Jay McCarroll was the first season’s winner of Bravo’s Project Runway, which has now had five successful seasons with Heidi Klum as host and Tim Gunn’s famous catch phrase “make it work.”  (Though season six remains in limbo, even as it has wrapped up production.) But have you ever wonder what happens after the show? Eleven Minutes is the documentary following the creative process McCarroll goes through after his big win and his preparation for his first solo runway show in Bryant Park during New York’s Fashion Week.

Directors, Michael Selditch and Rob Tate share their hope that the documentary will offer a glimpse into the highs and lows of any struggling artist, plus the difference between their film and reality TV.

Q: Are you a fan of Project Runway? (And/or its spin-offs, Project Runway Canada and Project Catwalk)?   

A: Yes, we have been big fans of the series since season one, before we met Jay. Sadly, we’ve never seen Project Catwalk. Bravo should air the show from other countries!

Q: How did you come to know Project Runway winner Jay McCarroll? 
 
A: We met Jay after being hired by Bravo to make Project Jay, an hour special on their first winner. After directing quite a bit of non-scripted television, we found it refreshing to document a person who spoke his mind freely, regardless of whether the camera was rolling or not. Jay's blend of creativity and insecurity is not only compelling and entertaining, but very relatable to many struggling artists. The three of us became good friends, and when Jay told us his plans to show at Fashion Week and create his first independent line, it was a no-brainer to continue to document him on our own.

Q: Was it difficult to convince him to participate in the documentary after his experience on Project Runway?   

A: Hell no; Jay and the camera are good pals.

Q: Do you think that the audience’s previous familiarity with Jay sets up any expectations?

A: Good question. We wanted this film to exist on its own, apart from Project Runway, and we hope to introduce Jay to a whole new audience. I think Project Runway fans will see this film in a certain light – perhaps as a sequel to Project Jay – but we purposefully dropped the pretences of a reality show (narration-driven scenes, staged scenes for camera, manufactured conflict) to help the audience see him in a decidedly different light. Arguably, people who are not familiar with Jay may enjoy the film more inasmuch as they will not have any pre-conceived notions as to who he is and how stories like his are usually told.
 
Q: What do you say to people who have the idea that this film is nothing more than a Project Runway DVD extra?

A: This film is a social critique on the reality-show influence on popular culture. So many people treat Jay as if he were somehow created in the “Project Runway Laboratory” in the basement of Rockefeller Center. Just because the public was introduced to him on a particular TV show doesn’t mean he should be eternally shackled to it. He’s a fashion designer and was one before any cameras ever rolled. This film is about his work.
 
Q: Is Jay McCarroll annoying or enigmatic?

A: Both. He is a walking contradiction. He is terribly talented, yet wonderfully insecure. He can be unsympathetic; he can be sensitive. Any artist can relate to his struggle of art vs. commerce. And all the while, he is fabulously funny. How could you not love him? His main appeal comes from the fact that he refuses to play the game. Whether that helps or hurts him (or both) is the subject of this film.

Q: Was your intent with the film to show the creative process rather than just the results and outcome? 

A: Yes, this was exactly our intent, and we are thrilled that many people recognize and appreciate this. All art forms rely on a process -- from acting to architecture, the journey is not apparent from seeing the end results; and how better to document the intensity of the process than with a documentary! Actually, we almost called the film The Process. Then we thought that might be a tad dry.

Q: How much input did Jay have in the filming process? 

A: Jay, Rob and I all agreed from the start that the focus of this film should be the process, and about Jay establishing himself in the fashion world (beyond Project Runway). Therefore, Jay was involved in our decisions about when and what to shoot. To that end, he had little to do with what actually made it to the screen. We did not want this to be a feature-length commercial for Jay McCarroll Enterprises.  It says a lot that a person feels comfortable having his deepest insecurities shown in such a public forum. 

Q: Is Eleven Minutes a reaction to reality TV?  What is your take on the role/relationship between documentary film and reality TV?

A: Yes, Eleven Minutes is a reaction to reality TV and the challenge that so-called reality "stars" face after their series is over. Project Runway contestants are in a different category because they have a specific talent and career goal, unlike reality "stars" that are famous for eating bugs or winning a date with a millionaire. For me, the big difference between reality TV and documentary is that reality TV is manufactured – and I do not mean that in a bad way. The rules and circumstances of manipulation are acknowledged and embraced by the producers. No one claims that the events in these shows would actually happen in real life without the show's existence. With Eleven Minutes, we were documenting actual events that were taking place anyway – in spite of the presence of cameras, not for them. Both documentary and reality TV can co-exist peacefully, but I do hope audiences can be discerning about the differences. A goal of ours was to have this film hold a mirror to reality TV. One of my favorite sequences is when we’re asking Jay if the foreboding sales agent said anything valid in his critique of Jay’s line, and Jay reluctantly replies, “Yes [he] had many valid things to say.” Then Jay turns right to the camera and says, “That’s the line you’re going to use.”  And it was the line we used! A reality show would have left off that last comment.  That’s Realty TV vs. actuality.