Sundance Film Festival
-
“Style Is the Choices That Are Made When Placing the Camera”: DP Andrew Wheeler on God’s Country
In God’s Country, a professor navigating discrimination in the workplace whose patience is tested by a pair of hunters who trespass on her property. Anchored by the performance of Thandiwe Newton, Julian Higgins’ feature debut is an understated examination of the human spirit and a woman who refuses to surrender to expectation and stereotype. Andrew Wheeler discusses the importance of camera placement in he film and how his landscape photography prepared him to serve as DP. Filmmaker: How and why did you wind up being the cinematographer of your film? What were the factors and attributes that led to your being […]
by Filmmaker Staff on Jan 23, 2022 -
“The Pandemic Only Brought Us Together” | Krystin Ver Linden, Alice
The last two years have prompted much contemplation and reconsideration of the reasons why we make our films as well as the ways in which we make them. What aspect of your filmmaking—whether in your creative process, the way you finance your films, your production methodology or the way you relate to your audience—did you have to reinvent in order to make and complete the film you are bringing to the festival this year? COVID changed the landscape of filmmaking. It reminded me of the samurai motto: “expect nothing, prepare for everything.” The easiest part of making my first film […]
by Filmmaker Staff on Jan 23, 2022 -
“It Was Better to Encourage the Audience to Ask the Question Than to Provide the Answer”: Editor Justin LaForge on God’s Country
God’s Country is a study of the grieving process and the limits of societal polities. It follows a university professor, at the end of her rope because of her mother’s recent death and discrimination at work, who has her willpower put to the test after she confronts a pair of hunters trespassing on her property. Editor Justin LaForge explains how he was uniquely prepared to edit the film remotely during the COVID lockdown and why it’s better to let the audience ask a question than to preemptively provide an answer. Filmmaker: How and why did you wind up being the […]
by Filmmaker Staff on Jan 23, 2022 -
“You Couldn’t Write This Story; No One Would Believe You if You Did”: Editor Berny McGurk on My Old School
Brandon Lee, 16, moved from Canada to Glasgow and enrolled in Bearsden Academy after the death of his mother, where he impressed teachers with both his knowledge and his temperament: he protected bullied students and helped bullies reform. In My Old School, director Jono McLeod, a former classmate of Brandon, investigates his story. Below, editor Berny McGurk discusses his first experiences in the industry as a teenager and the importance of not overloading the audience and making sure every reveal lands when telling a true story with countless twists. Filmmaker: How and why did you wind up being the editor […]
by Filmmaker Staff on Jan 23, 2022 -
“We Wanted to Find Moments That Celebrated Women Reclaiming Birth”: DP Jenni Morello on Aftershock
With Aftershock, Paula Eiselt and Tonya Lewis Lee turn their camera toward the crisis of the maternal mortality as it affects Black women in the United States. The film focuses on two widowers whose partners died preventable deaths during childbirth as they build support and rally for justice. Below, cinematographer Jenni Morello discusses the challenges of shooting a vérité when everyone is masked and the search for something unusual in every shot. Filmmaker: How and why did you wind up being the cinematographer of your film? What were the factors and attributes that led to your being hired for this […]
by Filmmaker Staff on Jan 23, 2022 -
“It Was Hard to Find Settings That Really Evoked the 1990s”: DP George Geddes on My Old School
In My Old School, director Jono McLeod returns to his past and reassembles his classmates to tell the strange story of a former classmate, an awkward but fiercely intelligent protector who harbored a secret. Below, cinematographer George Geddes talks about the film’s journey from a documentary with dramatized sequences and then to a heavily rotoscoped feature before settling into a mix of live-action and animation. Filmmaker: How and why did you wind up being the cinematographer of your film? What were the factors and attributes that led to your being hired for this job? Geddes: Jono, the director, and I […]
by Filmmaker Staff on Jan 23, 2022 -
“We Viewed Every Opportunity to Film in Person as a Fleeting Gift” | Paula Eiselt, Aftershock
The last two years have prompted much contemplation and reconsideration of the reasons why we make our films as well as the ways in which we make them. What aspect of your filmmaking—whether in your creative process, the way you finance your films, your production methodology or the way you relate to your audience—did you have to reinvent in order to make and complete the film you are bringing to the festival this year? This new way of living over the past two years forced me to reinvent both production and post production processes for Aftershock. The limits inherent in this […]
by Filmmaker Staff on Jan 23, 2022 -
“I Really Experienced the Idea That None of This Is Guaranteed” | Julian Higgins, God’s Country
The last two years have prompted much contemplation and reconsideration of the reasons why we make our films as well as the ways in which we make them. What aspect of your filmmaking—whether in your creative process, the way you finance your films, your production methodology or the way you relate to your audience—did you have to reinvent in order to make and complete the film you are bringing to the festival this year? Our film was somewhat unique in that we were halfway through our shoot when the pandemic hit. We had to shut down in the middle of […]
by Filmmaker Staff on Jan 23, 2022 -
“He Knew Exactly What Movie He Wanted to Make”: Editor Henry Hayes on Cha Cha Real Smooth
Cooper Raiff’s follow-up to his 2020 SXSW winner Shithouse follows a recent alum who, unable to find a career path, moves back home and begins to work as a party-starter for his younger brother’s classmates. When he befriends a local’s mom, he begins to imagine a different future for himself. Editor Henry Hayes balancing humor and pathos and how working with friends and on small projects gave him space to experiment. Filmmaker: How and why did you wind up being the editor of your film? What were the factors and attributes that led to your being hired for this job? Hayes: […]
by Filmmaker Staff on Jan 23, 2022 -
“My Process was Much Like Design Brainstorming”: Editor Anisha Acharya on Neptune Frost
Although its distinct color palette is more immediately noticeable, Neptune Frost, a directorial collaboration by slam poet Saul Williams and actress-cinematographer Anisia Uzeyman, also weaves a complex Afrofuturist narrative into a musical that brings pressing political questions about colonialism, environmentalism, and more to the forefront. Editor Anisha Acharya explains how a plethora of narrative interpretations informed the final product, and how the filmmakers struck a balance between complexity and accessibility. Filmmaker: How and why did you wind up being the editor of your film? What were the factors and attributes that led to your being hired for this job? Acharya: […]
by Filmmaker Staff on Jan 23, 2022
