"Jim's Camelot" Bishop Castle | Faces Ep. 4 (2018)

We're sad to learn that Phoebe Bishop (Jim's wife) passed away on August 19, 2018 - a month after we filmed this.

Synopsis:
Jim Bishop has dedicated his life to building "Bishop Castle" all by himself in the mountains of Colorado. Known for speaking his mind and his inspiring work ethic, Jim and his castle attract thousands of visitors every year. Now taking care of his dying wife, Phoebe, and dealing with his own recent Parkinson's diagnosis, Jim reflects back on his life's work.

Director's Statement:
"When my grandfather developed Alzheimer's a few years ago and eventually passed away, I regretted never recording his stories. He was well-known within the family to be a long-winded storyteller that we often made fun of. But when he started to lose the ability to tell those stories, I felt I let them be lost in time and I regretted not using my skill set to capture them while I could. This was part of the impetus for the "Faces" documentary series that this film is a part of.

In addition, after years of producing client work and making documentaries promoting other people and businesses, I had developed an itch to see what I can make when following my own instincts and impulses and not someone else's direction or commercial motives.

"Faces" was an opportunity to find stories worth documenting before they disappear. Promote people and places that don't usually get promoted. Seek out interesting people on the side lines. Specifically, the "Jim's Camelot" episode was a project we had on the backburner for a few years. My producer, Kemerton Hargrove, told me about Bishop's Castle years ago and how it would make a great documentary at some point, but it was something we never took the leap on.

After we had done a couple of other episodes, we realized we have the perfect format for a Bishop's Castle piece. We scheduled two days in Colorado to see what we could capture.

My other producer Landon Miller contacted Jim's wife, Phoebe, to get permission and was forwarded to their son, Dan, who knew we were coming. But we were told Jim was elusive and may not be available to interview, which would have ultimately meant no documentary.

So we walked into it not knowing what we would be able to get. And when we showed up, Jim was sitting there eating a cheeseburger and was more than willing to talk to us. We got what we could that afternoon, then came back in the morning to get some additional pieces, and were in and out within 24 hours.

A month later, Jim's wife, Phoebe passed away, and we realized that even more than the castle, we had managed to capture a portrait of a man in a very difficult and specific place in his life that is a very fleeting and delicate thing. And it reminded me of trying to capture my grandfather's story before he passed.

We're grateful to the Bishop family, and look forward to sharing their story with festival audiences."

Official Selection - River Bend Film Festival 2019
Official Selection - Phoenix Film Festival 2019
Official Selection - Denver Film Festival 2018
Official Selection - San Antonio Film Festival 2019

Visit/Support Bishop Castle :http://www.bishopcastle.org/
  / bishopcastlecolorado  

Featuring the song, "Where Have All The Average People Gone" by Roger Miller.

Camera: RED Weapon 8K Helium at 24/60fps.
Drone: DJI Mavic Air
Lenses: Rokinon SP 14mm, 50mm, 85mm; Sigma Art 24-70mm, 24-35mm
Sound Gear: Zoom F8 Recorder, Sennheiser MKH60 and Rode NTG3 mics

#documentary #shotonred #castle