19th May 2012
Sea Meadow Production Notes
17th January 2012
Of the intimate and personal that frames Sea Meadow as a documentary/drama
Sea Meadow is the most personal project I've envisioned and my
hope is this new level of intimacy will give the film a distinct
emotional resonance.
The estate where we filmed is my family's home in Beverly Farms,
Massachusetts, which my grandparents named Sea Meadow in 1947 when
they moved in. I wrote this story while I was living at Sea
Meadow caring for my grandmother in her last month. I
discovered a strong drive to make a film with my family as the
backdrop before all the objects and memories were packed away,
moved out, and forgotten, as time does it. This film is in many
ways a monument to my family's eclectic history, intertwined with
the history of America itself.
My grandfather, Dr. Robert C. Seamans Jr., served as Secretary of
the Air Force, Deputy Administrator of NASA, and director of the
Department of Energy. My grandmother, Mrs. Eugenia Seamans, was
head regent of Mount Vernon, mother of five, and a wife for 66
years until my grandfather's death. My great great uncle was
General George Patton. My great great grandfather, Otis Tufts
("Uncle Otis") created the first patent for the passenger elevator.
The deed for the house of Sea Meadow, which still hangs on the
wall, is dated 1642. Many artifacts that made up the set
design of the film relate to this heritage. The house has
been sold since production was completed, but the ghosts that seem
to haunt our protagonist in the film remain a real, indelible
presence.
The intent of making Sea Meadow has not only been to investigate
the capacity of storytelling with dance and choreography, but also
to re-frame and capture a life in time. Objectifying
something so true and close to home has been a rich process -
equally meaningful and disorienting. I hope it offers both
those qualities to viewers as well.
Lily Baldwin