#its shown me like a real blind spot i have art wise because he is quite simple but getting that simplicity right consistently is hard for m

[tyranitarkisser]

Hi

[sliceannarbor]

Eric Saarinen

Director/Cinematographer
 Los Angeles, California
 ericsaarinenfilms.com

Photo by Perigrin Jung

SPECIAL GUEST SERIES

Eric Saarinen is a Los Angeles-based director and cinematographer best known for his work in feature films, documentaries, and wide-ranging commercial projects. The son of architect and designer, Eero Saarinen, and the grandson of architect, designer, and educator, Eliel Saarinen, Eric’s latest documentary project, Eliel Saarinen, now in development, is a tribute to his grandfather’s life and architectural contributions in Finland and the United States. He also co-produced, hosted, and was the director of photography on the documentary, Eero Saarinen, The Architect Who Saw the Future, part of a 2016 PBS American Masters series about his father. In earlier years, Eric served as director of photography in feature films by Albert Brooks, including Lost in America, Modern Romance, and Real Life. He also filmed music videos for Joni Mitchell, Jimi Hendrix, Pat Metheny, The Rolling Stones, Neil Young, and others. The recipient of numerous awards for his commercial work, Eric received 13 Clios, four MOMA’s, two Gold Hugo’s, and the Grand Prix at Cannes. He is a member of the Director’s Guild of America and was the first director of photography ever to be inducted into the American Society of Cinematographers for “Extraordinary Achievement in the Field of Television Commercials.” Eric earned a bachelor of arts at Goddard College, and a master of fine arts in filmmaking at UCLA. He was also inducted into the Finnish Society of Cinematographers. When Eric is not working, you can find him searching for the perfect woman. He resides near Los Angeles, in Harbor City, in a house filled with Mid-century modern furniture and art. Eric has two sons, Eliot and Evan.

FAVORITES

Book: The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway

Destination: Places no one has seen.

Motto: “Dare to be great” - Gordon Willis.

Sanctuary:  Mantaharyu, Finland (Midsummer’s Eve)

THE QUERY

Where were you born?

Detroit, Michigan

What were some of the passions and pastimes of your earlier years?

Pretending to be an Indian in the forest at the Cranbrook Educational Community, building a machine gun nest on the roof of the abandoned barn behind our house, and underwater kissing at Hilltop Camp, Northern Michigan.

What is your first memory of film as an experience?

When I was young, I made a film in a cardboard box with two cranks and paper images viewed through a large hole cut in the box. It seemed important at the time, although I don’t remember any plot twists.

How did you begin to realize your intrigue with cinematography/film?

By forgetting to close the gate in a 16mm Bolex camera, and later learning how beautiful a mistake can be. I felt that every frame I shot was proof that I was alive, then and there. I was legally blind and walleyed when I was young, so I taught myself the painter’s tricks of how to make three dimensions out of two.

How did you get your start in the profession of filmmaking/directing?

I made art films after UCLA film school for the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and Gemini GEL, a publisher of fine art limited edition prints and sculptures. I went to EXPO ‘70 in Osaka, Japan, and worked with artists of that period. I decided to try to work with other directors and bought a camera and worked my way up to feature films, shooting as a director of photography for more than 15 features.

Was there a project/period along the way that presented an important learning curve?

In 1981, my cameraman’s reel was shown to an agency, and someone had ‘mistakenly’ labeled it ‘director/cameraman.’ I directed a spot for the San Diego Zoo that went on to win best commercial in California (The Belding). This was the beginning of Plum Productions, a thriving commercial production company that my partner, Chuck Sloan, and I ran for 28 years.

What role did your father play in the creation of the Cranbrook community in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan?

Eero came to the United States when he was 13 years old. At that time, Cranbrook didn’t exist as a school. Growing up, Eero participated in the design of many of the details, placemats, school logos, chairs, gate designs, interior furnishings, etc. at Cranbrook. Years later, after studying at Yale, he came back to Michigan and taught architecture at Cranbrook. Charles and Ray Eames (my godparents), and my mother, Lily, studied there under Eliel Saarinen and Carl Millis. In its entirety, the educational community took about 15 years to build. Meanwhile, Eliel (then president at Cranbrook) and my father worked together on eight other projects before my grandfather passed away in 1950.  

How did the concept for the PBS American Masters documentary Eero Saarinen, The Architect Who Saw the Future, take seed?

Robert Zeigleman, an architect who worked for my dad, wanted to make a documentary about Eero. He did some research, found Peter Rosen, a seasoned documentary producer/director, and approached businessman and philanthropist, A. Alfred Taubman (he designed the shopping mall) who was a fan of my father’s work. Peter called and asked me if I wanted to shoot the documentary, and I turned him down. At the time, I still hated my father, largely because he had an affair with another woman, in 1953, when I was eleven years old. A divorce followed, and my mother, sister, and I had to leave Michigan. It was an unsettling time for me.

