Known for his interest in all things technical, the Dalai Lama closely examined the DV camera, suggested an impromptu photo session, and watched the filmmakers pack up their gear.
The postproduction process was assisted by Kundun editor Thelma Schoonmaker, who was the documentary's editorial consultant. Schoonmaker had also served as Wilson's editor on A Personal Journey With Martin Scorsese, and he says she provided invaluable advice and suggestions. "Thelma is like a godmother for me," Wilson says. "Thelma says a documentary is more difficult to edit than a feature film, because you find the story in the editing — as opposed to to a feature, where you have a script to rely on. She compares [documentary editing] to a mystery, and I've always loved that concept."
That mystery was what drove Wilson to search out the story behind the making of Kundun. "It's not enough to capture even the greatest filmmaker at work," says Wilson. "Your key question has to be, 'What is that going to tell you? How will you present this as an interesting emotional experience?' You cannot censor yourself on the set, even when what's going on seems boring. Later, in the cutting room, you'll see a great expression or something interesting.
"You need to find a thread," he concludes. "In that regard, I was fortunate on this project, because there was much more happening than just the filmmaking process."
Since In Search of Kundun With Martin Scorsese was conceived as a companion piece to Kundun, Wilson hopes that in the future, the two films will be shown together. In France, where the documentary has already been given a theatrical release, there has been talk of doing just that. "You can experience the Dalai Lama telling you, in his own words, about what these events [depicted in Kundun] have meant to him; that is what we have done," says Wilson. "I hope our film casts an interesting light on Marty's picture and gives it even more resonance."
