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

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 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

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 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

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 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

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 Instagram
Video Consortium 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