Documentary filmmaker Mark Bussler takes viewers on an impressive journey back to the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair in EXPO – Magic of the White City. “This Fair, the biggest one ever, had many layers that Americans should know about because it’s not taught in schools,” he said in a recent phone interview. “It’s really the ‘missing link’ between the Civil War and World War I. It was truly the Gateway to the 20th Century and the beginning of popular culture.”  

Bussler pointed out that the Civil War took place only 20-some years before the Exposition during a time when there was no modern use of electricity. “Some 20 years after the Fair, one of the bloodiest wars in history took place using technology exhibited at the Expo,” he added.

Viewers appreciate Bussler avoiding “talking heads” as much as possible in his documentaries (see Gettysburg – Stories of Valor), and they’ll be happy to know EXPO – Magic of the White City is no exception. A massive collection of World’s Fair materials were assembled for this exceptional film. Bussler wants everyone to know that great care went into the archival photographs, pictures and paintings displayed in EXPO. “They were all scanned, color-corrected  and presented well,” he explained. “I was fortunate they looked so good to begin with because that makes me look good.”

When asked to describe his best and worst experience while making the film, Bussler chuckled before replying, “Well, there wasn’t a whole lot of worst to it. But the hardest thing was figuring out how to create high production values on a low budget, how to make things appear as visually explosive as possible. For example, the live shots of belly dancing and golden-colored beer looked great, but they didn’t cost a fortune to produce. I think my best experience was a combination of working with Gene Wilder, who wanted to make sure the narration was done right, and having a script I loved that was written by Brian Connelly.”

What was it like to work with Wilder? “He’s great --courteous, fun, clever and incredibly talented,” Bussler declared. “I tend to have an idea about what the narration will sound like, but when I go in to record, actors like Gene have their own way, so I let them perform the way they want to as long as it doesn’t interfere with the editing. I only had to instruct Gene in a couple of places -- for example, when the film showed a building filled with noisy machines, I asked him to speak loudly as if above the noise.” 

Responding to a question about how he became a documentary filmmaker, Bussler said, “I have a degree in Business Administration from Bucknell, but I am also self-taught in drawing and graphic design. After graduation, I worked in advertising and marketing and did Website programming, but at the time I wanted to be a cartoonist. I went to Film School after college to learn more about video production. At Inecom in the late 90s we were doing internet television -- about 50 low budget shows on everything from dance instruction to history. Later, we switched to DVD, and out of alI this came documentaries.”

Bussler’s interest in history evolved from his work on Civil War documentaries with writers who are also historians he has the greatest respect for. “My major interest is in art, film and the technical areas,” he revealed. “But I think this is a good way to keep history fun for students today who are into multi-media and have shorter attention spans.”

Fortunately for history buffs and Bussler fans, three upcoming documentaries are in the works. Horses of Gettysburg will be available next Spring; Winters of War is in production; and he’s also scheduled to do a documentary about World War I with EXPO writer Brian Connelly that doesn’t have a name yet.

EXPO – Magic of the White City is released by Inecom Entertainment Company. For more information, go to www.ColumbianExpo.com.

(Read Betty Jo’s review of EXPO – Magic of the White City by clicking here.)