Exploring the government of Boston, Massachusetts and clocking in at a whopping four and a half hours long, it's the latest in Wiseman's series of fly-on-the-wall documentaries that takes a deep dive into institutions which includes the critically acclaimed National Gallery, Ex Libris: The New York Public Library and At Berkley.
We spoke to the 91-year-old director who gave us a few moments of his time to share his thoughts on all things City Hall.
Zavvi: How long did it take to set up making the movie?
Frederick: 10 days, several emails and one visit.
Zavvi: How did you go about securing permission to make the film? How did that process differ to your experience on National Gallery, Ex Libris and At Berkeley?
Frederick: I wrote a letter to the Mayor and he responded with interest. I went to see him and described what I wanted to do and he agreed. For National Gallery, I met with the director, same for Ex Libris. For At Berkley I met with the chancellor and Provost. After meeting them and discussing what I wanted to do, they agreed.
Zavvi: Once you had the go-ahead to make the film, how much leeway did you have? Was anything off limits?
Frederick: Nothing was off limits. Occasionally someone at a meeting with the Mayor did not want to be photographed and I respected their request.
Zavvi: Mayor Martin J. Walsh was an absolute gift of a subject – that closing scene alone is terrific. What were your impressions of Mayor Walsh throughout the filming?
Frederick: I thought Mayor Walsh was intelligent, capable, and a very good administrator.
Zavvi: You have described the film as being "anti-Trump".
Frederick: I did not set out to make an anti-Trump film. Trump made it an anti-Trump film because the contrast between Trump and Mayor Walsh is extreme.
Zavvi: How much preparation goes into the filming of each individual scene?
Frederick: Since nothing is staged, I am always prepared to shoot whatever is going on that interests me. I don’t get written releases. I get tape-recorded consent.
Zavvi: At what point in the process did the film begin to take shape for you?
Frederick: After I have edited all of the individual sequences that I might use and have played with different possible structures.
Zavvi: How did you approach the editing process?
Frederick: I review all the footage, then edit in close to final form the sequences I might use. It is only when I have edited the useable sequences that I begin to work on the structure. There were 105 hours of raw footage and editing individual sequences takes six to eight months.
Zavvi: My favourite sequence was the garbage truck scene. I could have watched an entire film about that garbage truck. Was that just luck, or is there a tonne of unused garbage truck footage on the cutting room floor?
Frederick: There was not a lot of unused footage. The footage was deliberately shot with a lot of close-ups because I thought from pervious experience that would be a good way to shoot it. In the editing, I tried to establish the rhythm of the work.
Zavvi: My second favourite moment was the unexpected rendition of Red River Valley. Did you know that was coming, or was that as much of a surprise to you as it was to the participants?
Frederick: Complete surprise as are all the sequences in my films.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YTotdnzLqdo
Zavvi: What's your next project? More specifically, do you have a wish list of institutions you'd like to film? If so, I'd like to put in a request for The Smithsonian.
Frederick: I haven’t yet decided on the next project and don’t generally talk about it until it is finished. Thank you for your suggestion of the Smithsonian. That is a subject that interests me.
City Hall will have its UK premiere at the Glasgow Film Festival this week.For all things pop culture and the latest news, follow us on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok.
