On this episode of Rough Cut, filmmaker and writer Michael Werner talks to Billy Corben and Alfred Spellman, who shook up the documentary landscape with their film Cocaine Cowboys. The bold documentary launched their careers and solidified their reputation as daring storytellers who push against industry norms. 

Billy and Alfred, who have been collaborators since high school, talk to Michael about their dedication to telling Miami stories, and how they approach documentaries with genre-bending ideas and outside-the-box thinking. A must listen episode about the art of pushing limits and unfiltered storytelling.

Show Links
Michael Werner: https://videoconsortium.org/members/michael-werner
Billy Corben and Alfred Spellman https://www.rakontur.com

Credits
Host Michael Werner
Guests Billy Corben and Alfred Spellman
Executive Produced by Sky Dylan-Robbins and Kat Vecchio
Produced by Audrey Horwitz
Music by Zack Wright

Click here to join or support the Video Consortium 

This week on Rough Cut we’re joined by animators and filmmakers Lizzy Hogenson and Zach Dorn, who, with host Sean David Christensen, delve into how animation lends itself to emotional intensity in nonfiction stories.

All three filmmakers use a myriad of artistic mediums in their films. For Lizzy it’s needle-felting and claymation, among other mediums. For Zach it’s puppets and illustrations, and for Sean it’s miniature sets and other unique storytelling techniques.  Sean talks with Lizzy and Zach about their creative processes and how these mediums and techniques evoke emotional intimacy for the viewer. 

Show Links
Sean David Christensen: https://videoconsortium.org/members/seandchristensen
Zach Dorn: https://zachdorn.com
Lizzy Hogenson: www.lizzyhogenson.com
Lizzy’s film “Dani”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GWH8iDhkwbs

Credits
Host Sean David Christensen
Guests Lizzy Hogenson and Zach Dorn
Executive Produced by Sky Dylan-Robbins and Kat Vecchio
Produced by Monica Gokey
Music by Zack Wright

Click here to join or support the Video Consortium 

Quincy Ledbetter and Mito Habe-Evans met on NPR’s video desk, when Mito hired Quincy after a refreshingly casual and candid interview. On this episode of Rough Cut, Quincy, an independent filmmaker and artist, and Mito, a Creative Director and Supervising Video Producer at NPR, talk about what it takes to build a creative team and foster a positive work culture. We dive into the “vibe check,” how the punk scene shaped Mito’s creative outlook, and other ways Mito thinks about creating teams and connecting with collaborators. 

Show Links

Quincy Ledbetter: https://videoconsortium.org/members/qledbetter

Mito Habe-Evans: https://videoconsortium.org/members/mito-habe-evans

NPR Video: https://www.npr.org/series/718730324/video

Credits

Host Quincy Ledbetter

Guests Mito Habe-Evans

Executive Produced by Sky Dylan-Robbins and Kat Vecchio

Produced by Monica Gokey

Music by Zack Wright

Click here to join or support the Video Consortium

In this episode of Rough Cut, we dive into the story of Joss Fong and Adam Cole, two journalists and former Vox production desk partners. After working together for years, they embarked on the exciting journey of jumpstarting their own YouTube channel, “Howtown,” where they explore the question: How do we know what we know?

Join us as their former colleague, Vox Video co-founder, and long-time VC member Joe Posner checks in with Joss and Adam just four months after their launch. They’ll share their journey,  from figuring out how to get discovered with a new channel, building a loyal audience, and the art of finding a niche the video world (and whole world) is missing.

Show Links

Joe Posner: https://videoconsortium.org/members/joe-posner

Adam Cole: https://videoconsortium.org/members/adam-mathias-cole

Joss Fong: https://videoconsortium.org/members/jocelyn-fong

Howtown: https://www.youtube.com/@Howtown

“A Campaign Mao, Morphed By Money” by Adam Cole: https://www.npr.org/sections/itsallpolitics/2012/11/01/163632378/a-campaign-map-morphed-by-money

Howtown short - “Noah Lyles won the 100m by point zero zero five seconds”: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/7SkiLnZJO-E

Credits
Host Joe Posner
Guests Joss Fong and Adam Cole
Executive Produced by Sky Dylan-Robbins and Kat Vecchio
Produced by Monica Gokey
Music by Zack Wright

Click here to join or support the Video Consortium (https://videoconsortium.org)

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 Links
Breakwater Studios
https://breakwaterstudios.com/

The Last Repair Shop, Directed by Ben Proudfoot and Kris Bowers
https://breakwaterstudios.com/film/the-last-repair-shop/

Stephanie Owens
https://www.sowenstapes.com/

Credits
Host Stephanie Owens
Guest Ben Proudfoot
Executive Produced by Sky Dylan-Robbins and Kat Vecchio
Produced by Monica Gokey
Music by Zack Wright

Click 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 Links

Impossible Town, Directed by Meg Griffiths and Scott Faris

https://www.impossibletown.com/

Universe Creative

https://universecreative.org/

Credits

Host Scott Faris

Guest Meg Griffiths

Executive Produced by Sky Dylan-Robbins and Kat Vecchio

Produced by Monica Gokey

Music by Zack Wright

Click 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 Links

Great Photo, Lovely Life, Directed by Amanda Mustard and Rachel Beth Anderson

Credits

Host Ed Ou 

Guest Amanda Mustard 

Executive Produced by Sky Dylan-Robbins and Kat Vecchio

Produced by Monica Gokey

Music by Zack Wright

Click here to join or support the Video Consortium!

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 [email protected]

Host Jennie Butler on Instagram
Executive Producer Sky Dylan-Robbins
Producer Caley Fox Shannon on Instagram
Editor Audrey Horowitz on Instagram

Got an idea for an episode? Email [email protected]

Click 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 Instagram
Executive Producer Sky Dylan-Robbins
Producer Amy DiGiacomo on Instagram and Twitter
Producer Caley Fox Shannon on Instagram
Producer Abhishyant Kidangoor
Editor Audrey Horowitz on Instagram

Got an idea for an episode? Email [email protected]

Click 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 Instagram
Executive Producer Sky Dylan-Robbins
Producer Amy DiGiacomo on Instagram and Twitter
Producer Caley Fox Shannon on Instagram
Producer Abhishyant Kidangoor
Editor Audrey Horowitz on Instagram

Got an idea for an episode? Email [email protected]

Click here to support the Video Consortium