PODCAST: Sundance Special 2011

So, I don't mind admitting that I got in way over my head at Sundance this year and all of my hard work resulted in two "festival special" episodes that don't really fit the mission of the podcast. It was an overall miserable experience. That being said, I managed to get a few great interviews while up in Park City last month and I have a much better idea of how to approach Sundance next year. Lesson learned. Check out Charlotte's intro below, get the full show notes in the extended write-up at the site (this is where you can grab the timecode if you want to jump straight to a specific interview), and remember to subscribe on iTunes to have the podcast delivered right to your door, er, computer.


Charlotte Cook » 2.14.11 »

Jay was busy finishing up his first feature documentary, Beauty Day, but Josh and I were fortunate enough to attend the Sundance Film Festival again this year, and while we were there we recorded a special Sundance episode of The Documentary Blog Podcast. Josh must take all the credit as he ran around getting no less than seven interviews for this show with filmmakers at the festival (I think he may even have a few more up his sleeve for future shows).

We really hope you enjoy the podcast, the filmmakers featured are Steve James of The Interrupters, Peter D. Richardson of How to Die in Oregon, Joy Foy of Resurrect Dead, Constance Marks of Being Elmo, Leonard Retel Helmrich of Position Among the Stars, Matthew Bate of Shut Up Little Man! and Göran Olsson of Blackpower Mixtape.

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BLOG: Park City busking

Joshua Ligairi » 1.30.11 »

My personal favorite discovery of the 2011 Sundance Film Festival was not a movie, but a band. Bramble, a group of street musicians that performed everyday of the festival, brought a lot of cheer as I slogged up and down Park City Main Street in the slush and snow.

They have an interesting line-up that features banjo, ukulele, accordion, and street drums and makes for a really unique sound--especially when combined with singer James Miska's rich vocals and fun, sin-along lyrics. The music is happy and upbeat and the group's youthful enthusiasm for what they do is totally addictive--even to a jaded asshole like me. This is the kind of stuff that really gets me excited.

I bought their CD on my first time walking by the band because, although I had a screening to make at Slamdance, I wanted to keep listening to their awesome music. On my iPod by day two, I had all of their songs memorized by day three, and still occasionally stopped for a listen. Not long afterward, I was trying to think of a way to work street musicians into my next film (which I did!).

I was able to find a great performance video of the band at Sundance 2010. The video captures their live performance, but fails to capture their sound because the audio mixer was pointing the only microphone directly at the singer so he dominates the mix. But it is still great. Check it out below:

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You can buy their CD here and hear Bramble's side of their Sundance story here. Catch Bramble next at the True/False Film Festival in Colombia, MO--no kidding. And don't be surprised when you see them in my movie(s).

BLOG: Who ya gonna call?

Joshua Ligairi » 11.25.09 »

I've often imagined getting the Thanksgiving phone call--you know the one--but it just hasn't happened yet. This year was the first time that I actually believed it could. Not with all my heart, mind you. I save a little slice of that just in case, so if things turn out poorly, my heart doesn't break or burst. You've got to leave a little wiggle room. That said, I was pretty confident this year.

As the day drew nearer, I held out hope--but nothing. When I woke up Thanksgiving morning, I had hope--still nothing. I called some peers, some who had gotten the call in the past and others who hadn't, but all of them hoping for a call this year, and each with specific insight into how it all worked.

"They make all the calls before Thanksgiving," the first said matter-of-factly. "You think they are going to spend the whole holiday on the phone?" That made sense.

"No, no, no. You can still get the call by Friday," the next postured. "They aren't in any hurry." Well, that was true too. They weren't under anyone's deadline but their own. This could be good.

My next call confirmed that suspicion and took it further. "I've heard that they deliberate over the weekend." It is a whole new world this year. New management. They are shaking things up." Maybe I had plenty of time. I didn't know what to believe.

Finally, "You would have gotten the call by now." And that was probably true.

