Raised in the South of Normal #maconfilmfest
My back is pressed against the cool glass doors at the Douglass Theatre. The heat has stilled the afternoon to a stop but yet, standing in front of me is a mob of angry women, sweating in tiaras and feather boas.
“Lets just rush the doors!” One shouts from the back.
I shake my head, “You wouldn’t want to do that, ladies. You would have to come through me. I’m out here sweating just like the rest of you. But you are some bad ass bitches.”
They roar and then fall into cackling. You see, these fan-waving fierce ladies have gathered for the sole purpose of watching the first Georgia screening of Raised in the South of Normal at the Macon Film Festival in Macon, Georgia. Raised is a film produced by Espeuté Productions. Based off local writer Lauretta Hannon’s memoir The Cracker Queen, the film is a short documentary in which Hannon reveals intimate details about her life that make up the backbone of her book. The women are her following, the Cracker Cult, has they have deemed themselves.
Lauretta and her cult at the pre-screening party
When they finally usher us into the theater, the cracker queens are wound up tight. The film is a well-balanced mix of Hannon telling her stories and the crew shooting on location. When you see the small concrete block home that Hannon grew up in, it begins to become clearer why Espeuté choose the Cracker Queen as their subject. The strength rippling from this woman is what draws so many to her book. It is like trying to crack a code. How did some one with such a rough past become such a positive influence on those around her? Just an hour ago, she stood at Grant’s Lounge, holding church, as her queens said, shouting proudly, “You gotta turn a set back into a come back,” in her soft drawl.
E.M. Watson and Daniel Espeut
After the screening, I spoke with CEO and filmmaker Daniel Espeut and his business partner, E.M. Watson. Daniel is a fast talker and he’s constantly moving his hands. I could see why his film company has progressed so rapidly. He graduated from SCAD and now his company works out of Atlanta doing everything from documentaries to weddings.
However, Daniel’s favorite film style?
“Narrative. I like telling stories. It is what drew me to Lauretta.” He tells me sitting at the bar of Parish, drinking soda and lemon.
A focus on interesting narratives, or, the “misunderstood artist or person” is a specialty of Daniel’s. His previous work, Greasepaint, is the story of a family of clowns.
I laugh when he tells me. Clowns? But it is his pull to the unusual regional story that brought him to Joey Thurmond.
Later I ask, “Tell me one weird thing about yourself.”
Daniel tilts his head, adjusts his glasses, turns to E.M. (they’ve been friends since high school) E.M. shrugs, “I cant’t answer for you.”
Suddenly he nods, “I love pro-wrestling. Another reason I wanted to make Greasepaint. Joey Thurmond (the father clown) was a pro-wrestler.”
Beside us, E.M. Watson drinks a Guinness. I’ve been a little nervous to talk to him. He’s the strong silent type and careful with his words– just what you want in some one who markets your business. E.M.composes all the music for the company while also creating music of his own. Not only did Daniel debut a documentary, but a music video he composed for E.M.’s solo work (as Playground Hero)— “Don’t Be Judging Me”. In the video, E.M. dances his way down a city street in Athens, later joined by Daniel. The take is one long shot and Daniel choreographed it all.
While Daniel went from high school into the industry, E.M. just recently decided to follow his dream of pursuing a career in entertainment. His advice to me after I loosened him up over the past few days and got him into a bar:
“Man, just do it if you want to. I lived in a storage unit at one point. You do what you have to do if you really want it.”
After a long week-end of documentaries, I was impressed with E.M.’s work on Raised. I asked E.M. how he approached writing the music for Raised in the South of Normal.
He nods, “Good question. I had to read the book first. It took me about a week. And what you get is me trying to capture the emotions I was having throughout the book. The key to music in a documentary is subtlety.”
They let me know earlier Hannon chose “Don’t Be Judgin’ Me” as the Cracker Queen anthem, so I had to ask, “How did that come about?”
“Daniel was trying to sell Lauretta on his skill and showed her the video. She loved it.” E.M. laughs, “Crazy, right?”
Lauretta turned Daniel down a few years back the first time he asked to make a short documentary about her. Now, however, there is an easiness between Lauretta and Daniel that was evident at the Pre-screening PBR Party at Grant’s Lounge. Daniel noted that was just part of doing documentaries, “You must become an expert on your subject. I know so much about her now.”
What is in the future for Espeuté Productions? Daniel said he’d like to focus on other narratives from around Georgia. I asked if he would consider filming or coming back to Macon.
“Oh yeah,” He flashes his quick grin, “Macon is good to us and we’re going to be good to it.”
