by Caroline Gabsewics
Staff Writer
Catherine Demsky was given the opportunity of a lifetime and she knew if she didn’t follow her heart, she would never have the chance to do this again.
In March 2004, Demsky, a graphic designer for Inspection Depot in Jacksonville, was on a plane returning to the United States from London when she met the person who would rearrange a whole year of her life. She was in London looking at graduate schools where she could earn a master’s degree in photography, because she was graduating in two months from the University of Florida with a bachelor’s degree in journalism and psychology, and wanted to move on to the world of fashion and photography.
On her way back she met Scott Hillier, an Academy Award-winning documentary filmmaker. As they talked he found out Demsky was a photographer. He asked to see her portfolio and immediately said that she needed to come work with him in Paris. Hillier is known for his award-winning documentary film on the 9/11 firefighters.
“I came home and let it sink in and then decided Paris is the best place for fashion and photography,” said Demsky. “I knew if I didn’t do it now, I would never do it again.”
Demsky graduated from the University of Florida and immediately began preparing to move to Paris. Before she left, Demsky met another girl online who was moving to Paris to study at American University. They decided to be roommates and when they both arrived in Paris in June 2004 they met and went looking for an apartment, she said.
“I didn’t know how to speak French before I went there,” she said. “I had to learn it when I got there. Before I went to Paris I applied to the Sorbonne and I was accepted.”
While she was at the Sorbonne, a well-known university in France, she studied the French language, culture, history and poetry. She said she took every kind of class and all of them were in French and there wasn’t one professor that spoke English.
“I understood more than I could speak,” said Demsky. “The first semester was frustrating and tough, but the second semester something clicked.”
Demsky called Hillier once she got settled in and they met in downtown Paris. A month later, he called her and said he need some extra help on a documentary he was working on in Munich, Germany.
The documentary was about a German fighter pilot and an American fighter pilot in World War II. During the war the German pilot shot down the American pilot and this was the first time that they met, said Demsky.
“It was pretty incredible,” she said. “The documentary is about their story, the first time they met and how they felt.”
Demsky said they followed the American as he walked up to the German’s door and caught their first words to each other on film. Demsky said she doesn’t remember what they first said, but they immediately hugged one another.
They were there for a week and as Hillier’s assistant, she worked on sound, lighting and framing the shots. After that week they went back to Paris to do the editing.
Months later she got another phone call from Hillier who asked her to be his assistant again for a film that was produced by Michael Atwell, who is based in London. Hillier was the director. This documentary took place in Rome during the election of the new Pope. They were only supposed to spend a weekend there, but ended up staying there for nine days. Demsky said the main focus of the film was on how the press has changed during the conclave, because there was not a lot of media attention when Pope John Paul II was elected. Much of the documentary was about what goes on behind the scenes during the election.
“It was an amazing experience, going into the College of Cardinals and interviewing the cardinals,” she said. “We interviewed four to five cardinals. It was neat, but they didn’t give away any secrets, but it was interesting to speak with them.”
While they were waiting for the new pope to be elected, they stood outside St. Peter’s Cathedral in one of the media sections in the front.
“That was an amazing experience, a once in a lifetime opportunity,” she said. “It was really exciting and there was such a different mix of emotions in the crowd.”
Demsky said they got to Rome the Saturday before Pope Benedict XVI was elected and it wasn’t until Monday night that the smoke appeared, symbolizing a new pope was elected.
“That (the smoke) was very interesting,” she said. “Sunday night the smoke was black, but when it came out of the chimney it looked white and everyone rushed up to the front. For a whole two days it was like that.”
They were later told a bell would ring simultaneously with the white smoke when a new pope was elected. Demsky said Monday night the smoke came out and it looked white again, but the bell didn’t ring until a few moments later.
“It was just chaos,” she said. “It was 30 or 40 minutes later that he came out on the balcony.”
Demsky said they did not interview the pope, but they were some of the few members of the media who were able to attend the press conference.
For this documentary she was also an assistant working with the sound and framing shots, but less with lighting and more interviewing.
After working on both documentaries she returned to the United States and moved to Jacksonville, where her fiance lives. Demsky said she is enjoying what she is doing now, but still loves photography.
“It (documentary films) would be really fun to get into again,” she said. “It is a lot of work and a different kind of thinking.”
Moving to Paris and working on documentary films was not something she had planned, but she said she is glad that she was given the opportunity. As well as concentrating on graphic designing right now, she recently shot a cover of a magazine for Eco Latino, a bilingual magazine in St. Augustine.
“It’s just a start and hopefully I can make some contacts,” she said.
Even though she isn’t in Paris helping Hillier with his films, she still keeps in touch with him.
“We touch base with each other and I send him leads for new documentaries that he could work on,” said Demsky.
So far, she has sent him two ideas, and Hillier may persue one of them.