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Contemplating the Cut: Takeaways and Tips for Documentary Editors
This blog was first published on POV’s Documentary blog at PBS.org.
The task of the documentary editor can sound like folklore, even to someone who takes it on.
Esteban Cruz Orozco: “La Siembra”
As incoherent as it may sound, on September 8, 2016, I was fortunate enough to be sick at home. I was missing out on an important rehearsal for a live streaming (an assignment for college) because the doctor had given me a three-day order to stay at home, as I was on the border of getting pneumonia. I was feeling very badly.
Do You Have a Screenplay Exploring Science and Technology?
Darcy Brislin and Dyana Winkler attended the 2017 Screenwriters Lab as part of the Alfred P. Sloan Fellowship, established to support the development of screenplays with science and/or technology themes. Click here to apply for the 2018 Sloan Commissioning Grant & Fellowship,“But why on earth would she stay with him?”
Pencils poised, we sat across the table from writer Erin Cressida Wilson, wrapping our brains around the most profound, soul-searching question within our script.
In the Wake of ‘Julius Caesar’ Protests, We Must Prepare to Defend the Arts
“Democracy has to be born anew every generation, and education is its midwife.”—John DeweyIn the wake of two corporations pulling their funding from the Public Theater’s free production of Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, like many of my artist colleagues I have been pondering the grave resonances.Let me be clear.
When Winning at Sundance Doesn’t Send the Distribution Cavalry
Here we are almost 90 days out from the initial theatrical release of As You Are, and wow, what a learning experience it has been. At this stage in our film’s life cycle, we have just launched our preorder on iTunes, are weeks away from our full domestic TVOD release, and about 30 days after that, we’ll be having our Amazon Prime SVOD release. This is all on the heels of our decision to self-release in theaters with only the assistance of a booking agent and a small press team.
BBC World Service and Sundance Institute launch new collaboration
15 June 2017The BBC World Service and Sundance Institute have announced a new collaboration to produce a series of radio documentaries and podcasts for launch in 2018. The partnership will allow for up to six new projects exploring the theme of ‘Neighbour’, with the resulting radio programmes airing on the BBC World Service, also available as podcasts, and accompanied by visual storytelling online.
Mary Hockaday, Controller of BBC World Service English said: “We’re very excited about collaborating with Sundance Institute who share our passion for the very best storytelling.
Sundance Institute Brings $151 Million in Economic Impact to Utah with 2017 Sundance Film Festival
Park City, Utah — The nonprofit Sundance Institute today announced that its 2017 Sundance Film Festival, which took place in Park City, Salt Lake City and Sundance, Utah in January, generated a total economic impact of $151.5 million. These numbers come from an independent economic and demographic study conducted by Y² Analytics,which used updated methodology and technology to give a more complete picture of the Festival’s impact on the state of Utah’s economy.
Sundance Ignite Filmmaker Leah Galant: “Putting the Fire Out”
At the end of the summer, my life was completely flipped upside down. I quit my job, broke up with my boyfriend, and moved back home in what seemed like a step backwards for a recent college graduate. Needless to say, I was feeling weird and creatively stuck.
Sundance Institute Presents 20th Anniversary of Free Outdoor Film Screenings in Salt Lake City, Park City, Ogden and Kamas
Photographer Credit: Jonathan Hickerson
Park City, UT — It’s a Utah summer tradition 20 years in the making: Sundance Institute will celebrate summer with free outdoor screenings of Sundance Film Festival favorites in Salt Lake City, Park City, Ogden and Kamas. These screenings will also feature food, special guests, fun activities and a few 20th anniversary surprises.
Betsy Wallace, CFO and Managing Director of Sundance Institute, said, “Enjoying these great films with friends, neighbors and colleagues, surrounded by Utah’s natural beauty, is a highlight of our year-round programming — and, now that we’re in our 20th year, it’s safe to say it’s a local tradition as well.
Nonfiction’s Cutting Edge: Sundance Institute Selects Eight Projects for Documentary Edit and Story Lab
Los Angeles, CA — Sundance Institute today announced the eight projects selected for its annual Documentary Edit and Story Labs, taking place in two sessions at the Sundance Resort in Utah from June 23-July 1 and July 7-15. An anchor point of the nonprofit Institute’s year-round work with filmmakers, the Documentary Edit and Story Lab creates an incubation space for nonfiction storytellers to creatively interrogate their projects during the later stages of post-production. Among the breathtaking scenery of the Sundance Mountain Resort, filmmakers take advantage of the Lab’s creative environment to intensively explore story, dramatic structure and character development, centering their work around their own original motivation and intention.
Sundance NEXT FEST Heats Up L.A. Aug. 10-13 with Movie Premieres and Electrifying Musical Performances at The Theatre at Ace Hotel
DinaCredit: Courtesy of Sundance Institute
Quentin Tarantino and Steve Buscemi at 1991 Directors LabCredit: Sandria Miller
Sleigh BellsCredit: Courtesy of Sundance Institute
Los Angeles, CA — Sundance NEXT FEST takes it to the NEXT level with the announcement of seven films direct from the 2017 Sundance Film Festival, paired with three energizing musical performances. The fest lights up Los Angeles August 10-13 at The Theatre at Ace Hotel Downtown Los Angeles, and this year will include presentation of the Institute’s Vanguard Awards to Quentin Tarantino and Dee Rees. This marks the fifth annual Sundance NEXT FEST and fourth consecutive year that The Theatre at Ace Hotel has hosted the festival.
Rise Up: It’s Time for Native Nations to Take Back Our Voice
Jessie Littlebird is based in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and is a 2017 Sundance Institute Full Circle Fellow, a program aimed at supporting the next generation of Native American storytellers. This blog was originally published on Pyragraph.I had the opportunity to attend the 2017 Sundance Film Festival this year after being chosen as a Full Circle Fellow through Sundance’s Native and Indigenous Program.
A Syrian Playwright Brings His Work to Life in Germany
Coming into Sundance Institute’s Playwrights Residency in Germany, I thought my play would require some adjustments – crossing off some ideas, adding a few details. But I thought mostly that it was almost done and that this residency would help me refine it. I thought one piece was missing to complete the puzzle; turned out, a lot of pieces were placed upside down and needed relocation.
From Sundance to Cannes: 5 Feature Film Program-Supported Projects Make Their Premieres
The just completed 70th Cannes International Film Festival also marked the premiere of five Feature Film Program-supported films. Paul Federbush, our International Director and Anne Lai, our Director of Creative Producing and Artist Support were both there to attend the premieres, host an Alumni Reception and experience this annual celebration of film through screenings and industry meetings. Although I didn’t attend, I read all the reviews of our films while taking great pride in the filmmakers and the visions that they brought to life and shared for the first time with worldwide audiences.
Sundance NEXT FEST Returns to DTLA: Movies, Music & Mischief Collide August 10-13
Shamir, Credit: Frazer Harrison/WireImage
The Theatre at Ace Hotel Downtown Los Angeles Marquee, Credit: Ryan Kobane
Elizabeth Wood, Credit: Ryan Kobane
Los Angeles, CA — The Sundance Film Festival travels from the snow-capped peaks of Park City, Utah to the summer sun of Los Angeles for the fifth Sundance NEXT FEST, August 10-13. The movie and music festival celebrates the renegade spirit of independent artists in one of the most remarkable and historic gems in the city — The Theatre at Ace Hotel Downtown Los Angeles, a bold and loving reanimation of a 1920s movie palace. Each movie will be paired with exclusive, dynamic live elements, including musical performances and provocative conversations with filmmakers and cinema-world favorites.