On July 12, 2018, an incident took place between real estate developer Sean Schellenger and a bicycle messenger Michael White on Chancellor Street adjacent to Rittenhouse Square.
It lasted a scooch over a minute, but in the end Schellenger was dead, and White fled the scene after throwing a knife on a nearby roof.
Local filmmaker Tigre Hill, who I called the chronicler of Philadelphiana for his insightful documentary films about city politics and happenstances, especially the early-in-the-century mayoral races between John Street and Sam Katz, immediately saw the potential in a story in which perspective shifted depending on what various people believed happened between Schellenger and White.
Stalled on the project on which he was working at the time, he became intrigued about the dynamics of the Schellenger-White confrontation and decided to look into it with a documentary film in mind.
That documentary film turned into a three-part series for television.
Hill’s “72 Seconds in Rittenhouse Square” streams in its entirety Tuesday on Paramount+.
It was almost four years in the making, Hill having his first meeting with representatives from the Schellenger family and White’s legal team at a Bala Cynwyd Starbucks in October 2019, soon after a trial in which White was acquitted of voluntary manslaughter but sentenced to two years on probation for tampering with evidence, i.e. throwing away the knife.
Hill tells both sides of the incident in “72 Seconds.”
In addition to interviews with Schellenger’s parents and White’s defense attorney, Keir Bradford-Gray and others, Hill for the first time on television shows footage of the altercation taken from a Chancellor Street camera.
He also employs documents that are part of public record but often find first light in the Paramount+ series.
During a telephone conversation, Hill says he uses filmmaking techniques to carefully and accurately tell the Rittenhouse Square story but that he offers no definitive conclusion to the information he presents.
“The audience will be the jury,” he says, later mentioning one of the influences for his film is “Twelve Angry Men,” in which a jury, allegedly given a cut-and-dried case has to deliberate more closely when one juror questions what others deem to be obvious.
Hill says another of his influences is Alan Paton’s 1948 novel, “Cry the Beloved Country,” about a killing in South Africa at the time of apartheid.
Letting the audience come to its own verdict makes sense when one realizes that Hill faced a common dilemma among investigators and news gatherers.
When he spoke to Sean Schellenger’s father, Mark, the first of his interviews, he had one point of view.
When he met Bradford-Gray at the same spot during the same time frame a day later, he had another.
His job is presenting a story in a way that compels, clearly gives both perspectives, and resonates with the drama inherent in the Schellenger-White encounter.
“That a killing happened near Rittenhouse Square is enough to raise eyebrows,” Hill says.
I heard a prominent figure was stabbed to death, and the assailant fled, enough of an incident to cause curiosity. Then, I saw the news reports of the accused young man as he turned himself in to the police, and my mind started working.
“In addition to the incident itself, a lot was going on in the country in general. Donald Trump had been president for a year-and-a-half. A ‘tough on crime’ movement was forming in America. In large cities, progressives were being elected as district attorneys, Larry Krasner in Philadelphia among them.
“Both specific and outlying elements gave this story resonance beyond its own drama. They suggested a microcosm of a lot that was happening in the United States.
“The filmmaker in me took hold. ‘Somebody’s going to jump on this,’ I thought, ‘and it might as well be me.’ ”
Hill says he paid attention to the 2019 trial, its outcome, and numerous revelations that came from it. When that trial ended, he reached out to Sean Schellenger’s mother, Linda, and Keir Bradford-Gray.
The defense attorney was the first to respond. She knew Hill’s work and was willing to sit down with him.
Linda Schellenger was more reluctant, but the first who met with Hill was Mark Schellenger.
Each related a perspective that needed further unraveling to arrive at an objective outlook.
“The raw data, as expressed in those initial interviews, made my desire to tell this story even stronger. The issue now was to get the Schellengers and Keir to speak on camera.
Finally, they agreed.
“Then COVID happened. You would think that would be an impediment, but it turned out to be an advantage. People were leery about meeting indoors, but shooting outdoors was an option. It was a better one because the interviews could be held in Rittenhouse Square.
“As you can imagine, the perspectives of the participants are widely different. Their feelings and emotion come through on the camera. That’s why the audience gets to be the jury.”
The interviews and trial record provided plenty of material, but Hill dug further. He says he cannot betray sources to say where he found additional information and documentation, but he reports he was able to get access to some clarifying material, some of which was part of the public record.
“Not everyone was cooperative in helping me get to the deeper parts of this story, but sources emerged, and documents were opened.”
