Rough Cut

The documentary industry has seen huge changes in the last decade. So where does the industry stand today? What are some of the greatest challenges documentary filmmakers face? And what kind of work do industry gatekeepers want to support?Our guest, Sara Archambault, is leading a new initiative at Harvard University's Shorenstein Center that is trying to answer these questions. The program, “Documentary in the Public Interest”, surveys scholars, filmmakers, journalists, and industry leaders to find out the most prominent trends in the doc industry and the biggest challenges filmmakers face. Sara Archambault has been a documentary producer and programmer for more than a decade. She was Program Director at LEF Foundation for 10 years, and was the Founder/Programmer of The DocYard.Note that is the last episode with Rough Cut's Creator and Host Jennie Butler. If you'd like to get in touch, she can be reached at jenniebtlr@gmail.com Host Jennie Butler on InstagramExecutive Producer Sky Dylan-RobbinsProducer Caley Fox Shannon on InstagramEditor Audrey Horowitz on InstagramGot an idea for an episode? Email podcast@videoconsortium.orgClick here to support the Video Consortium

Aisha Jamal is a filmmaker, programmer and college professor. She is Canadian film programmer at Hot Docs Documentary Festival and previously worked for TIFF and Syria Film Festival Toronto, among others. In this episode, Aisha talks about her path to programming, how her work as a filmmaker and film teacher informs her programming, and how programming decisions at Hot Docs are made.Host Jennie Butler on InstagramExecutive Producer Sky Dylan-RobbinsProducer Amy DiGiacomo on Instagram and TwitterProducer Caley Fox Shannon on InstagramProducer Abhishyant KidangoorEditor Audrey Horowitz on InstagramGot an idea for an episode? Email podcast@videoconsortium.orgClick here to support the Video Consortium

When filmmaker Amanda Kim discovered the artist Nam June Paik, she knew she wanted to make a documentary about him. Five years later, Amanda's debut film Nam June Paik: Moon is the Oldest TV premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. Amanda came on the pod to talk about what she learned as a first time filmmaker — from bringing on producers, to fundraising, to navigating the edit. Moon is the Oldest TV is currently screening at Film Forum in NYC.Find Amanda Kim on Instagram.Host Jennie Butler on InstagramExecutive Producer Sky Dylan-RobbinsProducer Amy DiGiacomo on Instagram and TwitterProducer Caley Fox Shannon on InstagramProducer Abhishyant KidangoorEditor Audrey Horowitz on InstagramGot an idea for an episode? Email podcast@videoconsortium.orgClick here to support the Video Consortium

The Oscar-nominated documentary All That Breathes has a distinct visual style: long, beautiful, perfectly-constructed shots akin to narrative films. How can one stay true to this style in the unpredictable, often chaotic environments that define documentary filmmaking? Director Shaunak Sen came on the pod to discuss his film's visual style, how he was able to capture so many unique, organic moments, and his approach to the edit.You can watch All That Breathes now on HBO MAX.Find Saunak on InstagramHost Jennie Butler on InstagramExecutive Producer Sky Dylan-RobbinsProducer Amy DiGiacomo on Instagram and TwitterProducer Caley Fox Shannon on InstagramProducer Abhishyant KidangoorEditor Audrey Horowitz on InstagramGot an idea for an episode? Email podcast@videoconsortium.orgClick here to support the Video Consortium

In this episode, we sit down with director, producer, and cinematographer Rita Baghdadi, who's lastest film Sirens premiered at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival and went on to win the Grand Jury Prize at Outfest.Rita talks about how she transitioned from competitive horse jumping to documentary filmmaking, her process in making the film Sirens, how she was able to bring Maya Rudolph and Natasha Lyonne on as Executive Producers, her collaboration with the composer Para One, how she was able to juggle verité shooting and directing, and more.Find Rita on Instagram Check out the film Sirens on Instagram and sirensdocumentary.com Host Jennie Butler on InstagramExecutive Producer Sky Dylan-RobbinsProducer Amy DiGiacomo on Instagram and TwitterProducer Caley Fox Shannon on InstagramProducer Abhishyant KidangoorEditor Audrey Horowitz on InstagramGot an idea for an episode? Email podcast@videoconsortium.orgClick here to support the Video Consortium

Indian filmmakers Rintu Thomas and Sushmit Ghosh were shocked when their  scrappy, independent verite doc Writing with Fire swept up awards, including at Sundance, and became the first feature doc to ever be nominated for an Oscar. But, even more surprising was when the subjects of the film released a statement saying that the film oversimplifies their work and that it's "a much more complex story than the one going to the Oscars."In this episode, Rintu and Sushmit talk about how they were able to build trust with the film's participants and how they dealt with criticism after the film's successful release.Host Jennie Butler on InstagramExecutive Producer Sky Dylan-RobbinsProducer Amy DiGiacomo on Instagram and TwitterProducer Caley Fox Shannon on InstagramProducer Abhishyant KidangoorEditor Audrey Horowitz on InstagramGot an idea for an episode? Email podcast@videoconsortium.orgClick here to support the Video Consortium

