Dan Lindsay and T.J. Martin are fresh off the success of their Oscar Winning Best Documentary feature, “Undefeated,” and into thelip studios to talk with Ondi and Vlad on BYOD.
From being Sundance darlings, to getting the big push from Oscar, they are in the middle of a whirlwind of attention for their inspirational story of a high school football team that overcomes the odds. They open up about the process of filming and editing the movie, as well as getting backing from P. Diddy and how it feels to be Oscar winners.
Watch new episodes of BYOD live each week on Tuesdays at noon on TheLip.TV, or tune in for the archived replay starting here on the following Thursday.
ABOUT BYOD:
BYOD is co-hosted by Ondi Timoner, director of “DIG!,” “JOIN US” and “WE LIVE IN PUBLIC,” and has the rare distinction of winning the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance twice, and Vladimir Radovanov, entertainment attorney, and executive producer of “WE LIVE IN PUBLIC.” Each week the show explores a different documentary filmmaker or aspect of filmmaking, with special guests and a live Q&A– diving deep into creative process and the business realities of producing and distributing films. Ondi and Vladimir share their insider views, opinions, and personal stories, welcoming audience participation. BYOD aims to entertain, inform, and elevate documentaries in general by bringing attention to films and film makers that deserve exposure.
GUEST BIO:
Dan Lindsay and T.J. Martin met while working on the feature-length documentary film LAST CUP: ROAD TO THE WORLD SERIES OF BEER PONG, which Lindsay directed and Martin edited. The film was distributed under the “Morgan Spurlock Presents” banner of Virgil Films and was broadcast on Spike TV. UNDEFEATED marks their first feature-length directorial collaboration.
Dan Lindsay was born in Rockford, Illinois and graduated from the University of Missouri in 2001. He began his career by directing WHY US?, a short documentary film exploring the roots of the 9/11 attack on America.
Born and raised in Seattle, Washington, T.J. Martin graduated from Western Washington University with a degree in American Cultural Studies. His first film, A DAY OF HYPE IN AMERICA, won the Best Documentary award at the Rhode Island International Film Festival.
They are recently winners of an Oscar for Best Documentary for UNDEFEATED.
ADD’L LINKS:
http://weinsteinco.com/sites/undefeated/
http://spitfirepictures.com/
https://twitter.com/!/dan_lindsay
https://twitter.com/!/tjmckaymartin
http://martin-lindsay.tumblr.com/
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/14/undefeated-directors-dan-lindsay-and-tj-martin_n_1345207.html
EPISODE BREAKDOWN:
00:01 Introduction to BYOD.
01:19 Welcoming T.J. Martin and Dan Lindsay.
02:01 Making High School football look cinematic.
03:42 The shoot in Memphis.
03:56 “How did you come across this story?”
07:39 UNDEFEATED trailer.
09:54 UNDEFEATED parallels with THE BLIND SIDE.
11:12 Ambassadors of American Film.
12:36 P. Diddy joins the project and helps bring attention.
15:58 The Oscar count.
17:09 Working on LAST CUP: ROAD TO THE WORLD SERIES OF BEER PONG.
18:32 Money and his turtles: the heart of the movie.
20:52 Shocking inner-workings of high school football.
22:10 “How did the characters come into focus?”
25:56 Dan’s history on the project and finding a partner in shooting/cutting.
29:26 Future project ideals.
31:23 The hybrid-doc trend in festivals,
33:25 “Is this a feature film?”
34:15 How the subjects have progressed.
35:28 UNDEFEATED clip. “Don’t quit.”
36:17 The lessons and message of UNDEFEATED.
40:54 Dan and T.J. teach a high school film class.
44:35 Telling a different story in North Memphis–screening the film.
46:15 Smashing cameras on location
48:05 “How did you finance?”
50:45 Making a film on a small budget.
51:49 The importance of being able to edit.
54:12 “Where can we see the film?”
56:07 UNDEFEATED clip.
57:08 The Daily Dig Down.
1:03:06 “Your favorite documentaries?”
1:05:54 Thanks!
