NOT YOUR TYPICAL BIGFOOT MOVIE, premiering at the 2008 SXSW Film Festival, is a documentary showcasing the life of Dallas and Wayne, two Bigfoot researchers. I recently had an opportunity to talk with director/producer Jay Delaney about his first feature length effort.

David: I know you're in law school and was wondering what prompted your jump into film making.

Jay: Well, I've been interested in film making since I was a teenager. And really, since then, I've been making movies. Bigfoot is the first feature I've made. So, my interest in film predates my interest in law school and law. But, the interesting thing about NOT YOUR TYPICAL BIGFOOT MOVIE is that it grew out of a short film I made back in 2001. I made it on some really crappy equipment, it was like the family camcorder. And I always wanted to try and get back to story and treat it with a little more time and a little more care and even some better equipment. In 2005, we started production. Actually, October 2005.

David: Back when you made the short film in 2001, what was the initial interest in Bigfoot?

Jay: It was a couple of factors. I studied marketing in undergrad and took any kind of film class I could. One of my honor's classes was on the films of Frederick Wiseman and for the class, we had to do an ethnography. He kind of gave us a lot of freedom to define it however we wanted. I met with the professor and told him that I had heard of these guys from a friend of mine, they're from my hometown. I just mentioned that was the film I wanted to make and he was fine with that. I think in terms of the story, partly why it appealed to me, it captures the essence of where I'm from. It was all shot in my home town, except for a few scenes that were shot at a Bigfoot conference in Tennessee. But, I just really almost never see the Appalachian/Northern Ohio part of the world ever represented on cell. Aside from that, the story itself is just so interesting and textured and compelling to me. These guys are still out pursuing their dreams and holding onto their passions in life in an area where the odds are stacked against them.

David: How did you go about meeting Dallas and Wayne and getting them involved?

Jay: A friend of mine had worked at a bank in Portsmith, Ohio and Dallas had come into the bank one day and left one of his business cards that read, “Bigfoot researcher.” I was just really fascinated about it. My friend had said he came in there and just talked about Bigfoot the entire time he was in there. He passed on the business card to me. It was a little challenging to find Dallas because the number and email on the business card weren't working at that point. So, I had to do a little bit of detective work to get in touch with him. But, I got him on the phone and told him I was interested in learning more about it and possibly doing a short film about it. So, me and a friend of mine who did the camera work met up with them on the Ohio River at a picnic table and just talked about their research. I then realized what was truly interesting about the story was their lives. The research is a piece of it but what I'm really interested in is their lives.

David: About Portsmith, is that the town's claim to fame? Or is it just something Dallas and Wayne are famous for?

Jay: It's just something those two are famous for in the town. The city itself has a rich history. The first NFL night game was played there, in the early 1900's. It was the Portsmith Spartans, which are now the Detroit Lions. The city really has does have quite a history. They were really big into manufacturing back in the old days with shoe manufacturers and the steel industry was big there. So, I would say the two of them are known as Bigfoot researchers there. I don't know that everyone in town knows them but there are certainly groups of people that know them. I would say the town is known for more than that though.

David: You said the thing in the film you're really interested in is the relationship between Dallas and Wayne. What made you choose making a documentary starting from the present day rather than a narrative feature encompassing their whole career as Bigfoot researchers?

Jay: I've always been drawn to documentaries that are told in that cinema-varitae style and I wanted to approach the story that way. When you approach it, going back in time and starting at the beginning, you end up not leaving enough to the audience. I like presenting the story as it unfolds to an audience and trusting them to create their own meaning from the story itself. That's something I really wanted to do from the start. The style and the way its told is how I envisioned it. Obviously, in documentary films, you leave a lot up to the subjects themselves. My favorite documentaries are where the stories really do evolve naturally and organically from the characters themselves.

David: When you went up Portsmith to film the documentary, was there anything you had a really difficult time working around?

Jay: Well, its my home town so I lived there until I was 18. From the time I was 18 on, I had lived away in Dayton, Florida and New York City. So, it was an adjustment to go back home after living in New York. It was a good adjustment in ways but it was different. While I was there, there was a certain amount of independence I got accustomed to that I didn't have as much while I was living there because while I was making the film, I stayed part of the time with my parents and part of the time with my grandma. I think just adjusting to life in my hometown after being away for so long was one of the biggest challenges.

David: While you were filming Dallas and Wayne, did they come across any Bigfoot findings? Did you go tracking with them?

Jay: Yeah, we did go out researching some. They observe the environment and try to find evidence that Bigfoot had been there but a lot of it is focused on filming with their video cameras and taking still pictures. They'll go home afterwards and analyze the photos and videos. While we were there, Dallas did feel Bigfoot's presence but I don't know if he actually saw him. There were certain times where they felt like they were close to getting some footage of him.

David: Based on what you learned and saw while you were filming, do you believe more now that there is a Bigfoot rather than before you started? What do you think it is?

Jay: I have just tried to keep an open mind and still to this day, I try to keep an open mind. And again, while I was making the film, my real focus was on Dallas and Wayne and understanding their stories and struggles they face, their background and life experiences that had shaped them into who they are. But, as far as Bigfoot, I keep an open mind about him. I wish I had more clarity on what Bigfoot is but I don't know that I do. What I know about him comes from Dallas and Wayne and to them, there is an element of him that is like a human. I think they see him as having emotions like a human being and being a lot like a human being. But for me, I don't have that much experience with Bigfoot.

David: With your film premiering this Saturday night at SXSW, what is your plan for distributing the film afterwards?

Jay: Well, I'm just really focused on getting the film out there and getting people in the theatre for the three showings it has during the festival. I've talked to a few people about distributing but as of now, I'm just focused on the premiere. I'll leave that for after the screenings.