What Do Filmmakers Owe Their Subjects? Souki Mehdaoui is a documentary filmmaker, DP, and subject coordinator. Her cinematography can be seen on Netflix, HBO, New York Times, and the Sundance-premiering documentaries The Great Hack and Mucho Mucho Amor.Souki was a subject in the HBO doc series The Vow, and she brought her experiences as a documentary participant into her work as a subject coordinator for the Showtime documentary Cusp.In this episode, Souki talks about what she's learned from being on both sides of the camera and how filmmakers can create a transparent and ethical relationship with their film's participants.Follow Souki on instagram and check out her work here.Rough Cut on InstagramVideo Consortium on InstagramHost Jennie Butler on InstagramExecutive Producer Sky Dylan-RobbinsProducer Amy DiGiacomo on Instagram and TwitterProducer Caley Fox Shannon on InstagramProducer Abhishyant KidangoorEditor Audrey Horowitz on InstagramGot an idea for an episode? Email podcast@videoconsortium.orgClick here to support the Video Consortium

It's a scenario most documentary filmmakers dread: someone else is covering the same story. Dueling documentaries are becoming more common, but is competition always bad for filmmakers?Director Jenner Furst came on the pod to talk about this phenomenon, which he's experienced several times throughout his career. Jenner and his filmmaking partner Julia Willoughby Nason and Michael Gasparro directed Hulu's Fyre Fraud, which came out days before Netflix's FYRE, as well as LulaRich, released just prior to another film on the same subject, The Rise and Fall of LuLaRoe.Jenner talks about how he approached these stories knowing there was a competing doc in progress, how he was able to gain access to some of the films' more controversial participants, and his advice for pitching to streamers.Rough Cut on InstagramVideo Consortium on InstagramHost Jennie Butler on InstagramExecutive Producer Sky Dylan-RobbinsProducer Amy DiGiacomo on Instagram and TwitterProducer Caley Fox ShannonProducer Abhishyant KidangoorEditor Audrey Horowitz on InstagramGot an idea for an episode? Email podcast@videoconsortium.orgClick here to support the Video Consortium

A documentary filmmaker's relationship with their film's participants, or "subjects", is one of the most important but challenging parts of making a film. The director might have to consider: What are the boundaries of my relationship with the subject? Should the subjects be paid? What effects will my film have on the subjects' lives?These questions are at the heart of the new documentary, SUBJECT, from directors Jennifer Tiexiera and Camilla Hall. The film examines the ethics of documentary filmmaking through interviews with industry gatekeepers, as well as subjects of some of the most notable documentaries like Hoop Dreams, Capturing the Friedmans, The Square, and The Staircase. On this episode, Jennifer and Camilla talk about the experiences that inspired them to make SUBJECT, and how filmmakers can apply the film's themes to their own work.To learn more about SUBJECT visit https://www.subject.film/Rough Cut on InstagramVideo Consortium on InstagramHost Jennie Butler on InstagramExecutive Producer Sky Dylan-RobbinsProducer Amy DiGiacomo on Instagram and TwitterProducer Caley Fox ShannonProducer Abhishyant KidangoorEditor Audrey Horowitz on InstagramGot an idea for an episode? Email podcast@videoconsortium.orgClick here to support the Video Consortium

This episode is all about music in film—choosing the right tracks, licensing music, music supervision, and more. We sat down with all star Music Supervisor Justin Feldman, whose credits include The Last Dance, Silicon Valley, Biggie: I Got a Story to Tell, and Untrapped: The Story of Lil Baby. Justin rose through the ranks at Hit The Ground Running, an LA-based, full-service music supervision company, and shares his deep knowledge on music in film.To learn more about Hit The Ground Running, visit htgr.netGet in touch with Justin Feldman at info@htgr.net or on Twitter @JT_FeldmanRough Cut on InstagramVideo Consortium on InstagramHost Jennie Butler on InstagramExecutive Producer Sky Dylan-Robbins Producer Amy DiGiacomo on Instagram and TwitterProducer Caley Fox ShannonProducer Abhishyant KidangoorEditor Audrey Horowitz on Instagram Got an idea for an episode? Email podcast@videoconsortium.orgClick here to support the Video Consortium

You've finished a film. Now how do you get it programmed at your preferred festival? Samah Ali is a film festival strategist, meaning she works with documentary directors and producers to achieve their film festival goals. Samah is also a distributor and film programmer at Academy Award-qualifying festivals like Hot Docs, DOC NYC, Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival.In this episode, Samah discusses how to think about premiere status, submission vs solicitation-based film festivals, and what a strategist like herself can bring to the table.Check out Samah's blog: https://stratali.net/Samah Ali on TwitterRough Cut on InstagramJennie Butler on InstagramSky Dylan-Robbins on InstagramVideo Consortium on InstagramClick here to support the Video Consortium*Special thanks to Amy DiGiacomo for helping us produce this episode*

