Sundance
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“We Reduce Entire Groups to Monoliths”: Screenwriter Damon Davis | Whose Streets?
During its development, production or eventual distribution, what specific challenge of communication did, or will your film, face? How did you deal with it, or how are you planning to deal with it? Perceptions and stereotypes about a certain demographic of people become barriers to character development. Meaning, after centuries of storytelling, people’s race, gender, age, orientation, whatever it might be, influences how we expect them to function in the story, and influences the depths to which we can relate to them on a human level. A major obstacle to telling unique stories is that people can’t see the uniqueness […]
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“Elegant, Meaningful and Fun”: Director Kriv Stenders | Red Dog: True Blue
During its development, production or eventual distribution, what specific challenge of communication did, or will your film, face? How did you deal with it, or how are you planning to deal with it? Since Red Dog: True Blue is a sequel, our main challenge in communication was telling our story in a fresh and unique way that wouldn’t disappoint audiences who loved the original, but that also spoke to and was relevant to new audiences. The solution came by way of the wonderful screenplay by Dan Taplitz and the clever concept on which it was based. Basically, by making the […]
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Justin Chon’s Gook, and Why New, Diverse Voices are Still the Most Exciting Part of Sundance
“Investors said, ‘But what if one white cop stops by?’” “No man. That’s ridiculous,” said Chon. “Get a white famous friend as a day player?” ”It was intentional,” said Chon on his decision to have an entirely diverse cast. There’s always a film (or two) at Sundance that re-instills your faith in the festival as a whole. For me, that usually means the discovery of an electric new voice. This year in particular there were a lot of returning faces — Alex Ross Perry (Golden Exits), David Lowery (A Ghost Story), Ry Russo-Young (Before I Fall), Eliza Hittman (Beach Rats) […]
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“Grounded Yet Earnest, Awkward Yet Buoyant”: Editor Jacob Craycroft on Brigsby Bear
From Robert Altman’s A Prairie Home Companion to Super Troopers, Jacob Craycroft has edited more than 40 features and shorts since 1997. In recent years he’s cut the young-Obama biopic Barry, a segment of the anthology film New York, I Love You and, at this year’s Sundance, Brigsby Bear. Craycroft spoke with Filmmaker ahead of the film’s premiere about the film’s tricky tone, working with the ever-busy cast and crew of SNL and the difficulty of editing a single project in both AVID and Final Cut Pro. Brigsby Bear screens five times during the 2017 Sundance Film Festival. Filmmaker: How and […]
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“To Self-Destruct as We Cannibalize All Resources”: Director Miguel Arteta | Beatriz at Dinner
During its development, production or eventual distribution, what specific challenge of communication did, or will your film, face? How did you deal with it, or how are you planning to deal with it? Our film Beatriz At Dinner is about the two opposing world views that have increasingly been colliding and unable to communicate. Our future is in jeopardy and finding out a way for us to truly negotiate the outcome of our convictions seems more important than ever. To me it comes down to an argument about what nature intended by allowing one of the species to become so […]
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“An Incredible Learning Experience”: Director Michael Larnell | Roxanne Roxanne
During its development, production or eventual distribution, what specific challenge of communication did, or will your film, face? How did you deal with it, or how are you planning to deal with it? My first feature film, Cronies, had a small budget and production team. For Roxanne Roxanne, we had a bigger budget, and this allowed for a larger production team. This meant there were more moving pieces, which presented a slew of challenges on all levels. The fact that the film is a 1980s period film in the busy land of NYC complicated these challenges even more. There were […]
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“The Notion of Truth Is Being Challenged”: Director Peter Nicks | The Force
During its development, production or eventual distribution, what specific challenge of communication did, or will your film, face? How did you deal with it, or how are you planning to deal with it? This year, perhaps more than any other year I can remember, the notion of truth is being challenged. We are creating fences around ourselves – virtual fences built from social media circles that reinforce increasingly segregated belief systems that have led to great division in America. In this environment, artistic expression is more important than ever, especially when tackling themes and subjects that audiences approach with their […]
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“Crying on the Inside and Nodding on the Outside”: Director Janicza Bravo | Lemon
During its development, production or eventual distribution, what specific challenge of communication did, or will your film, face? How did you deal with it, or how are you planning to deal with it? The most challenging thing to convey was that I was capable. The road to getting the film (Lemon) made started five years ago. I had only one short film under my belt. Last spring I had eight short films, all of which had played at prestigious festivals and one episode of television and whether or not I was ready or could handle a feature was still on the […]
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“More Eyes, More Money and More Pressure”: Editor Casey Brooks on Landline
Gillian Robespierre assembled a familiar team for her second film. Like her 2014 breakthrough Obvious Child, Landline features the work of DP Chris Teague, co-writer/producer Elisabeth Holm, star Jenny Slate and editor Casey Brooks. In the below interview, conducted before the film’s world premiere at Sundance 2017, Brooks discusses the film’s balance of comedy and drama, his entry into editing and dealing with heightened expectations in the wake of Obvious Child. Landline costars John Turturro, Edie Falco, Abby Quinn and Jay Duplass. Filmmaker: How and why did you wind up being the editor of your film? What were the factors and attributes that led to […]
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“Letting Moments Breathe and Have the Space to Flourish”: Editor Joi McMillon on Lemon
Joi McMillon received an Eddie Award nomination earlier this year for her work on Moonlight. An editor on a number of shorts and TV series, including an episode of Girls, McMillon’s newest feature is Lemon from writer/director Janicza Bravo. Filmmaker, which hailed Bravo as one of its 25 New Faces in 2014, spoke with McMillon before the 2017 Sundance Film Festival about the genre-defying new film. McMillon discussed the film’s unique blend of comedy and drama, the importance of an unspoken glance and her cinematic influences. Lemon stars Brett Gelman, Judy Greer and Michael Cera. Filmmaker: How and why did you wind up being the editor of […]
