WATERVILLE -- Director Robert Greene found the backbone for his documentary "Owning the Weather" last summer on China Lake in the person of Colby College professor James Fleming.

Fleming, a professor of science and technology history, has expertise in weather and climate.

"You can go in so many different directions when it comes to the weather," Greene said. "We spent so much time with (Fleming), because we were still searching at that point. Once we got out of that interview, we had a much better sense of what we were after."

What Greene captures in his film, which technically remains a work in progress, is a retrospective on weather modification, both its history and its probable future.

Fleming, who plans to attend tonight's initial screening (9 p.m. at Waterville Opera House), said he and Greene talked about the weather for about four hours that summer day.

Beyond that interview, Fleming said he had no involvement with the film.

"I didn't know what he was doing (with the interview)," Fleming said from his Colby office Tuesday. "I never saw the final project until last week."

Greene said he built around Fleming's comprehensive knowledge of weather modification, spanning rainmakers at the turn of the 20th century to the climate engineers of today.

His desire to explore weather modification started more than a year before the Fleming interview, Greene said.

"I read an article in the December 2005 Harper's Magazine," he said. "The title was 'Owning the Weather.' I immediately knew I wanted to make a movie of it."

Greene said he got the blessings of the author and started shooting footage the following spring. He didn't stop filming until last month.

Fleming said the documentary is a montage of different voices and perspectives on the weather.

"There is no overarching narrative voice," he said. "There is just this wonderful weave."

Fleming said "Owning the Weather" gives everybody a say in the weather modification debate, advocates and opponents alike, and examines the military and commercial implications as well.

Greene's movie takes a few fun turns, too, including characters such as Storm Field, a TV weatherman based in New York.

The movie also looks at climate modification both outside and inside.

"We have a guy (in the movie) who has seasonal affective disorder," Greene said, "and who has to use a sun lamp to modify the weather in his house to keep from getting depressed."

Greene is a native of Charlotte, N.C., the place where the term air conditioning was coined, he said. It's only fitting, then, that an air conditioning repairman from Charlotte is in the film.

At one point, Greene said, the repairman says "I love air conditioning. I love my climate control."

Greene hopes moviegoers will say the same about his film.

Colin Hickey -- 861-9205

chickey@centralmaine.com