Sundance
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“Shooting Vérité Means Embracing the Coincidences”: DP Lars Erlend Tubaas Øymo on Folktales
In the northern extremes of Norway, along the Russian border, is a folk high school that teaches teenagers self-reliance and survival. That school is the subject of Folktales, directed by Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady, who also co-directed Jesus Camp and Endangered, among others, together. Most remarkable about Folktales is its remote location. Below, cinematographer Lars Erlend Tubaas Øymo (Songs of Earth) discusses the challenges of working in the Arctic and walks us through the equipment that made shooting a film at temperatures significantly below freezing possible. See all responses to our annual Sundance cinematographer interviews here. Filmmaker: How and why did […]
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“A Film Is Like a Puzzle” | Vladimir de Fontenay, Sukkwan Island
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“From Day One, Andrea Was All-in” | Ryan White, Come See Me in the Good Light
Films are made over many days, but some days are more memorable, and important, than others. Imagine yourself in ten years looking back on this production. What day from your film’s development, production or post do you think you’ll view as the most significant and why? Day one. I had never met Andrea before—they came out to the driveway and gave me a hug and said, “So you’re gonna be with me when I die,” and then they invited us inside. Usually Day one (and often Month one) of a documentary is just a warm-up in building trust and getting […]
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“The Film and My Understanding of It Really Changed”: Editor Nicolas Chaudeurge on Sukkwan Island
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“I Love Diving Into the Unexpected”: DP Amine Berrada on Sukkwan Island
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“Present the Various Perspectives in Their Fullest Possible Sense”: Editor Graham Taylor on The Stringer
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“Adding Both Seth’s Son and Peter’s Grandson to the Animation” | Seth and Peter Scriver, Endless Cookie
Films are made over many days, but some days are more memorable, and important, than others. Imagine yourself in ten years looking back on this production. What day from your film’s development, production or post do you think you’ll view as the most significant and why? Well this film took nine years to make so we’re already looking back, haha. Jeeze, I wonder—there were lots of hilarious moments. Cookie says she always laughs when thinking about Sylvester’s song that they were singing. I would say adding both Seth’s son and Peter’s grandson to the animation—who were born a couple days […]
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“We All Have a Desire to Make Our Lives Make Sense”: DP Brandon Somerhalder on Come See Me in the Good Light
Come See Me in the Good Light follows Andrea, a poet in Colorado, as they face a cancer diagnosis. The film is an intimate verité documentary and marks director Ryan White’s return to Sundance after Assassins and Ask Dr. Ruth. Brandon Somerhalder (A Concerto is a Conversation, Live to 100) served as the film’s DP. Below, he explains why a verité approach was right for the project and the difficulties of maintaining that at a live poetry reading without jeopardizing the comfort of his ailing subject. See all responses to our annual Sundance cinematographer interviews here. Filmmaker: How and why did you wind up being […]
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“What I Perceived as the Truth Fundamentally Changed” | Bao Nguyen, The Stringer
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“Respect and Appreciate the Mundane Moments” | Brittany Shyne, Seeds
Films are made over many days, but some days are more memorable, and important, than others. Imagine yourself in ten years looking back on this production. What day from your film’s development, production or post do you think you’ll view as the most significant and why? The moments I treasure and relish the most were the days that I was able to spend with the elders, many of which passed away. Riding with Carlie as he gathered pecans from hundred year old orchard trees. Belle proudly showing me her varieties of citrus and grapefruit that populated her childhood home. During […]