Jon Gerberg is an award-winning video journalist on the national and investigative beats. He joined The Washington Post in 2017 and was previously a foreign affairs producer at the “PBS NewsHour.” He has reported overseas for the New York Times, TIME, Associated Press and others. Countries he's covered include Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, Israel and the Palestinian territories, Egypt, Venezuela, Brazil, Mexico, as well as across Europe and throughout the United States.In this episode, Jon and Jennie talk about how to stay focused on the craft in a chaotic environment, how Jon choses what stories to pursue, and how to get into a workflow while on the go.Jon Gerberg on Instagram and TwitterRough Cut on InstagramJennie Butler on InstagramSky Dylan-Robbins on InstagramVideo Consortium on InstagramClick here to support the Video Consortium

*Republishing an old favorite*Chloe Gbai is the director of If/Then, a Tribeca Film Institute initiative that gives grants and provides mentorship to filmmakers creating short documentaries. She was previously a programmer at PBS POV Shorts. In this episode, Chloe gives advice on how to put together a strong grant application, and shares her insight on what makes a good shot doc. She is based in NYC.Mentioned in the episode:The Balloonfest That Went Horribly WrongFor more info visit https://www.roughcutpodcast.com/Find Chloe on InstagramFind Rough Cut on InstagramFind Host Jennie Butler on InstagramFind Producer Sky Dylan-Robbins on Instagram

Poh Si Teng is a documentary filmmaker and the Funds and Enterprise Program Director at IDA, one of the largest documentary grant funders. Before IDA, Poh worked as an independent filmmaker in India, a staff reporter at the New York Times, and as the documentary commissioner and senior producer for Al Jazeera English's flagship strand Witness.  She also commissioned and produced the Academy Award-nominated St. Louis Superman. In this episode, Poh gives advice on what makes a strong grant application, what documentary filmmakers should think about when they're starting a new project, and how her experiences as a filmmaker and journalist inform her work at IDA. Rough Cut on InstagramJennie Butler on InstagramSky Dylan-Robbins on InstagramVideo Consortium on InstagramClick here to support the Video Consortium

Since it launched in 2014, Vox Video has amassed nearly 10 million subscribers on YouTube, and has expanded to platforms like Netflix, HBO, and Quibi. Its new docu-series Level Playing Field, about the intersection between sports and politics, is now streaming on HBO. Joe Posner is the Co-founder and VP of Creative Development at Vox Video. In this episode, we discuss how Vox built its unique brand of explanatory journalism, and it kept this distinctness while scaling to other platforms.Joe Posner on TwitterRough Cut on InstagramJennie Butler on InstagramSky Dylan-Robbins on InstagramVideo Consortium on InstagramClick here to support the Video Consortium

What kinds of stories are best told in virtual reality? Why is VR so effective, and how can emerging filmmakers get started with VR? Gary Yost and Adam Loften lead The WisdomVR Project, a library of VR documentaries and experiences. One of their latest projects, Inside COVID-19, was nominated for an Emmy Award in 2021. Adam Loften is a documentary filmmaker producing award-winning 360/VR films and multimedia stories that highlight pressing social and environmental issues. His projects have screened at film festivals around the world and have been featured on PBS, National Geographic, Emergence Magazine, The Atlantic and the New York Times.Gary Yost led the team that invented Autodesk 3ds Max, the world's most popular 3D visual effects production system, and is an award-winning filmmaker with unique expertise in the combined fields of computer imaging, filmmaking and immersive storytelling. He founded the WisdomVR Project in 2018 with Ram Dass as the inaugural subject and is the president of the board of directors.Rough Cut on InstagramJennie Butler on InstagramSky Dylan-Robbins on InstagramVideo Consortium on InstagramClick here to support the Video Consortium

As a freelancer, how do you negotiate a rate? What should you consider when setting a price? Doc filmmakers from both sides of the negotiation share their expertise in this special episode. Guests:Rebecca Davis (NBC News, Vox, NY Daily News)Lea Khayata (Pushpin Films) Javier Briones (Freelance Documentary Filmmaker)Enter your salary/wage into the Video Pay Transparency ProjectRough Cut on InstagramJennie Butler on InstagramSky Dylan-Robbins on InstagramVideo Consortium on InstagramClick here to support the Video Consortium

Hao Wu is an award-winning documentary filmmaker born and raised in China. His most recent film,  76 Days, documents Wuhan's COVID-19 outbreak. The film is shot completely vérité with no interviews, and gives viewers a first-hand account of Covid's impact through the stories of healthcare workers, patients, and their families. Hao directed the film remotely in the U.S. while his co-directors Weixi Chen (Esquire China) and a second reporter who wished to remain anonymous filmed inside four of the city's hospitals.In this episode Hao talks about his experience directing a film remotely, why he chose to make the film completely vérité, and the challenges he faced in completing the project.Hao Wu on TwitterRough Cut on InstagramJennie Butler on InstagramSky Dylan-Robbins on InstagramVideo Consortium on InstagramClick here to support the Video Consortium

Geeta Gandbhir is a documentary director, producer, and editor who has been nominated for three Emmy Awards and has won two.  As editor, she won a Primetime Emmy for Best Editing for Spike Lee's HBO documentary series When the Levees Broke and also for the HBO film By The People, The Election of Barack Obama. Her short film Call Center Blues, about US deportees and their loved ones struggling to rebuild their lives in Tijuana, was shortlisted for the 2021 Academy AwardsRough Cut on InstagramHost Jennie Butler on InstagramProducer Sky Dylan-Robbins on Instagram

