HYE Times

T’was the night before the airing of Guardians of Music. 
And all through the house, not a creature was stirring…
Except for the producer, who is anxiously awaiting to show the world his finished project. 

It all started September, 2013, winning the challenge grant award from Knight Foundation. It became real at that moment. I was going to make a documentary.

Looking back on the process, I don’t think I would do anything different because each new development was an enjoyment and adventure for me and I learned so much from putting this documentary together.

I invested time, sweat and heart into this project. I can never thank each of the people that donated money and their photos and film footage for me to use.

So I sit here writing this piece exactly 24 hours before my film, Guardians of Music appears on Detroit Public Television.

I feel like Zero Mostel in Mel Brooks’ The Producers in the scene where he stands at the back of the theater waiting to see the audience reaction and runs to the neighborhood pub to get a drink to calm his nerves. Now, if you saw that movie – Mel Brooks pokes fun at a movie that is intended to flop so that the producers make a truckload of cash. Thats not my goal, nevertheless, I have the same feeling of butterflys as I wait to see if my documentary is accepted by the viewers. Sure, I hope everyone likes it. The reality is that I like it and I think I have done a good job paying tribute to a generation of Detroit Armenian musicians that deserve to be honored.

This will be a memorable night for me. I have said many times, I am not a film documentary producer…but on Monday, March 16th at 9:30pm…I will be.

Wish me luck!

I never thought I would compose a blog that discusses television ratings, its importance, how it works, etc. Actually, this would be the type of blog that my good friend Mark Gavoor would write with interesting anecdotes while he professed sipping a cup of coffee and writing his imponderables as the sun began to rise. So to be true to my past blog writings…I wont get into an in-depth history on this topic.

However, in putting the Guardians of Music documentary together for a Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) to air, you begin to understand the importance of such ratings as it pertains to viewership, funding and longevity of a project. The later is quite honestly what I hope to accomplish with the airing on March 16th.

Competition on television can be stiff on any given night. My wife Della will tell you that a major world event can alter plans in a blink of an eye or another station will have a much anticipated program on the air which takes viewers from you. Its cut throat for sure.

On Superbowl Sunday 2015, ratings went through the roof for NBC with over 114 million viewers. Guess what was rated #2 that same night and time slot? Downton Abbey, a PBS production with over 15 million viewers. Amazing and tracked by using Nielsen Ratings.

The Nielsen Ratings is an audience measurement system that was created by Arthur Nielson (a market analyst) in 1920. There are two ways that this measurement is gathered – viewer diaries and devices attached to a select group of television sets. This ratings system has always been an important system and tool to all forms of television and I dare to say it is responsible for successes and failures of some household shows over the years.

Detroit Public TV and other PBS stations use Nielsen and to be blunt – we need as many to watch Monday, March 16th 8-11pm as possible. The popularity of this premiere airing will set the tone for future broadcasts of this documentary.

Guardians of Music is a very important project that isn’t about making money..its about the recognition of an art form that I hope can be seen in other PBS markets around the country. Sure, its about Detroit Armenian musicians – but the content and significance is worth of being aired around the globe.

Please tune in on Monday night — you can watch ONLINE LIVE Guardians of Music starting at 9:30pm EST.

My mantra throughout the process of making Guardians of Music was to respect and honor the lives and work that the refugee and first generation Armenian musicians contributed in Detroit, Michigan. Period. It is a simple statement that I stuck to throughout – from beginning to end.

Each photo, film clip and especially the interviews – I wanted to make sure I used (to the best of my ability) the finest and most respectful clips that captured the essence of the musician. I even went as far as to promise each musician that if I felt it would show them in a negative light – I would scrap it. It was a good process for me to mentally follow throughout making the film.

The same mantra held  true for the actual music I used in the documentary. You have no doubt heard or read that music makes the film. So what does that mean for a film about music? It becomes indispensable for a project like Guardians of Music.

Album cover for Simon Javizian’s Travelling with Kef.

Music creates emotion and sets an important tone. Music and film have gone together from the beginning of movie making, way before the talkies entered the motion picture industry. The organ player in the theater would play music and adjust his dynamics depending on the scene — romance, chase, thrill…you get the picture.

I felt that it was important to use the same philosophy in deciding which portions of the documentary had the appropriate type of music. At times, you might hear duduk playing and at others you might a thrilling fast Armenian clarinet solo!

Dertad Tookian Ensemble

I was able to locate original musical clips of both Dertad Tookoian (Photo on the left, Tookoian is int he middle playing clarinet) and Yervant Grjekian. Original homemade recordings never before released to the public.

I do want to take this opportunity to give a special thank you and shout out to a good friend of mine. Leon Janikian is a phenomenal musician and an Associate Professor and Director, Music Industry. I know Leon’s love for the music is quite extensive and he shares my vision of preserving and sharing the music to allow future generations to enjoy what we grew up enjoying. Leon was instrumental in helping clean and digitize some of the rare music footage from the Tookoian and Grjekian archives. Thanks Leon – you are a rockstar!

A pristine copy of Simon Javizian’s only LP release, Travelling with Kef was utilized and special thanks to Richard Megregian who provided that wonderfully clean copy.

I wont give all the special musical treats away until you have had a chance to watch Guardians of Music, this Monday, March 16th @9:30pm EST on Detroit Public Television.