Olympic dreams
CHICAGO'S BID | Filmmaker's three-minute flick helped Windy City win nod over Los Angeles
For his latest project -- a short highlighting local Olympic aspirants -- James had 10 days.
The three-minute film, commissioned by the Chicago 2016 bid committee, was finished just hours before local officials flew to Washington to make their last pitch to the United States Olympic Committee. James' film served as Chicago's presentation finale.
The Windy City won the nod over Los Angeles to represent the nation in international competition to host the 2016 Summer Games. It was a victory, officials say, helped in no small part by James' work, copies of which were distributed to city aldermen this week.
James has made several sports-related films, but the Olympic piece was an eye-opener. Particularly impressive was 13-year-old rhythmic gymnast Marlee Shape of Buffalo Grove.
"Frankly, before I did this project I had a fairly uneducated opinion of rhythm gymnastics ... probably a little bit dismissive: 'Well, it's rhythm gymnastics not real gymnastics,'" said James, who lives in Oak Park.
When he started filming Shape he discovered, as he put it, "My God, this young girl is an incredible athlete."
"Just her warming up is amazing. She does things you can't believe a human body can do," he said.
"I'm glad I could help," said Shape, the current junior national champion. Going to the Olympics, especially one held in her hometown, is "my biggest dream," she said.
James' pro-bono film was the third video produced in connection with the Chicago bid. The first two were panned by critics, particularly when compared to a Disney-crafted video created to woo the USOC by the Los Angeles Olympic committee.
In addition to Shape, about a dozen other young, successful area athletes were included in the film. And although they compete in different arenas, they share a common drive.
"I think just the fact how much we train and how much dedication we have to our sports kind of separates us from other people," said Aida Abdikulova, a 15-year-old Glenview fencer who practices three hours a day.
"Everyone's so talented," said Abdikulova, who is ranked in the top 20 in the world in her age group. "They're great people with great aspirations."