Scot French approached Lance and Hannah in the fall of 2009 with an audacious idea: Despite having little experience with film, would they be interested in making a documentary about the largely forgotten story of the Vinegar Hill? Absolutely.
After co-writing and acting in the short musical mockumentary “America the Best”—also selected for this year’s Virginia Film Festival—and volunteering at the 2009 Virginia Film Festival, Hannah and Lance eagerly took on the challenge. Their vision: Capture the stories of Vinegar Hill’s former residents, use their recollections to bring to life Scot’s remarkably rich research, and create an honest, innovative documentary that would honor the neighborhood’s history.
With financial support from the Charlottesville Area Community Foundation and production assistance from UVA’s Virginia Center for Digital History, the team shot their first footage in December 2009. They wrapped post-production, completing their first documentary film, ten months later.
As producer, Scot drew on his research at VCDH and relationships with current and former residents to organize interviews and collect historic documents and images. Lance, Hannah, and Scot interviewed residents Teresa Jackson Price, Ann Wicks Carter, and Kathy Harris; Vice Mayor Holly Edwards; and Westhaven resident and public housing advocate Joy Johnson, in their homes, at Jefferson School, and on front porches, over a four-month period.
Though trial and error, Lance and Hannah taught themselves all aspects of production and post-production, from camera operation to color correction. On nights and weekends, in cafés and at the dining room table, they edited footage and integrated historical photos, newspaper headlines, and city maps. Thanks to local designer Michaux Hood, they also incorporated color footage of Charlottesville from the 1940s, shot by her grandfather while on assignment for Kodak to test a new kind of film—color. Finally, they wrapped the film in music from local blues and folk artists Corey Harris, Nathan Moore, Eli Cook, and August “88 Keys” Wilson—a former Vinegar Hill resident and local jazz legend.
Lance and Hannah currently reside in New York, but were thrilled to return to Charlottesville and share their film with the community—especially Vinegar Hill residents. They hope to continue pursuing documentary filmmaking and shed light on critical social issues domestically and abroad. Scot is continuing his work at UVA and writing a book on Vinegar Hill.
