2009 SCHEDULE AND TOPICS

 

Each night our Directors Close Up will focus on a different aspect of the craft with our featured directors. The series will explore:

 

February 4
Sound Editing and Mixing

The soundtrack of a film is essential to the emotional reality of a film. A director and sound team reveal the power of sound, taking us through the process of designing and creating the soundtrack of a film.

 

Ben Burtt (Sound Designer, Star Wars, Raiders of the Lost Ark)

 

February 11
The Director’s Collaboration with the Creative Team

The director’s vision comes to life through the collaboration with the creative team. A director and members of his/her team explain the process of creating the world of a film. From the initial stages of research to the execution on the set, they explain how they achieve the look of a film through cinematography, production design, and editing.

 

Catherine Hardwicke (Twilight, Lords of Dogtown)
Elliot Davis (DP, Twilight, Lords of Dogtown)
Richard Kidd (visual effects supervisor, Twilight, Transformers)
Nancy Richardson (Editor, Twilight, Lords of Dogtown)

 

February 18
The Independent Spirit:  A Directors Roundtable

Join us as the 2009 Spirit Award nominees discuss their films, their careers, and the way in which they have been able to balance their artistic integrity with the demands of the marketplace. Through their experiences we explore a director’s creative vision.

 

Courtney Hunt (Frozen River)
Lance Hammer (Ballast)
Tom McCarthy (The Visitor, The Station Agent)

 

Februrary 25
Writing and Directing

From the page to the screen. Through the work of directors who write and direct their material – or write for other directors- we explore the writing process and the writer/director collaboration.

 

Reggie Rock Bythewood (writer, Notorious)
Howard Rodman (writer, Savage Grace)
Jonathan Levine ( writer/director, The Wackness)
Gina Prince-Bythewood (writer/director, The Secret Life of Bees)

 

March 4
Casting and Directing Actors

Good performances are the basis of great films. It is often said that a director’s job is almost done in the casting room. Hear from every different point of view what’s behind a great performance; as actors, casting director, and director discuss the way in which they collaborate.

 

Rodrigo García (In Treatment, Nine Lives), casting directors LIbby Goldstein, Junie Lowry-Johnson (In Treatment, Big Love), and actors Michelle Forbes (In Treatment, True Blood), and David Norona (In Treatment, Lipstick Jungle).

 

March 11
New Visions, New Media

Come hear from two of today's most innovative young filmmakers and see how independents are seizing the new tools to create original work and reach global audiences.

 

Arin Crumley's Four Eyed Monsters received two Spirit Award nominations and is the first feature film to debut on YouTube. Arin has used the internet in unique ways to build a fan-base for the film, and promote screenings. His latest project, As The Dust Settles, was shot on multiple cameras (including 3 RED cameras) presenting the points-of-view of many filmmakers, and will roll out with a multi-platform release.

 

Alex Rivera's Spirit Award nominated Sleep Dealer is an impressively ambitious science-fiction thriller, filled with visual effects, that explores global outsourcing and the lives of immigrant workers, in an ever-growing world of militarized corporations. Already receiving rave reviews for its ambitious scope on such a small budget, Sleep Dealer will be released later this year. Our Directors Close-Up concludes with a look into the near-future... today.

 

Alex Rivera (Sleep Dealer)

Arin Crumley (Four Eyed Monsters)