By Tom Rohrer
Putting together a documentary for the silver screen takes years of hard work and dedication.
However, for producer and director Denny Tedesco, that hard work had to be rewarding, as his film titled “The Wrecking Crew,” covers the life of his late father Tommy Tedesco.
On Wednesday, August 8, a screening of the critically acclaimed documentary will take place at the Capitol Theater on 5th avenue in downtown Olympia at 6 p.m.
Tickets for the screening are $10 and can be bought online at www.wreckingcrewfilm.com.
The film centers around the studio band “The Wrecking Crew”, which was featured on recordings such as “California Girls,” “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin,” and “Mr. Tambourine Man”.
According to a press release from “The Wrecking Crew” documentary, the band was a part of six straight album recordings that ended up winning the Record of the Year Award at the Grammy Awards.
Featured in the film are interviews from Brian Wilson, Cher, Nancy Sinatra, Herb Alpert, and Glen Campbell.
Receiving rave reviews from festivals across the world, along with articles in publications such as the New York Times, the man behind the film is excited to see audiences react and connect with the documentary.
“I think, with the 16 years I put into the film, I most enjoy watching the reaction of the audiences and all the people who see it,” Denny Tedesco said in a phone interview with ThurstonTalk.com. “I’ve really seen people getting enjoyment out of it, and I think that has to do with the fact that music lasts forever. Once they hear it, it brings them back to that time, or the time where their parents played that album. It’s a great high. I’ve taken it to Israel, London, Barcelona and seeing the audience react the same way is amazing.”
With an impressive soundtrack accompanying the film, the cost to air the documentary was extremely high, prompting Tedesco to seek donations.
Now, thanks to a lot of hardwork, “The Wrecking Crew” is eligible for funding through the International Documentary Foundation, a California non-profit, tax-exempt corporation. Tedesco also faced the challenge of arranging interviews with high profile artists in the industry, a task that was made easier once the interviewees realized the background of the project.
“Well, what happened, when my dad was diagnosed with cancer, I didn’t want my biggest regret in life to be not filming him and telling the story. So I got my friends together for a roundtable discussions with the band. We were shooting the film at the time, it was costly, but we just kept going,” Tedesco said.
“When my dad passed away a year later, we never thought we would get the labels and get people together, but once you get past the agent, its fine. Cher was the perfect example. I knew her agent and asked if she could ask Cher if she could do the interview. That’s not normal. Cher said absolutely. I had an idea that would work and I met her a while ago on a video shoot. When I mentioned who my dad was, she turned into a 16 year old girl and melted. She loved that period and mentioned all the guys. Everybody was very enthusiastic. Brian Wilson was a kid when he first was working, and he looked up to the musicians. Those people were in awe of the studio musicians and having a real band performing for recordings.”
Tedesco believes that crowds connect to the documentary, because it takes them to a simpler time of music.
“The music, it was simpler then,” Tedesco said. “We didn’t have that many avenues in the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s. No computers, iPods. So there was little to choose from and easier. Back then, you could hear Ray Charles, The Beatles and country all on the same radio set. Now, you can segregate. There is no influence on one another. People say, ‘wow these songs lasted fifty years.’ Some people, a lot of people say they don’t write like the used to. I disagree, and now people can’t break out because there is so much quantity.”
Featured themes of the film include the familiar bond between a father and a son and what it takes to have long term success in a career.
“It’s not staying at the top, it’s taking the ramp down the longest way possible. That’s the same for anyone,” Tedesco said.
“There is a lot of focus on personal lives within the industry and how are they affected. There’s also a focus on making personal improvements, in that someone hopes to be a better grandfather then they were a father. That, if you’re a parent, you understand, because you never feel like you’re a good enough parent. People relate to the story lines.”
For more information on the Wrecking Crew Film, visit. www.wreckingcrewfilm.com or the group’s Facebook page.
