Today’s post was written by Ashley Freeman, ’29, an environmental science major and library student assistant.
Starting the semester off strong, the William H. Hannon Library hosted the first Faculty Pub Night of the 2025-26 series on Tuesday, Sept. 16. The event featured Glenn Gebhard from the School of Film and Television, where he and a panel of his colleagues discussed the conceptual origins and technical production elements of the creation of his latest documentary, “Red Storm Rising: The Struggle for the American Communist Party.” Gebhard is an Emmy-winning producer and director, and LMU is lucky to have him as chair and professor of film and TV production.
The event began with a viewing of the documentary’s narratively-appealing trailer, which sparked curiosity from the audience regarding the interpersonal tensions between the two critical figures in the party’s history, and the issues that ultimately led to the American Communist Party’s collapse. Gebhard emphasizes the two most important pieces of the documentary’s puzzle to the narrative outline and the theme of the film, which is evident to the viewer through the intriguing chronicle of the pressures the party’s leaders faced.
In the over 25 years since the idea came to him, the project evolved from a broad point of curiosity about the irony that is “American communism,” to earning a grant that took the team across the country to film interviews, then to working with a expert team to compose intricate musical themes and motifs to reflect the two leading members of the party. Gebhard attributed his desire to create the film to his curiosity about the party and American history’s lack of acknowledgment to its existence.
The film is intended to be politically neutral with an emphasis on the historical facts that took place throughout the American Communists Party’s evolution in American history. At the start of the presentation, Gebhard imparted that “we as Americans should know our history,” a main theme that carried him through the decades-long process of creating the film from conception to product, and was revealed to the audience in attendance at the presentation through Gebhard and his team’s dedication to delivering an authentic portrayal of the party’s history.
Throughout the presentation, Gebhard referred to the panel of his “comrades” who collaborated with him on various parts of the film. Several audience members pointed out how well the team seemed to work together; their collaborative styles were evident through all the anecdotes of their teamwork during brainstorming sessions and film editing. The teamwork and openness required in filmmaking is integral to the film’s final product.
I think many people might overlook the work that goes into a documentary. Viewers like myself wouldn’t necessarily consider the creative side of documentarian’s job, i.e. how they present the information, how they convey the emotion and the message, all while making it appealing to the audience. In addition, the team brought up a variable I hadn’t previously considered: how moving scenes and clips around during the editing process affect all the scenes around it, the tone of the scene, the plot and the emotional stakes, and the music and sound design during the scene.
The panel of Gebhard’s project-mates also brought some thoughtful insights into the forefront of the documentary-making process. Mario, the director of photography for “Red Storm Rising,” discussed the technological advancements in the more than 20 years he and Gebhard worked together and how it forced him to fit together efforts from entirely different technological eras. He stated that the technology that they began the project with was completely outdated by the time it was completed, which created several pressing challenges for the team, specifically for the traveling team of interviewers. The sound design team congruently included the process of designing and developing a consistent sound to the film despite the decade-spanning recordings. As a whole, the team embodied the labor of love that is telling a compelling story through film.
This Faculty Pub Night’s presenter and his guests excellently demonstrated the progression of a team of inspired individuals with passion for multiple disciplines coming together to represent an underrepresented part of American history and culture. The event was inspiring for future filmmakers, history enjoyers, creatives of all sorts, and anyone with a curiosity for learning how stories are told and developed effects the final product of the narrative and the entirety of the creation.