Beach 116 screens at Macaulay
How it started: Lee Quinby and Daniel Scarpati ’15 (Brooklyn) at the 2014 CUNY Film Festival at Macaulay Honors College.
A Macaulay Graduate and Former Faculty Member Share the Story Behind Beach 116: Stories From a Rockaway Street
Recent documentary Beach 116: Stories From a Rockaway Street is a look at the diverse human rhythms of a New York City seaside community. But behind the scenes, it’s also a testament to the power of Macaulay mentorship and collaboration.
The film grew from a unique professional partnership between filmmakers Lee Quinby and Daniel Scarpati ’15 (Brooklyn College) that began in 2012 when Lee, a Macaulay faculty member, met Daniel, then a Brooklyn College sophomore. Recognizing his passion for filmmaking and desire to learn the technical craft, she urged him to join a loose network of student filmmakers. Their first project together: filming musicians playing an after party for Lee’s earlier film, True Delta.
“I was double majoring in film production and television radio and I was very focused on the technical side of things,” explains Daniel. “But as the years went on, Lee and I stayed in touch I was starting to move on from just technical skills.” His goal of a career in filmmaking began to take shape, and after Daniel graduated in 2015, their paths continued to intersect in a way that the two have characterized as a co-mentorship.
“In my experience as a faculty member,” explains Lee, “I was the mentor and the student was the one being mentored. But I was truly mentored by Daniel and continue to be because he’s gone out into the film world as a cinematographer. We each have certain talents and they come together when we make films.”
Their professional relationship deepened into a meaningful collaboration highlighting a special part of New York City—the Rockaways, where both have roots. The film gives voice to local business owners and highlights the community’s resilience in the face of economic and environmental challenges.
Beach 116‘s screening at Macaulay this month shows how relationships fostered in Macaulay academic settings can evolve into creative partnerships that impact both art and community. And the mentoring tradition doesn’t end there. Daniel, now leading his own production company, offers guidance and insights to students and junior professionals in the field. He’s even written a book that offers critical life hacks for aspiring filmmakers, Gofers: On the Front Lines of Film and Television.
“It’s so rare,” Lee muses, “for people with so many years difference in age to have this kind of working relationship and friendship. It’s wonderful!”