Passenger Trains > Documentary About Journeying Aboard the Builder

Sounds like an interesting Slice of Life film about journeying aboard the Empire Builder. Screening at Tribeca tonight.

“I think Albert recognized the special quality to the space of the train. On the one hand, you’re looking out the window,
you’re maybe in a more self-reflective space. On another hand, you’re in a social space where you’re forced to engage
with other people,” said Nelson Walker, one of the filmmakers on the In Transit team.
 
“The combination of those two things puts people in a position where they are a little more ready to share deeper things
about their lives and their experiences.”

...the Empire Builder goes from Chicago to Portland and Seattle over three days, covering terrain
that is not easily accessible by other forms of public transportation, especially during the winter months when
In Transit was filmed in late 2013 and early 2014.

As a result, it attracts passengers from an array of economic and social backgrounds who really have no other
way to travel through this region. “Most people had a reason to be there. It wasn’t as if they were afraid of flying
or for tourism purposes,” said Walker.

As the name also suggests, the Empire Builder also encapsulates the mystique of westward expansion, which
is very much alive in its own way today. “The Empire Builder stuck out immediately in large part because there
were so many people seeking fame, fortune, family, getting back to their roots, starting over. It was pretty
undeniable early on this idea of the American Dream and different manifestations were coloring the process,”
said Lynn True, another one of the filmmakers behind In Transit.

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/04/16/albert-maysles-epic-last-train-ride-the-beauty-of-in-transit.html  

Tri Becca  film festival.  New York. Hope it travels.

cutboy2 Wrote:
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> Tri Becca  film festival.  New York. Hope it
> travels.

Thanks -- Tribeca is well known out here on the West Coast, but may not be obvious to all. It's named after the Lower Manhattan neighborhood where the festival is held each year. Tribeca is derived from TriBeCa which stood for Triangle Below Canal Street. 

Here's the trailer for the film >>> http://www.intransitfilm.com/trailer. Not sure how they'll be distributing it, but it should be available at some point ahead. Whenever I'm on the train, I always think about how long distance trains are really like a moving village. I think this film shines a light on that phenomenon. 
 

Looks like a neat documentary. Was Amtrak involved, or was this done gorilla style? 

Todd Clark
Canyon Country, CA
Trainorders.com

One line in the press notes seems to allude to Amtrak cooperation: Filmed over multiple trips in 2014 with rare access from Amtrak... 

There is also a brief mention about filming techniques:

In keeping with Maysles’ tradition of Direct Cinema, In Transit was filmed exclusively with
handheld cameras, using unobtrusive sound equipment and available lighting only. Co-
Directors Lynn True and Nelson Walker believe this organic approach to the process
allowed subjects to share their stories with remarkable candor. “To film in this environment
was very difficult. The tight quarters and constantly changing conditions required our crew
to be flexible and leave a small footprint, often filming one on one. This enabled us to
capture some incredibly intimate, personal moments that would likely have evaded us had
our approach been less understated.”

A rogerebert.com reviewer seemed to like it...http://www.rogerebert.com/festivals-and-awards/tribeca-2015-albert-maysles-in-transit