June Zandona directed 2021 WMFF feature “Deep Waters.” We asked her a few questions, see our Q&A conversation below:
What is in your gear bag/kit?
For this project, DP Haley Watson and I put together a kit that could be super light and portable since this film saw us traversing a huge lake in a boat, hiking up mountains, paddle boarding, running up biking trails etc. We shot on 2 Sony A7s II (which we owned to allow for a flexible shooting schedule and small budget) and a Ziyhun crane 2 gimbal, as well as a handful of go pros.
What item can you not live without?
The item I can’t live without is probably my waterproof notebook so I can track all the ideas and to do lists involved in doc shooting.
Most necessary character-quality for a director?
I think the most necessary character trait for a director is adaptability, hold things loosely and be ready to pivot to find the best solution.
Favorite on-set memory?
My favorite on set memory was camp dinner the night before our paddle with our all women crew right on the shore of the lake in Stehekin. I became such good friends with the team and just am in awe of all of them. Also the hillsides outside of Wenatchee covered in wildflowers when we were shooting Whitney and her family mountain biking was pretty magical.
Craziest on-set/en route to set adventure?
The craziest thing that happened was our rental boat died in the water, right out of the gate at 4:30 am. We were in the pitch black, in the remotest part of the lake, and having to decide whether or not to throw in towel after just starting. Luckily our stills photographer Jess Alderson is super knowledgable about boats and was able to get it started back up and kept it running throughout the day. It was a really tense start to the day, but a better wake up than coffee!