Still, as I peeled potatoes and washed fresh cranberries, I continued to hold out just a glimmer of hope. But at a certain moment during dinner, I started to feel it and, as the night wore on, that damned sinking feeling started to set in. This had never really been a problem in the past because until now, I had never truly believed I stood a chance. But this year was different, wasn't it?

"Don't be stupid," I told myself. "You didn't actually think you were going to get the call did you?" I thought about it for a long time even though I already knew the answer. I lied, "No, no of course not. That would be crazy."

So, as I mentioned before, I have never received that precious call. It just never occurred to me until this year that perhaps I never will. And you know what? Others call. Life just simply moves forward. To quote another whose phone did not ring this year, "Do your work. The rest is in God's hands."

Still...what would this feel like?

BLOG: A rough cut

Joshua Ligairi » 09.21.08 »

Production wrapped just over a week ago when Daniel Thompson, one of the subjects of the film, went to jail. We had roughly a week to complete the rough cut in time for submissions to the 2009 Sundance Film Festival, the deadline of which is today. Needless to say it has been a long week, but well worth the effort.

The end of filming was a bit anti-climactic for me. I couldn't really fathom that it was over. We've been in production--actually shooting the film--for almost two years. I've worked on several other films during that time that have come and gone. Cleanflix was always there. Of course, it is still there. First we have to finish cutting the film. Still holding out for a few interviews. Waiting on score and animations. A lot of tightening and finessing still to do. Then will come the film festival circuit. That could last a year. Who knows? God (and indie film marketplace) willing, we will sell the thing. So I may be living with this for a long time. But that wasn't the only thing bothering me.

You see, I'd always imagined that the moment I first submitted a feature film to Sundance would be a sort of life-defining moment for me. I'm not sure what I was expecting. Maybe some sort of instantaneous gratification where I'd hand the film over to the submissions board personally and they'd say, "We've heard about your film and can't wait to see it. Don't tell anyone we said this, but you're in!" Also I kind of imagined this playing out with me encircled by a sparkling cloud of fairy dust. Well, that didn't really happen. Instead, we rushed through a cut, editing almost 24 hours a day between the two of us, and had to turn in a project that is less than the best work we can do.

Ultimately, I'm not super confident that this cut will get us into Sundance. The film is still missing some crucial elements. They will come in time, but the rough cut is just that, very rough. Still, I’m proud of the strides we have made since wrapping only one week ago. Struggling for this deadline was a shot in the arm that has pushed the project to the next level and I am confident that we will do well at any other major festival we play at. It will just be a shame if we don’t play at Sundance because of Robert Redford’s involvement in the issue, the importance of this issue to the film industry, and the fact that there is so much local interest here in Utah.

All of the Producer's Reps we've spoken with say we're a shoe-in, but I've heard there is no such thing at Sundance. The process is confusing to even those who have had films play at the festival. Here's a small for instance: I live a ten minute drive away from Redford's Sundance Resort and 40 minutes from Park City--contemporary home of the festival. Can I swing by and drop our submission off there? No, it as to go to the LA office. Some say they only watch the first five minutes of the film. Some say they don't watch the submissions at all and only take films that are heavily represented. Then, there's the fact that we submitted a rough cut--and when I say rough, I mean rough. As Andrew (my co-director) says, "rough cuts don't get in to film festivals."

So, I'm hoping for the best and expecting the worst. I'm not keeping my fingers crossed, but okay, I really am keeping them crossed. There are other wonderful festivals out there and some that are viable independent film markets. I'm confident that the film will find an audience and a home no matter where it play. Still, I gained my love for film here in Utah--where film takes place. I've spent my years here going to the festival, working at the filmmakers lab, and for a time, living a stone's throw away from Bob Redford. As I honed my filmmaking skills, I always imagined being a part of this in some larger way. For all it's faults, Utah is my home. Sundance is a part of it and so is this film.