In an informal lecture Wednesday in Park Auditorium, documentary filmmakers Carl Deal and Tia Lessin sat down with an audience of mainly Ithaca College students and staff to discuss the trials, tribulations, and triumphs that come from a career on the grittier side of movie making.

Deal and Lessin, whose projects include Bowling For Columbine, Fahrenheit 9/11, and Capitalism, a Love Story are perhaps most well known recently for co-directing the stunning film Trouble The Water, a documentary largely about those trapped in New Orleans at the time Hurricane Katrina hit. Talking about the concept of documentary film, Deal said "most movies and news networks and television shows are one way outlets; people can watch and listen but they can't really have much influence over the product. Documentary filmmaking," he said "is a form of media from the people, for the people. That's why it's often so controversial."

Having worked with Michael Moore on many films, Deal and Lessin are no strangers to controversy. "We make our films to, hoepfully, try and make some change" Lessin said, "and usually change, even when it's almost universally recognized as a change for the better, faces opposition."

Showing short clips of their selected works, the two noted that most things they do are connected by a common thread. Deal said "I think that the way I measure success for one of my films is, how many people are walking out of the theater thinking 'how can I help?'. The higher that number, the prouder I am of that film"