to write down the few memories I have of my childhood, and seek out and write down their memories while I have the chance. Thank you for sharing this with the world. ✨
Hey Brian,
Thank you. I hope you end up writing out or talking with your parents about their memories. You don't have to do anything with them now, but they could be fruitful later. I've also been following your poetry and it's incredible. I'm especially interested in your process element. Poets that can illuminate the inner workings of a piece are few and far between.
Thanks Taegan!
What a wonderful piece :-D
Your dada had a cool job and was a cool guy.
And he did a good job! That's for sure.
Thank you for sharing.
Have a great day!
Thank you Rocket,
You've been a champion of this space for a good portion of the year and it means a lot.
Same here.
Such a beautiful, touching homage to your father. He would have been so proud of you. Sorrow and grief makes us re-examine our choices and teach us how to be better, if that's any consolation. Thank you for your bravery, openness, and vulnerability in sharing such a personal part of you, your family, and familial experience. No doubt this will help so many navigate through their own mourning.
Hey Nadia,
That's really kind of you to say. I agree, I think he'd be proud of this one. Also, I really enjoyed your Grim Fandango piece. It's a game I've always wanted to play. A majoy piece of video game cannon - and your thoughts on it have pushed the game up higher on the list.
I appreciate you, Taegan! I think you'll enjoy this game quite a bit if you're seeking some levity!
Thank you. Woodbine. This is absolutely extraordinary. Beauty. I missed it earlier, somehow, and now, after once through, will return to see this again in the light of day.
Hey Kenneth,
Thank you. Kenneth is my middle name. Do people call you Ken or Kenny? Or do they stick to Kenneth?
I'll answer to just about anything (!). Ken for friends, Kenneth being the first port o' call, and at yoga (for some unexamined reason). Kenny, still from a few very old friends, and it makes me think of youth hockey, someone yelling for the puck...
Wow! This is one that needs to be revisited frequently to remind one of the important things in life.
Hey Peter,
Thank you, sir. I got your email but wasn't sure the context - it looked like part of a convo between you and someone else? Let me know!
It was just me commenting on the power of Woodbine.