Rough Cut

In this month’s episode of Rough Cut Podcast, filmmaker and curator Stephanie Owens talks with Oscar-winning director Ben Proudfoot about the art of short documentary. Growing up in Nova Scotia, Ben was a young magician with a youth championship win, but after a trip to Los Angelis his goals changed, setting him on a new path. Stephanie and Ben start at the beginning and this conversation is an engaging journey through Ben’s unique career path from magician to celebrated filmmaker. Now the founder and CEO of Breakwater Studios, Ben leads a team of artists who make both brand-funded and independent short documentaries. Together, they’re redefining and championing the short documentary as its own unique storytelling format. A fun and engaging episode for anyone who loves short documentaries, and for those who follow their curiosity and embrace the twists and turns of creative work!Watch the interview: https://youtube.com/@videoconsortium Show LinksBreakwater Studioshttps://breakwaterstudios.com/The Last Repair Shop, Directed by Ben Proudfoot and Kris Bowershttps://breakwaterstudios.com/film/the-last-repair-shop/Stephanie Owenshttps://www.sowenstapes.com/CreditsHost Stephanie OwensGuest Ben ProudfootExecutive Produced by Sky Dylan-Robbins and Kat VecchioProduced by Monica GokeyMusic by Zack WrightClick here to join or support the Video Consortium

In this episode of Rough Cut, filmmakers and longtime collaborators Scott Faris and Meg Griffiths talk about what it means to make work with a purpose and why they chose to create their production company, Universe Creative. Scott interviews Meg about her journey from photojournalist to filmmaker, working with non-profit clients, and their first feature documentary, Impossible Town. They also discuss how their company’s core values trickle down into everything they do and the importance of having a clear vision and process for their work. This is a can’t miss episode for producers and anyone thinking about creating their own company.Be sure to subscribe and leave a rating or a comment to help this podcast reach more filmmakers around the globe!Watch the interview: https://youtube.com/@videoconsortium Show LinksImpossible Town, Directed by Meg Griffiths and Scott Farishttps://www.impossibletown.com/Universe Creativehttps://universecreative.org/CreditsHost Scott FarisGuest Meg GriffithsExecutive Produced by Sky Dylan-Robbins and Kat VecchioProduced by Monica GokeyMusic by Zack WrightClick here to join or support the Video Consortium

Rough Cut Podcast is back! Did you miss us? After a brief hiatus, Rough Cut returns in a new, community-driven format, with alternating Video Consortium members hosting each episode.For our first episode back, join longtime friends, filmmakers, and photojournalists Ed Ou and Amanda Mustard as they reunite in this eye-opening episode about the transition from photo to video, the enduring principles of journalism ethics, and the challenges of sustaining a career in high-risk journalism. Amanda also discusses the release of her first feature-length documentary Great Photo, Lovely Life, a poignant HBO film about her journey to confront familial trauma.Wherever you are in your career, this candid conversation about Ed and Amanda's professional evolution and the profound impact of storytelling through film is a must-listen. Be sure to subscribe and leave a rating or a comment to help this podcast reach more filmmakers around the globe!Watch the interview: https://youtube.com/@videoconsortium Please note: This episode contains brief conversations about SA and family trauma. Show LinksGreat Photo, Lovely Life, Directed by Amanda Mustard and Rachel Beth AndersonCreditsHost Ed Ou Guest Amanda Mustard Executive Produced by Sky Dylan-Robbins and Kat VecchioProduced by Monica GokeyMusic by Zack WrightClick here to join or support the Video Consortium!

The podcast discusses the challenges and opportunities faced by documentary filmmakers today, including funding, limited content choices, and the tensions between documentary and journalism. They also explore the integration of programs from the Video Consortium into future episodes of the show. The chapter highlights the importance of transparency, addressing systemic issues in the industry, and the need for more holistic support models for filmmakers. They also discuss the work of research organization Shore and Steen and how to participate in their research publications and fellowship program.

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 podcast discusses the visual style of the Oscar-nominated documentary 'All That Breathes' and how it stays true to its style in documentary filmmaking. They explore topics such as the human-animal relationship, editing process, and knowing when to stop filming. The chapter also highlights the impact of the editor on the film's tone and the challenges of editing documentary footage.

In this episode, we sit down with director, producer, and cinematographer Rita Baghdadi, who's latest 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 pleasantly surprised when their  independent feature doc Writing with Fire swept up awards, including at Sundance, and became the first Indian feature doc to ever be nominated for an Oscar. But they were shocked when the film's subjects, after traveling with and celebrating the film for 14-months, suddenly pulled back from the project, releasing a statement saying that the film oversimplifies their work.In this episode, Rintu and Sushmit talk about how they maintain the delicate balance between filmmaker and participant, as well as the stakes and challenges of storytelling in a dynamically evolving and complex democracy.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