SOPHIE ZAWADZKI

This is Dell Beekman's film. He was a WW2 paratrooper.  He loved telling his stories. I interviewed him several times. On the last shoot, my mom and I went to visit Dell and found him sitting in a completely dark room.  He told us that he "thought he might die".  We asked if he wanted to do the interview another day and he said no.  We started the interview but set up with minimal lights. The lack of light hurt the film's quality but helped Dell feel comfortable. The process pepped him up. He talked for a few hours. I am sometimes frustrated by the poor lighting when I rewatch the film but then I remember how appreciative Dell was. I think that decision improved the quality of content and helped him tell his story. At the end of the day, as I was packing up, (even though we were told that Dell had not walked by himself for over a week) Dell walked to his closet to show me his military uniform. He was very proud to still fit into it. It was an amazing day and Dell was an amazing guy. He died 3 days after that last shoot.  I am thankful for my time with him and the opportunity to share his story.