Jeremy Workman is a documentary filmmaker and founder of Wheelhouse Creative, a company that makes trailers for narrative films and documentaries. In this interview, Jennie and Jeremy discuss the three acts of a trailer, why trailers are so important, what makes an effective trailer, and why trailers for docs can often be more challenging than for narrative films.Links from the interview:Lily Topples the World (new documentary premiering at SXSW)The World Before Your Feet Coded Bias trailerGatekeepers trailerRough Cut on InstagramHost Jennie Butler on InstagramProducer Sky Dylan-Robbins on Instagram

Emily Strong is an NYC-based documentary filmmaker and freelance location sound mixer. She's contributed to Taylor Swift: Miss Americana and New York Times the Weekly, and was just listed in Doc NYC's 40 under 40. Her newest project, We Are the Brooklyn Saints, debuts on Netflix in January 2021.In this episode, Emily talks about how she came up in the sound world, why sound is so important in documentaries, and how first-time doc filmmakers can achieve great sound.Emily recommends: Production Sound Mixing: The Art and Craft of Sound Recording for the Moving ImageThe Location Sound BibleThe Freelance Manifesto: A Field Guide for the Modern Motion Designer Location Sound PodcastClick here to support the Video ConsortiumEmily Strong on InstagramRough Cut on InstagramHost Jennie Butler on InstagramProducer Sky Dylan-Robbins on InstagramEmily can be reached at emilymstrong@gmail.com

Uptin Saiidi was a multimedia journalist for CNBC for 7 years based in Singapore and Hong Kong. His videos about business and tech like this one about Singapore's Airport and this one about 'digital nomads' have received millions of views on Facebook alone. Uptin recently left CNBC and moved to LA to develop his own channels. His family is from Iran and he grew up in Reno.In this episode, Uptin shares why he thinks some videos go viral on social media, how legacy media companies should pivot to digital, and why he left his job at CNBC to go freelance.You can find Uptin on Instagram, Twitter, and Youtube.Click here to support the Video ConsortiumRough Cut on InstagramHost Jennie Butler on InstagramProducer Sky Dylan-Robbins on Instagram

Julie Cohen is a documentary filmmaker and television news producer. Most recently, she directed and produced RBG about Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, along with Columbia J school professor Betsy West. Cohen is now directing the upcoming documentary Julia about chef and TV personality Julia Child.Before she was a documentary filmmaker, Cohen  was staff producer at Dateline NBC, where she was nominated for four national Emmy Awards and won the Individual Achievement Award for Best News Producer from American Women in Radio and Television (Gracie Award).In this episode, Cohen talks about how working in  broadcast news made her a better doc filmmaker, her approach to archival footage, and how she was able the compelling opening montage of RBG. Rough Cut on InstagramHost Jennie Butler on InstagramProducer Sky Dylan-Robbins on InstagramLearn more about The Video Consortium

Director Nick Bruckman and Producer Amanda Roddy talk about their upcoming film, Not Going Quietly. The film follows activist Ady Barkan as he travels the country fighting for healthcare reform. Over the course of the film, Ady's health deteriorates due to ALS, a deadly disease he was diagnosed with in 2016. Mark Duplass, Jay Duplass, and Bradley Whitford serve as executive producers, and a clip of the film screened at the DNC.When they're not working on Not Going Quietly, Nick and Amanda make videos and digital campaigns for companies and non-profits at People's Television.In this episode, Nick, Amanda, and Jennie discuss commercial work vs. doc filmmaking, how they were able to capture such private moments related to Ady's declining health, and getting the Duplass brothers on board as executive producers.Not Going Quietly on Instagram, Facebook, and TwitterNick Bruckman on InstagramRough Cut on InstagramHost Jennie Butler on InstagramProducer Sky Dylan-Robbins on InstagramLearn more about The Video Consortium

How do you get funding for your film before you have anything to show? In this episode, Jennie sits down with Co-founders Lisa Kleiner Chanoff and Bonni Cohen, and Senior Program Director Megan Gelstein of Catapult Film Fund, which provides development funding to help story-driven and cinematic documentary films get off the ground.Catapult Film Fund gives early support to propel projects forward that hold the promise of a story that should be uniquely told in film. It provides development funding, up to $20,000, to documentary filmmakers who have a strong story to tell, have secured access, and are ready to create a fundraising piece to help unlock critical production funding. It also enables filmmakers to develop their projects to the next level, at the early stage when funding is hard to find. The Fund supports powerful and moving storytelling, by filmmakers with a strong voice across a broad spectrum of subject matter.Apply and learn more at catapultfilmfund.orgAlso check out Catapult's annual Rough Cut retreat.Rough Cut on InstagramHost Jennie Butler on InstagramProducer Sky Dylan-Robbins on InstagramLearn more about The Video Consortium

Sven Pape is a documentary and narrative film editor. His YouTube channel This Guy Edits is a collection of doc and narrative editing lessons. It has amassed tens of millions of views since launching in 2016.Check out his editing course here: https://thegotoeditor.comhttps://www.roughcutpodcast.com/Find Rough Cut on InstagramFind Host Jennie Butler on InstagramFind Producer Sky Dylan-Robbins on InstagramLearn more about the Video Consortium.

