Rough Cut

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

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 Shannon on InstagramProducer 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

Samah Ali, a film festival strategist and programmer at top festivals like Hot Docs and DOC NYC, shares her expertise on getting films into festivals. She discusses the importance of premiere status and the differences between submission and solicitation-based festivals. Samah emphasizes building relationships with festival programmers and navigating rejection. Her insights into making a film stand out in a competitive landscape are invaluable for filmmakers looking to maximize their visibility and distribution opportunities.

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

Chloe Gbai, director of If/Then and former programmer at PBS POV Shorts, shares insights on creating strong grant applications and what makes a great short documentary. They discuss challenges of distribution and the value of mentorship. Tips for filmmakers seeking grants and challenges of telling a complete story in a short film are also covered.

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