As documentary filmmaker John Scheinfeld tracks the Chicago Cubs during the current season, he insists he is not making a film about baseball. When completed later this year, the film, tentatively titled “We Believe: Chicago and Its Cubs” will have broader appeal outside the Midwest and outside the confines of that peculiar group of fandom turning out season after season for a team whose rich history centers more on losing than winning. It may even strike a chord with beach ball bouncing Dodgers fans or insecure White Sox fans whose team, despite winning a World Series in 2005, still must play second fiddle to the Cubs. “We are going to take this film in some interesting places to make it something of interest to anyone who loves their team and anybody who’s loved their city,” said Scheinfeld, whose production offices are based in Studio City. Scheinfeld has done much of his documentary work with partner David Leaf, including “The U.S. vs. John Lennon” released in theaters in 2006. For “We Believe” he strikes out on his own and produces the film under a name other than the Authorized Pictures banner that released the Lennon doc. For a film on a Chicago baseball team, Scheinfeld centers all activities in that city from the financing to the crew to the post-production, music, accounting and website design. Scheinfeld remains on the West Coast with periodic trips back as the season progresses. While on paper “We Believe” appears to have a limited appeal, Scheinfeld is confident his approach will transcend sports fans. The John Lennon documentary was made in the same way, not as a straight biography or a rock and roll story but instead focusing on the political climate in which the former Beatle navigated in the early 1970s and incurring the wrath of the Nixon administration. In recent years other independent documentaries on topics with limited appeal found success if not at the box office at least with audiences and critics. “Spellbound,” a 2003 film on a children’s spelling bee brought in $5.5 million in its theatrical release. Three years later “Wordplay,” a small film about crossword puzzles and the quirky personalities taking part in crossword competitions brought in $2.9 million in its two month theatrical release. An overlooked gem from 2007 was the “The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters,” a documentary on the surface about two men vying for the world record on the Donkey Kong video game but really is about much more. The personal stories of the real-life characters made “King of Kong” appealing, Scheinfeld said. “That’s the same approach I’m taking (with “We Believe”),” Scheinfeld said. “It’s going to have these personal stories threaded through it.” The origin of “We Believe” sprung from a conversation between Scheinfeld and a friend in Chicago, an investment banker, about future film projects. The friend suggested as a documentary topic that the Cubs last won a World Series in 1908. To Scheinfeld that smacked too much of an ESPN-type project. The love affair between a city and its National League baseball team and the notion of what makes Chicago and Cubs fans unique intrigued him more. A treatment for the film met with approval from the Cubs organization, which is providing the access to the players and management Scheinfeld needs to tell his story. The seven players chosen for interviews were those whose stories give drama threaded through the course of the film. Along with fiery manager Lou Piniella, Scheinfeld talked with Kerry Wood, a former starting pitching struggling to stay relevant as he re-invents himself as a closer (“He said this to me this was the first time he had been pain free in about five years.”); Kosuke Fukodome, the Japanese star in his first season on an American team, (“A surprisingly funny guy,” Scheinfeld said); and Mark DeRosa, an infielder whose irregular heartbeat brought a scare during spring training. Spending time with the team in Arizona before the season began Scheinfeld described it as a team that likes each other, likes playing together, and is not concerned with the past. But can the same be true about its fans? A certain segment exists in the Cub Nation that takes perverse pleasure in flagellating themselves with fixations over mistakes from the past and rolling them all into the convenient and media-friendly “curse” banned billy goats in 1945; black cats in 1969; a ball rolling between the legs of first baseman Leon Durham in 1984; shortstop Alex Gonzalez flubbing a routine double-play and then- manager Dusty Baker refusing to calm down pitcher Mark Prior in 2003. The film, however, isn’t strictly about the fans or their point of view of the team Other documentaries have taken that approach, “Wait ‘Til Next Year” shown on HBO in 2006, for instance, and Scheinfeld didn’t want to repeat what had already been done. Instead, he went to cultural commentators, historians, sports writers, and Chicago and Illinois politicians to round out the picture. “We needed an A-list of people to talk about the city and team from a wide variety of perspectives,” Scheinfeld said. With full financing in hand, Scheinfeld can make the film he wants. The best-case scenario is for the Cubs to make it to and win the World Series and finish the film in time for screening at Sundance in early 2009. Theatrical distribution would follow and then a sale to television and for the DVD market. But even if the Cubs fail (again) in the century long quest for a world championship, the dynamics taking place between Chicago and the team fascinate Scheinfeld. “This is going to be smart and thought provoking and entertaining at the same time,” Scheinfeld said. Protecting Music A pending bill before Congress to beef up penalties for illegal downloads should pass, Rep. Adam Schiff told an audience of songwriters and composers. Appearing at the ASCAP Expo in Hollywood this month, Schiff added that the bill boosts federal anti-piracy efforts and provides grants for local law enforcement. While those methods are a help in fighting illegal music piracy a major deterrent is letting potential violators know that the government is serious about catching them. “What is more effective is the likelihood of getting caught,” said Schiff, a federal prosecutor before entering politics. Schiff sits on the subcommittee for Courts, the Internet, and Intellectual Property chaired by Rep. Howard Berman, whose district includes part of the San Fernando Valley. Schiff’s district includes Burbank and Glendale. Staff Reporter Mark Madler can be reached at (818) 316-3126 or by e-mail at mmadler@ sfvbj.com . He first visited Wrigley Field in 1973 (Cubs vs. Atlanta Braves) and is convinced he will be too old to enjoy when the Cubs finally win a World Series.