Marco Williams is a documentary filmmaker and professor of film production at Northwestern University. His films—which center around race, injustice, and American history—have received numerous awards, including the Gotham Documentary Achievement Award and the Guggenheim Fellowship. Marco has also been nominated three times for the Sundance Film Festival grand jury prize.My films are about America; about whom we have been; who we are; who we aspire to be. I have committed myself to creating a record of America by trying to deal with the topics that challenge our sense of who we are and our sense of justice, but more importantly, to make films that will have sustained impact...I try to tell the stories we’d rather not tell. - Marco Williamshttps://www.roughcutpodcast.com/Find Rough Cut on InstagramFind Host Jennie Butler on InstagramFind Producer Sky Dylan-Robbins on InstagramThanks Handale Hsu for mixing this episode.

The Film Festival Alliance is a community of more than 180 film festivals around the globe. It's Executive Director, Lela Meadow-Conner, and Director of Membership, Barbara Twist, come on the podcast to discuss the role of festivals in a filmmaker's career and the future of festivals amid COVID-19.https://www.roughcutpodcast.com/Find Rough Cut on InstagramFind Host Jennie Butler on InstagramFind Producer Sky Dylan-Robbins on Instagram

Claire Gordon is the showrunner and an executive producer of "Explained" on Netflix, produced by Vox Media. Previously, she was a senior producer for two Emmy Award-winning seasons of the HBO show "Last Week Tonight with John Oliver," where the segment she produced on abortion restrictions won Television Academy Honors for using television to promote social change. On this episode, Claire shares how Vox and Last Week Tonight are able to simplify complex topics or news stories and communicate clearly through video. She also discusses how the team was able to produce the first episode of Explained: Coronavirus in just 2.5 weeks—four times faster than their typical timeline.https://www.roughcutpodcast.com/Find Rough Cut on InstagramFind Host Jennie Butler on InstagramFind Producer Sky Dylan-Robbins on Instagram

Joe Coscarelli is the host of NYTimes’, Diary of a Song, a video series that breaks down how pop songs get made. The series relies entirely on FaceTime interviews, cellphone footage, and in-house production, giving it a unique, pared-down feel. The show has featured artists like Taylor Swift, Lil Nas X, and Billie Eilish.https://www.roughcutpodcast.com/Find Joe Coscarelli on InstagramFind Rough Cut on InstagramFind Host Jennie Butler on InstagramFind Producer Sky Dylan-Robbins on Instagram

Rachel Mason is an artist, musician and filmmaker from Los Angeles. Her film, Circus of Books, is an intimate portrait of her parents, who owned and operated one of the largest distributors of gay porn in the U.S. Rachel discusses the challenges of making a film about her family, her decision to include herself in the film, and how she was able to get Ryan Murphy on board as Executive Producer.https://www.roughcutpodcast.com/Find Rachel Mason on InstagramFind Rough Cut on InstagramFind Host Jennie Butler on InstagramFind Producer Sky Dylan-Robbins on Instagram

Erin Lee Carr is a New York-based director, producer and writer. Her true crime documentaries for HBO include Mommy Dead and Dearest, At the Heart of Gold, and I Love You, Now Die. Her latest work, the four-part docuseries How to Fix a Drug Scandal, premiered on Netflix on April 1, 2020.Find Erin on InstagramEric Arthur Fernandez is a producer and cinematographer that specializes in documentary filmmaking about contemporary social-issues and current affairs. His work has appeared in the New York Times, PBS, VICE News, and The Guardian, and he regularly works as a documentary cinematographer at places like National Geographic, VICE News Tonight on HBO, PBS Newshour, Al Jazeera, the BBC, as well as for various streaming outlets. When he's not working, he likes surfing, climbing, watching Seinfeld, reading, and hanging out with his cat Ingie.Find Eric on InstagramBen C. Solomon is a documentary filmmaker, photographer and journalist. He is the inaugural Filmmaker-in-residence at Frontline on PBS. Prior to Frontline, Ben spent 9 years as a foreign multimedia correspondent for the New York Times, and was part of a team that won the Pulitzer Prize for their coverage of the Ebola Crisis in West Africa.Find Ben on InstagramElise Coker is a documentary filmmaker, video journalist, and artist based in New York City. She has created work for media outlets including VICE, NBC News, Topic, Al Jazeera, National Geographic, and PBS, and is currently working on documentary projects in Taiwan and in the Arctic.Find Elise on InstagramElettra Fiumi is a Florentine-American director, producer and editor based in Lugano, Switzerland. She heads Fiumi Studios and has worked on documentaries for Netflix, Tribeca Studios, The New Yorker, Whatsapp, Airbnb and others. She founded and heads VCItalia, the Video Consortium's Italian chapter in Milan, Italy.Find Elettra on Instagramhttps://www.roughcutpodcast.com/Find Rough Cut on InstagramFind Host Jennie Butler on InstagramFind Producer Sky Dylan-Robbins on Instagram

Wendy Cohen is the president of Picture Motion, an agency that creates social impact marketing campaigns for films. Wendy and her team work to maximize a film's impact—whether it's changing laws, bringing awareness to a social issue, or changing hearts and minds. This episode answers the question: How do you start a social movement around your film? https://www.roughcutpodcast.com/Find Rough Cut on InstagramFind Host Jennie Butler on InstagramFind Producer Sky Dylan-Robbins on InstagramThis episode is brought to you by Musicbed, which has made it easier than ever for you to find the song you're looking for with intuitive and easy-to-use browse and search, amazing indie artists and bands, incredible composers, and thousands of songs to choose from. To create your free account, go to musicbed.com. Plus, as a Rough Cut listener, you’ll get one month of subscription for free — or 20% off of a single-song license. Just enter promo code ROUGHCUT, all one word, when you check out.