A year after I turned down the Eero documentary offer, I read the love letters between my father and Aline, and was able to put myself in his shoes. He was in love. Peter wisely filmed my journey back in time…looking at my father’s work, some I never had seen before. He let me shoot Eero’s work, design the shots, and so on, while he filmed my own discovery process - making it a multi-level story. I shot most of my father’s architecture in high definition (6K), to repurpose later, and donate to architectural causes.  

What was the greatest challenge in making this documentary?

I wanted to film my father’s work for people, now and in the future. I was working for him, and I had to ask myself repeatedly what my dad would say, as I planned and executed the shots. He had been a very hard taskmaster.

What wisdom emerged as a result of the making of this project?

The making of the documentary changed me. Ultimately, I forgave my father after studying and filming his work and raising him up again. It also turned out to be a way of forgiving myself. I realized it was no one’s fault. There is a huge benefit in forgiveness, even if it comes 50 years later. I finally felt centered in my own life.

How did the concept for your new documentary project, Eliel Saarinen, take seed/develop?

Being in the Eero film, as the through-line, I realized it was important to have a strong grasp of the truth in telling this story. I gathered all the books on my father and read and reread them. I had to be able to set the record straight, so to speak. Under that tall pile of books was Eliel’s little book, The Search for Form in Art and Architecture, published in 1948, which became the philosophy that both Eliel and my father practiced. For example, one of the tenets was to never imitate anyone; not even yourself. That was why every building that Eliel and Eero designed had its own style - to best solve the particular set of problems that were revealed.

For Dulles Airport, the problem was that travelers would be walking for miles, so the mobile lounge was created so each passenger had to walk no more than 150 feet. My father made this structure to express the new age of jet travel as a grand entrance…to enhance man’s self esteem.

In the early 1900s, train travel was similar. In designing the Helsinki Railroad Station, Eliel created a grand vision of the future of train travel. That building, too, was expressive and totally unique.

For additional information about the making of the Eliel Saarinen documentary, please visit ericsaarinenfilms.com.

What was your relationship with your grandfather?

“Farfar” or “father’s father,” we called him in Swedish, spoke to me before I knew words. We would spend time at Cranbrook, and he would let me run free in the woods. Christmas Eve was always spent there. Art was everything and Cranbrook became a favorite place for me…kind of like heavenly Elysian Fields. I would see the great scale, and ride on the wonderful sculptures by Carl Milles, and ask myself – who were these people that made this timeless and transcendent world? Eliel died when I was just eight years old. He was a very warm grandfather. I learned by watching him. He was very methodical.

In filming the Eero and Eliel documentaries, where did your travels take you?

In the United States, we scouted, and later filmed, so we went everywhere twice, including the General Motors Technical Center in Warren, Michigan; Saarinen office building in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan; John Deere International Headquarters in Moline, Illinois; Irwin Miller House in Columbus, Indiana; MIT Auditorium and Chapel in Cambridge, Massachusetts; CBS Black Rock skyscraper in New York, New York; North Christian Church in Columbus, Indiana; The Ingalls Hockey Rink, and subsequently the Morse and Stiles Colleges of Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut; and the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, Missouri. Of course, we also filmed at Cranbrook in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. In Finland we went to Eliel's Hvittrask Museum in Kirkkenonummi; Finnish National Railroad Station, Finnish National Museum, and Pohola Building in Helsinki; and Lahti City Hall in Lahti.

What architectural work of your grandfather’s do you find most beautiful?

Cranbrook was Eliel’s city plan: The Cranbrook School for Boys; Cranbrook Kingswood Girl’s School; Cranbrook Academy of Art; Cranbrook Institute of Science; Cranbrook Art Museum; and Cranbrook Library all used different forms. As president for many years, Eliel ended up bringing a large group of artists and architects together at Cranbrook, which became a focal point of Mid-century art and architecture. Eliel always said, “We don’t teach architecture at Cranbrook - the students learn it.” Eliel won the AIA Gold Medal for Cranbrook.

How would you describe your creative process?

Deductive, which is similar to my father’s process. You don’t start with a vision; instead the vision should be the result of problem solving. The first step is to find what the real problems are. That comes by understanding the client, and what he/she wants and needs. Ideally, it is a collaborative partnership. Then you gather the smartest people around and generate more ideas. Once you have the strong bones of the story, you figure out how to shoot it and where, and develop a kind of model, or pre-visualization, and then revise it. During filming, I try to stay low key - knowing I can trust the people around me.

What three things can’t you live without?

Passion, originality, and honesty.

Is there a filmmaker living today that you admire most?

Ridley Scott

What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?

“Success is 97% hard work and 3% talent.” - Eero Saarinen 
“Work is the key to creative growth of the mind.” - Eliel Saarinen

What drives you these days?

Completing the Saarinen legacy by filming Eliel’s work, incorporating his philosophy and thoughts. In addition, I’d love to do a film about Frank Gehry and his amazing work. These people did inspiring work. It’s rewarding to pass their passion on to our youth.