Hill knew he had a compelling piece in “72 Seconds in Rittenhouse Square.” Getting it to a distributor was the next adventure.
From a friend, he was put in touch with Lamont Fountain from Ark Media, who helped with production.
Next came a process to which Hill was unfamiliar despite his years as a filmmaker.
“We become involved in a shopping deal. This is different from a development deal. A shopping deal means conducting a series of pitch session with some of the top distributors, like Netflix and Universal, and all of their peers.
“I’d never been through anything like this. It was unusual. The encouraging part is everyone thought we had a documentary worth putting on a platform.
“It was Susan Zirinsky, once president of CBS News and now involved in an initiative that specialized in documentaries, who understood our story best. Listening her relate it back and tell why it would matter to people made it easier to see the direction in which to go.
“Susan immediately got our story and the way we were telling it. You know, Holly Hunter’s character in ‘Broadcast News’ was based on Susan Zirinsky. I could see the parallels.
“The time between 2020 when we had out trailer, to 2021 when we did the shopping route, to meeting Susan Zirinsky, but by 2022, we had our documentary and a partner in CBS/Paramount.
“Television prefers series to movies, so I envisioned ’72 Seconds in Rittenhouse Square’ as a long film and divided it into three episodes. Because of COVID, editing took place via Zoom meetings. It all worked.”
It certainly did. Tigre Hill’s “72 Seconds in Rittenhouse Square” starts streaming Tuesday.
The trailer, and knowing the footage of the stabbing is included, adds to the local element and will have me watching as soon as I can.
Tigre Hill’s next film keeps him in Philadelphia. It’s about the early career of civil rights pioneer and City Councilman, Cecil B. Moore.
‘DWTS’ a strike casualty
Tomorrow’s season premiere of “Dancing with the Stars” is likely to be delayed as one contestant, “Veep’s” Matt Walsh is pausing his participation in solidarity with the Writers Guild of America (WGA) strike.
“Dancing with the Stars” was not given exempt status from WGA or the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) because it employs one writer. Walsh, and other competitors, Oscar-winner Mira Sorvino and “Brady Bunch” alumnus Barry Williams among them, have been the target of constant pressure from both unions to delay their appearance on “DWTS” until the companion strikes are settled.
Walsh’s “pause” was enough to put tomorrow’s season opener in abeyance.
This season would have marked the return of “DWTS” on network television.
It is scheduled to be seen on ABC (Channel 6). Last year, the show was moved to Disney+.
Whenever its 2023 season begins, the show will be seen on both ABC and Disney+ with reprises on Hulu a day later.
Other reality series do not employ WGA writers and will go on as scheduled.
“The Voice,” like “DWTS” relegated to NBC’s streamer, Peacock, last season, returns to the parent network (Channel 10) for Monday’s Season 24 debut at 8 p.m.
For the first time in series history, country star Blake Shelton will not be among the show’s four coaches.
Nor will one of his frequent sidekicks, Kelly Clarkson. The Shelton family will be represented as Blake’s wife, pop singer Gwen Stefani, who takes another turn in the coach’s seat.
Working with her are multi-talented Reba McEntire, who has done everything from country hits to Broadway and sitcoms, Oscar-winning composer and all-around smoothie John Legend, and “One Dimension’s” Niall Horan.
Carson Daly, the worst-dressed person on TV, remains the host.
Also beginning their seasons this week are CBS’s “Survivor” (8 p.m. Wednesday) and “The Amazing Race” 9:30 p.m. Wednesday) on Channel 3.
Neither of those shows involve union writers. They are among the granddaddies of reality TV and for a reason.
“Survivor,” vermin-eating aside, has always been a microcosm of life and its need for self-reliance, decisions, and alliances, while “The Amazing Race” not only calls on contestants’ wits but takes its audience to various locations around the world.
Other premieres of note this week are the next season of “Lupin,” one of my favorite foreign series, Thursday on Netflix, and four stories by Roald Dahl (“Matilda,” “Willy Wonka”) shown over four nights with the umbrella title, “The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar,” on Netflix.
The cast includes Benedict Cumberbatch in the title role, Ben Kingsley, Ralph Fiennes and Dev Patel.
Birds on MNF
Need I remind anyone that the Eagles are on tonight’s “Monday Night Football,” to take on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Tampa.
Kickoff is 7:15 p.m. on ESPN and ABC, which in local terms means Channel 6. What? No “Jeopardy!”?
Announcers are Joe Buck and Troy Aikman.