Chloe Gbai is the director of If/Then, a Tribeca Film Institute initiative that gives grants and provides mentorship to filmmakers creating short documentaries. She was previously a programmer at PBS POV Shorts. In this episode, Chloe gives advice on how to put together a strong grant application, and shares her insight on what makes a good shot doc. She is based in NYC.Mentioned in the episode:The Balloonfest That Went Horribly WrongFor more info visit https://www.roughcutpodcast.com/Find Chloe on InstagramFind Rough Cut on InstagramFind Host Jennie Butler on InstagramFind Producer Sky Dylan-Robbins on Instagram

Luke Lorentzen is a documentary filmmaker based in San Francisco, CA. Luke’s first feature film out of college, Midnight Family, follows a family-run ambulance business in Mexico City. Midnight Family is a verite film, shot with two cameras Luke operated simultaneously. The film has played at over 130 film festivals around the world and has won over 25 awards including a Special Jury Award for Cinematography at the Sundance Film Festival and the Grand Jury Award at Sheffield Doc/Fest. I was released theatrically in December 2019. Luke sat down with host Jennie Butler to discuss how he managed to shoot Midnight Family solo with two cameras, his philosophy on verite filmmaking, and the film's rocky path to Sundance.https://www.roughcutpodcast.com/Find Rough Cut on Instagram Find Host Jennie Butler on InstagramFind Producer Sky Dylan-Robbins on InstagramThis episode is brought to you by Musicbed, which has made it easier than ever for you to find the song you're looking for with intuitive and easy-to-use browse and search, amazing indie artists and bands, incredible composers, and thousands of songs to choose from. To create your free account, go to musicbed.com. Plus, as a Rough Cut listener, you’ll get one month of subscription for free — or 20% off of a single-song license. Just enter promo code ROUGHCUT, all one word, when you check out.

Lance Oppenheim is a documentary filmmaker based in Brooklyn, NY. He has been collaborating with the NY Times since the beginning of college, making three Op-Docs, and now the brand’s first ever feature-length documentary, Some Kind of Heaven. The film was executive produced by Darren Aronofsky and premiered at Sundance in 2020. Some Kind of Heaven’s editor, Dan Garber, also joined the conversation.Find Lance on InstagramFind Rough Cut on InstagramFind Host Jennie Butler on InstagramFind Producer Sky Dylan-Robbins on Instagramhttps://www.roughcutpodcast.com/This episode is brought to you by Musicbed, which has made it easier than ever for you to find the song you're looking for with intuitive and easy-to-use browse and search, amazing indie artists and bands, incredible composers, and thousands of songs to choose from. To create your free account, go to musicbed.com. Plus, as a Rough Cut listener, you’ll get one month of subscription for free — or 20% off of a single-song license. Just enter promo code ROUGHCUT, all one word, when you check out.

Kevin Klauber is a documentary editor based in Los Angeles. He is best known for editing the Oscar-winning documentaries Icarus and 20 Feet from Stardom. Since then, he's contributed to numerous feature documentaries and doc series for HBO, Netflix, and others. He recently contributed to the feature documentary Fantastic Fungi, and the upcoming Netflix doc, Taylor Swift: Miss Americana.Find Rough Cut on InstagramFind Host Jennie Butler on InstagramFind Producer Sky Dylan-Robbins on Instagramhttps://www.roughcutpodcast.com/This episode is brought to you by Musicbed, which has made it easier than ever for you to find the song you're looking for with intuitive and easy-to-use browse and search, amazing indie artists and bands, incredible composers, and thousands of songs to choose from. To create your free account, go to musicbed.com. Plus, as a Rough Cut listener, you’ll get one month of subscription for free — or 20% off of a single-song license. Just enter promo code ROUGHCUT, all one word, when you check out.

Bing Liu is a documentary filmmaker and cinematographer based in Chicago. His first feature documentary, Minding the Gap, is streaming on Hulu and was nominated for best documentary at the 2019 Academy Awards. Find Bing on InstagramFind Rough Cut on Instagram Find Host Jennie Butler on InstagramFind Producer Sky Dylan-Robbins on Instagramhttps://www.roughcutpodcast.com/This episode is brought to you by Musicbed, which has made it easier than ever for you to find the song you're looking for with intuitive and easy-to-use browse and search, amazing indie artists and bands, incredible composers, and thousands of songs to choose from. To create your free account, go to musicbed.com. Plus, as a Rough Cut listener, you’ll get one month of subscription for free — or 20% off of a single-song license. Just enter promo code ROUGHCUT, all one word, when you check out.

