On Your Radar: Caroline Gohlke
On Your Radar is a Grad Film News segment that features a current student. We asked Caroline Gohlke a few questions and this is what she said.
WHERE DO YOU CONSIDER HOME AND WHAT IS IT LIKE THERE?
Home to me is near water. I’m from the suburbs of Detroit and grew up on Lake St. Clair, sleeping on boats and spending summers on or in the water. Lake St. Clair connects two of the Great Lakes, Huron and Erie, and shares its opposite shore with Ontario, Canada. Canada always felt like this pristine, untouched place, and Detroit, in comparison, was an industrial wasteland ridden with sewage. Sometimes we couldn't swim due to contaminants in the water. I come from a line of working-class automotive manufacturers, so this juxtaposition of the mechanical against the backdrop of beautiful water and land is a balance that feels like home. New York has been my home for the last decade and has elements of this. In general, when things have no history or are too new or clean, I feel like an outsider.
WHAT IS CURRENTLY INSPIRING YOU AS A FILMMAKER?
Traveling across the country with my partner’s band. I hate flying so I do my best to get around with other modes of transportation and by doing so in this fashion you really see America for what it is; kind of dark and lonely. It’s a big country. I bring my camera and take notes on the different types of people and places we encounter. Lots of cheap hotels and gas stations. The highlight of the last tour for me was when we had a day off and stopped in a place called Lily Dale, the birthplace of Spiritualism. We went to a service in the woods where a parade of mediums came out and had messages for some people. I received one and I’ll keep that a secret for now. Needless to say, I’m interested in pursuing this topic in greater depth in the future.
WHAT IS THE BEST ADVICE YOU'VE EVER RECEIVED?
I’m not sure if it’s the best advice I’ve ever received, but it’s a mantra instilled in me from a young age, and that is to “make the best with what you’ve got.” It’s quite conducive to indie filmmaking, and it’s gotten me this far. It speaks to the idea of not wasting time worrying about things out of your control, remembering that everyone lives with different realities, and there’s always a way to achieve what you’re trying to do.
See Caroline's work at carolinegohlke.com