3.2. How did Roger & Me come about? Michael Moore
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This article is from the Michael Moore FAQ, by Edward Champion edchamp@slip.net with numerous contributions by others.
3.2. How did Roger & Me come about? Michael Moore
After Moore was fired from "Mother Jones_, Moore sank into a
deep depression, consisting of watching a lot of films. Although
he continued to write for "The Nation" and several newspapers,
Moore quickly got homesick and retreated back to Flint.
When Moore arrived back in Michigan, he began to study General
Motors' effect on the town more fastidiously than he had done
before. He suddenly realized that he could present
his vision of the world on film. He announced his plan to make the
movie to his friends.
"We thought he was fucking crazy," said Ben Hamper.
Nevertheless, his friends agree to volunteer and Moore had his
movie crew. After winning a $58,000 out-of-court settlement from
_Mother Jones" for his unfair dismissal, he put the money directly
into the film. Moore sold his house, had yard sales and set up
weekly Bingo games to raise the remainder of the $260,000 budget
for Roger & Me. At one point, Moore even sold his bed. When he
ran out of money, he would wander the streets in search of empty
cans and bottles he could recycle.
"We didn't know f-stop from F TROOP."
Moore hooked up with filmmakers Kevin Rafferty (ATOMIC CAFE)
and Anne Bohlen (WITH BABIES AND BANNERS) for a week to learn
how to use the equipment. He got old friend Wendey Stanzler to
edit the film, who Moore had met at the crisis intervention center.
Moore and his cadre had never had any film experience before. At
one point, when filming an interview with Jesse Jackson, Jackson
showed Moore how to operate the tape recorder. But, Moore had the
consolation of two professional camera operators he had hired to
shoot the film.
After successful viewings at several film festivals and John
Pierson's efficient lobbying [ See 'Spike, Mike, Slackers, and Dykes' by
John Pierson ] , Moore started to draw a smell distributors followed.
Eventually, after meeting with several studios, he sold the negative
to Warner Brothers for $3 million.
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