Charles Haine has worked in the film industry since 1999 as a colorist, cinematographer, and entrepreneur. He founded the production company Dirty Robber in 2008, which has produced feature films, shorts, commercials, and music videos. Haine has authored two books about filmmaking, Business & Entrepreneurship for Filmmakers and “Color Grading 101”, and currently teaches at the Feirstein Graduate School of Cinema at Brooklyn College.Find Charles Haine’s book Business & Entrepreneurship for Filmmakers on AmazonFind Charles’ blog The Week in Film TechRead Charles’ articles on No Film SchoolFind Charles Haine on TwitterFind Rough Cut on InstagramFind Host Jennie Butler on InstagramFind Producer Sky Dylan-Robbins on Instagramhttps://www.roughcutpodcast.com/This episode is brought to you by Musicbed, which has made it easier than ever for you to find the song you're looking for with intuitive and easy-to-use browse and search, amazing indie artists and bands, incredible composers, and thousands of songs to choose from. To create your free account, go to musicbed.com. Plus, as a Rough Cut listener, you’ll get one month of subscription for free — or 20% off of a single-song license. Just enter promo code ROUGHCUT, all one word, when you check out.

Wonbo Woo is Wired Magazine’s Executive Producer of Video. In just over a year, Wonbo tripled Wired’s subscribers on YouTube; the channel has 5.4 million at the time of this episode’s recording. Wonbo got his start in broadcast journalism, working for ABC’s Nightline, then NBC’s Nightly News. He’s based in New York.Find Wonbo Woo on InstagramFind Rough Cut on InstagramFind Host Jennie Butler on InstagramFind Producer Sky Dylan-Robbins on Instagramhttps://www.roughcutpodcast.com/This episode is brought to you by Musicbed, which has made it easier than ever for you to find the song you're looking for with intuitive and easy-to-use browse and search, amazing indie artists and bands, incredible composers, and thousands of songs to choose from. To create your free account, go to musicbed.com. Plus, as a Rough Cut listener, you’ll get one month of subscription for free — or 20% off of a single-song license. Just enter promo code ROUGHCUT, all one word, when you check out.

Vanessa Carr is a Brooklyn-based cinematographer specializing in vérité-style shooting. Vanessa shot a handful of episodes for the New York Times docu-series, The Weekly, and has contributed to PBS Frontline, VICE, NY Times Op-Docs, and HBO. In this episode, Vanessa discusses what’s in her field kit, how The Weekly honed its unique style, and what she wishes she knew as a younger DP.Find Vanessa Carr on InstagramFind Rough Cut on InstagramFind Host Jennie Butler on InstagramFind Producer Sky Dylan-Robbins on Instagramhttps://www.roughcutpodcast.com/This episode is brought to you by Musicbed, which has made it easier than ever for you to find the song you're looking for with intuitive and easy-to-use browse and search, amazing indie artists and bands, incredible composers, and thousands of songs to choose from. To create your free account, go to musicbed.com. Plus, as a Rough Cut listener, you’ll get one month of subscription for free — or 20% off of a single-song license. Just enter promo code ROUGHCUT, all one word, when you check out.

Mohammad Gorjestani is an Iranian-American filmmaker based in San Francisco, specializing in branded films. His work has appeared at SXSW, Tribeca Film Festival, as well as on Vimeo Staff Picks, The Guardian, VICE, CNN, and The Atlantic. Gorjestani’s film Exit 12 was commissioned by Square and was later acquired by Fox Searchlight.Find Mohammad on InstagramFind Rough Cut on InstagramFind Host Jennie Butler on InstagramFind Producer Sky Dylan-Robbins on Instagramhttps://www.roughcutpodcast.com/This episode is brought to you by Musicbed, which has made it easier than ever for you to find the song you're looking for with intuitive and easy-to-use browse and search, amazing indie artists and bands, incredible composers, and thousands of songs to choose from. To create your free account, go to musicbed.com. Plus, as a Rough Cut listener, you’ll get one month of subscription for free — or 20% off of a single-song license. Just enter promo code ROUGHCUT, all one word, when you check out.

Courtney Coupe is the head of Great Big Story, cinematic storytelling unit of CNN. Since it launched in 2015, Great Big Story has produced countless mini-documentaries, primarily distributed on Youtube. Courtney discusses how Great Big Story has honed their brand, why she thinks certain stories go viral, and why they turn down 80% of incoming pitches, even from their own producers.Check out Great Big Story on YouTubeFind Rough Cut on InstagramFind Host Jennie Butler on InstagramFind Producer Sky Dylan-Robbins on Instagramhttps://www.roughcutpodcast.com/This episode is brought to you by Musicbed, which has made it easier than ever for you to find the song you're looking for with intuitive and easy-to-use browse and search, amazing indie artists and bands, incredible composers, and thousands of songs to choose from. To create your free account, go to musicbed.com. Plus, as a Rough Cut listener, you’ll get one month of subscription for free — or 20% off of a single-song license. Just enter promo code ROUGHCUT, all one word, when you check out.

