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Film Student at the Farm

The tragic fires in eastern Washington right now have had an unexpected result for me at the farm. There is a film camp that normally takes place in Twisp each year called Wild Mind Film Camp. The dates for the camp this year are July 16-27. However, they had to evacuate due to the fire in the Methow Valley, and luckily they found accommodations on Whidbey Island. 

Monday I was distilling at the farm and a woman introduces herself as Lulu Gargiulo, a film student, and tells the story of the camp’s relocating. Then she asks if she can film the farm and interview me. Ok, I’m a bit of a ham, so it was easy to say: “Sure!” Turns out this “student” is a film making professional and has done lots of projects from commercials to features. Lulu and Gear in PatioWhat she hasn’t done is direct films, because she has mostly been behind the camera as director of photography and camera operator. Just to add drama to the context of her request of me I want to remind you that we are getting ready for our annual festival and at the same time we are having the biggest harvest we have ever had. Everyone on the staff is working incredibly hard and for longer than normal hours. But, I am a fool for fun projects, and Lulu’s film camp sounded fun.


The next day she comes to the Coupeville shop and prepares to interview me on camera. A fellow student serves as her assistant and they stage the patio, set up their equipment and invite me in. She started asking me questions, and they were good ones. They made me think. They asked me to reflect on the farm, my trajectory as a lavender farmer, my part in the community, and some rather deep thoughts about lavender, farming lavender, and what it all means. 

Lulu in Kitchen with CookieIt was a blast! I’d include the video, but she is off in the editing barn, on Whidbey Island, trying to put bits and pieces together to make it into a cohesive whole. It is, after all, a student project, even if that student is a gifted professional so she needs to burn the midnight oil to complete the work. I sure hope I get to see it when it’s done. Meanwhile, we are working on getting her addicted to our lemon lavender shortbread.