For the second part of our trip to Tribeca, Ondi and Vlad talk to some quality film makers, highlighting short docs from the fest.
First we talk to Seth Keal and Charles Miller about creating CatCam and their connection to Joan Rivers. Next, John Wilkstrom discusses Finding Benjamin, his work about an amnesia victim. Ondi then becomes the subject of the interview as she and Kyle Parker discuss Library of Dust, before we meet with Bryn Mooser and David Darg, makers of the Haitian Baseball doc, Baseball in the Time of Cholera.
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:
John Wikstrom, film student at Florida State University, is already exceeding expectations as a student filmmaker. Winner of the Coke Refreshing Films contest, he has also now added the politically charged documentary Finding Benjamin to his IMDB biography.
Seth Keal is a filmmaker who produced Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work. CatCam is his directorial debut.
Bryn Mooser is the Country Director for Artists for Peace and Justice (APJ) and lives and works in Haiti. He just helped open APJs secondary school in Port au Prince, the only free secondary school serving the slums. Bryn lived in a hut in West Africa for two and half years building schools, then hitchhiked from Bangkok to Berlin. He speaks two African languages, Creole and parts of many more. Bryn is a musician, filmmaker and writer; he grew up in Los Angeles, New York City, Maine and Zimbabwe.
David Darg went to Oxford University to study Theology and received a BTh (OXON) in 2001. He also holds a GNVQ (General National Vocational Qualification) in sound engineering from Hereford Technology College. David currently resides in Virginia Beach with his wife Naomi.His experiences have included aiding war refugees in Sudan, Kenya and Somalia; being one of the few aid workers permitted entry into cyclone-devastated Myanmar; overseeing the rebuilding of a village in Yao Jin, China that was destroyed by an earthquake; and most recently, directing OBI’s relief and recovery efforts in Haiti following the 2010 quake which included emergency relief efforts, microenterprise fish farming projects, and helping to establish a children’s home for disabled and special needs orphans.
ADD’L LINKS:
https://twitter.com/#!/wikstorm
http://www.facebook.com/wikstromj
http://www.facebook.com/findingbenjaman
http://www.findingbenjaman.com/
http://www.catcamthemovie.com/www.catcamthemovie.com/Home.html
http://www.mr-lee-catcam.de/
http://www.facebook.com/pages/CatCam-the-Movie/124666737656769
http://www.libraryofdustmovie.com
http://www.facebook.com/libraryofdust
http://www.facebook.com/OndiFan
http://www.facebook.com/parker.kyle
http://www.baseballinthetimeofcholera.com/Baseball/HOME.html
https://twitter.com/#!/cholera
http://www.facebook.com/baseballinthetimeofcholera
EPISODE BREAKDOWN:
00:01 BYOD Intro from the Highline in NYC
03:06 CatCam, clip.
04:01 The Cat Cam design and inventor.
06:17 Seth Keal and Charles Miller introduce themselves and share their Sundance history.
07:09 Working on Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work.
08:47 Connecting with Jurgen, the Cat Cam inventor.
09:52 “What is the film really about?”
10:49 The implications for the Cat Cam.
12:12 The tone of the film; the palate cleanser.
13:04 The DP discusses the cinematic eye of Mr. Lee the cat.
14:45 The conversation turns to cats and meows.
16:26 Keeping up with Jurgen and CatCam.
18:10 CatCam, clip.
19:02 Finding Benjamin, clip.
19:34 Welcoming John Wilkstrom of Finding Benjamin.
20:15 Still a student and screening at Tribeca.
22:28 Stumbling upon the story of Benjaman.
24:32 The “living plot device–Benjaman Kyle.”
26:05 The film transforms Benjaman’s life and helps direct John’s.
28:46 A cinematic highpoint in the film.
30:33 Looking for clues to his personality and history.
32:30 The future for the man with no past.
34:19 Where to learn more about the film and John.
37:21 Library of Dust, clip.
38:10 Vlad welcomes Ondi and Kyle Parker at the end of their year travelling.
39:13 “What is the film about?”
45:52 Fitting the story into Ondi’s schedule.
47:39 Library of Dust, clip.
48:40 The amount of time spent on the film.
51:02 Wearing many hats on the film.
52:40 Keeping up with the film.
53:01 Baseball in the Time of Cholera, clip.
55:24 Welcoming David Darg and Bryn Mooser.
56:08 Cholera returns to Haiti thanks to the UN.
56:52 What brought them to Haiti?
57:37 The situation in Haiti and the position of the UN.
59:10 From aid workers to filmmakers.
1:00:44 Olivia Wilde and the project–little league and cholera.
1:02:18 Juxtaposing childhood with the devastation.
1:05:14 Getting the world’s attention to Haiti.
1:08:18 Where to go online to learn about the film and issue.
1:08:43 The Tribeca experience.
1:09:57 The down-n-dirty filmmaking and background of David and Bryn.
1:11:31 Show wrap up.