Johnny Harris is a multimedia journalist at Vox. His show, Borders, is an international documentary series that explores people and culture at various border areas. Johnny also makes videos for his personal YouTube page, where he posts career advice and other musings.Johnny called in from his home in Washington DC to discuss how he was able to successfully pitch and execute Borders, his run-and-gun shooting style, and the benefits of working under pressure.Find Johnny Harris on InstagramFind Rough Cut on InstagramFind Host Jennie Butler on InstagramFind Producer Sky Dylan-Robbins on Instagramhttps://www.roughcutpodcast.com/This episode is brought to you by Musicbed, which has made it easier than ever for you to find the song you're looking for with intuitive and easy-to-use browse and search, amazing indie artists and bands, incredible composers, and thousands of songs to choose from. To create your free account, go to musicbed.com. Plus, as a Rough Cut listener, you’ll get one month of subscription for free — or 20% off of a single-song license. Just enter promo code ROUGHCUT, all one word, when you check out.

Ed Ou is a visual journalist at NBC Left Field. He started his career as a teenager, shooting in the Middle East for Reuters and the Associated Press. He then worked for the New York Times covering East Africa and the Middle East during the 2011 Arab Spring uprisings. Ed now makes videos and short documentaries for NBC. He lives in NYC but is originally from Canada.Find Ed Ou on Twitter and InstagramFind Host Jennie Butler on InstagramFind Producer Sky Dylan-Robbins on Instagram

Glen Zipper is a documentary producer based in Los Angeles. One of his first films, Undefeated, won the Academy Award for Best Documentary in 2012. His more recent work includes the Netflix docu-series, Dogs, and the 2-part HBO documentary, What’s My Name: Muhammad Ali.Follow Glen on InstagramFor more info on Rough Cut visit https://www.roughcutpodcast.com/Jennie Butler on Instagram @jen_butSky Dylan-Robbins on Instagram @skydylanrobbinsRough Cut on Instagram @roughcutpodcast

Pamela B. Green directed and produced Be Natural: The Untold Story of Alice Guy-Blaché, a documentary about the first female filmmaker. For her day job, Green produces movie trailers and other marketing materials for films.Be Natural appeared at festivals including Cannes, BFI, NYFF, and made its U.S. theatrical debut in April 2019.For more info on Rough Cut visit https://www.roughcutpodcast.com/Jennie Butler on Instagram @jen_butSky Dylan-Robbins on Instagram @skydylanrobbinsRough Cut on Instagram @roughcutpodcast

Meghan Oretsky is a curator at Vimeo, selecting videos for its Staff Picks page. She also founded Ladies with Lenses, a Vimeo channel and NYC-based screening series featuring women filmmakers. Meghan lives and works in NYC.Links from the episode:AdmanVimeo.com/watchBangn MediaBoooooomCartoon BrewHuman FountainsThe ProcedureDress CodeFor more info on Rough Cut visit https://www.roughcutpodcast.com/Jennie Butler on Instagram @jen_butSky Dylan-Robbins on Instagram @skydylanrobbinsRough Cut on Instagram @roughcutpodcast

Rachel Lears is a documentary producer and director based in New York. Her latest film, Knock Down the House, follows four female grassroots candidates, including Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, as they take on establishment candidates in the 2018 primaries. Knock Down the House won the Festival Favorite Award at Sundance and debuted on Netflix on May 1. Rachel’s last film, The Hand That Feeds was nominated for an Emmy in 2017, broadcast on PBS, and won awards and recognition at Full Frame, DOC NYC, AFI Docs, and numerous other festivals on the 2014-15 circuit. In both films, Rachel collaborated with her husband Robin Blotnick.http://www.jubileefilms.com/rachel-learsFollow Rachel Lears on Instagram @racheliplearsFor more info on Rough Cut visit https://www.roughcutpodcast.com/Find Host Jennie Butler on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jen_but/Find Producer Sky Dylan-Robbins on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/skydylanrobbins/Rough Cut on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/roughcutpodcast/

What exactly does a film distributor do? And do filmmakers even need a distributor? Dan Berger, the president of Oscilloscope films answers all our burning questions about documentary film distribution—from what to do with a short doc, to what distribution companies are looking for in a film, to why certain films do better on Amazon than iTunes.http://oscilloscope.netFor more info on Rough Cut visit https://www.roughcutpodcast.com/Jennie Butler on Instagram @jen_butSky Dylan-Robbins on Instagram @skydylanrobbinsRough Cut on Instagram @roughcutpodcast

Mickey Duzyj is a sports illustrator and director living in upstate New York. His award-winning ESPN 30 for 30 short "The Shining Star of Losers Everywhere" was adapted in to the Netflix Docu-series, “Losers”, which premiered in March 2019. Mickey was the Director, Illustrator and an Executive Producer on "Losers".Mona Panchal is the Vice President of Digital at First Look Media, primarily focusing on producing non-fiction programming for Topic Studios. She produced “The Shining Star of Losers Everywhere" and was an Executive Producer on “Losers”.For more info on Rough Cut visit https://www.roughcutpodcast.com/Jennie Butler on Instagram @jen_butSky Dylan-Robbins on Instagram @skydylanrobbinsRough Cut on Instagram @roughcutpodcast