March 13, 2012 at the Austin Convention Center, 3:30 p.m.

Five years ago, on a trip down to New York City to put on a show, I came across a book titled I Could’ve Written a Better Movie That!, a book that instructs you on how to set up your own script consulting practice. With a subtitle that read “How to Make Six Figures as a Script Consultant Even If You’re Not a Screenwriter!,” I began to forge a fantasy of setting up a script consulting “shingle,” as they say in Hollywood.

In the book, author Derek Rydall spoke of creating what he called a “unique selling perspective,” or “USP,” and how to go about finding it. If you’re familiar with the output of screenwriting books, many so-called “gurus” offer some kind of unique hook for their advice, even if most of the advice boils down to some variation on Aristotle’s Poetics, Joseph Campbell’s Hero of a Thousand Faces, or (in more recent years) Blake Snyder’s Save the Cat!. Rydall wrote:

So what is special about you? What unique base or life experience do you bring to the table? Are you a doctor, a lawyer, a psychologist, a detective, a retired general, or a mythology professor? Or do you have a totally new technique for screenwriting, perhaps even using some ancient methodology to analyze and develop story?

He goes on to say:

Are you a history teacher or a history buff? Are you tired of watching historical epics that completely botch–or outright mutilate–historical facts? Do you get turned on studying all the different types of spoons used throughout history? Then we need your help!

After much deliberation, I had a niche for myself: Sex.

I had a couple of reasons for it. One, it seems to be one of the last niches not occupied by a script consultant. Second, there hasn’t been a lot of on-screen sex as of late. Good on-screen sex, anyway. I imagined doing analyses of Woody Allen’s Vicky Cristina Barcelona, David Lynch’s Mullholland Dr., and Francois Ozon’s Swimming Pool. At one point, I was considering enrolling at The Institute of the Advanced Study of Human Sexuality to gain some credibility to become an “expert.” (Notable alumni include Annie Sprinkle, Carol Queen, and Betty Dodson.)

My motivation was less about wanting to be a rockstar “guru,” and more about, as Karina Longworth stated once upon a time, “starting a conversation.” Ideally, I could use the “script consultant” framework to subvert ideas of sexuality on film, establish my name, and get paid decent money for it. Maybe I could live off the money, even! I even had a title for my inevitable book: Real Sex for Screenwriters! I abandoned the fantasy after, among other things, getting a job that inspired my new project, and a rant published by Hangover 2 screenwriter Craig Mazin.

Why I relate this story is that it was my main pull for attending last year’s panel hosted by moderator (and CineKink founder) Lisa Vandever, Sex It Up!, and this year’s panel, “Bringing Sexy Back: Where’s the Line Today?” As it turns out, wanting to start a conversation about seeing more sex onscreen was Vandever’s motivation as well. The panelists this year were all filmmakers, but like last year, they showed the spectrum of sex in Indie Film. There was Julie Keck and Jessica King, the women behind King is a Fink Productions, creators of of quirky softcore videos called “Kinky Cuties.” The other two filmmakers were more from the indie end of the spectrum: Sophia Takal, who directed last year’s Green, and Sean Baker (who joined the panel after Chris Gore dropped out), whose film Starlet was at this year’s festival.

All of the panelists had unique motivations for portraying sex on the screen. For Baker, it’s a matter of Artistic Freedom. Takal wanted to create a realistic depiction of sex. Keck and King were inspired to make films after a close friend who lent them a couple of gay porn films, and were compelled to put up their own representation of sex on screen.

A good portion of the panel was devoted to the discussion of the line between mainstream films and independent films. “I think there’s a hypersexuality in a lot of mainstream media that dehumanizes people, and desexualizes things. I think it’s very complicated to figure out where the line is. But for me, it’s not important [not to portray it] as bad.” Said Takal.

Vandever chimed in. “There’s an authenticity.”

“There’s an authenticity that’s not there to make people feel bad about their sexuality,” Takal added.

Baker noted about the decline in the quality of sex scenes over the last 30 years.

“It seems to me in the last 20 years, sex has been depicted as so dark and negative. It’s interesting that the reason that John Cameron Mitchell directed Shortbus is that he wanted to depict sex as fun and positive. I think that that has to happen more, and more filmmakers have to do that. Looking back at films from the 1980s, those sex scenes were great!” Baker then paused for a laugh before going on. “They were risque and intentionally titillating, and maybe that’s not such a bad thing.”

Later, there was a discussion on censorship, which veered into the depiction of female sexuality. When asked by Vandever what rating Baker anticipated his movie Starlet would recieve, he responded, “It will only be unrated, or NC-17, if someone decides to spend the money and get the MPAA to rate it. We knew that from day one. We were fine with that.” Baker then noted the MPAA’s hypocrisy of the treatment of sex and violence when rating films. “The MPAA is much more lenient toward violence. If they see violence, they can let it go. I think that the MPAA is more strict on sex scenes in a way, especially in American films. We’re more comfortable seeing violence on screen than with seeing sex on screen, and that definitely has to change.”

While shooting the sex scenes for Starlet, Baker remained mindful of his perspective.

“With this film, I was extremely concious of the male gaze. Basically what heterosexual guys might want to see on screen. I have an erect penis in my film. I tried to remove myself from the male gaze as much as possible, but obviously, it’s still going to be there.”

King immediately commended the presence of the erect penis in Starlet: “We were happy that you had penis in your film, because, it’s true: you always see the women. And there’s such a fear around seeing the male body in American Cinema. It’s refreshing.” She later added, “Nudity being shown is awesome, but when the girl has the nicest tits, or is really thin, that’s a problem.”

Vandever also riffed on the double standards of seeing sex on film. She cited the film Coming Soon, released the same year as the first American Pie movie, which concerns a high school girl exploring her sexuality. When Vandever and her husband attended a preview screening of the film, her husband remarked, “So, when’s the premiere?” She replied, “That’s pretty much it!” The film was barely released, and when it was, it was initially had to challenge an NC-17 rating. Takal pointed out that Blue Valentine was initially rated NC-17 because of a cunnilingus scene that was later removed. All agreed, though, that the best way to challenge these double standards would be to portray female sexuality on screen.

I think Female Sexuality on film would be a worthwhile topic for its own panel at a future SXSW. Meanwhile, I hope Vandever continues to host more panels that explore sex on film.

Full Disclosure: The author of this interview gave money to the film’s production, and as such, her name appears in the credits. This interview was conducted shortly after the March 11th screening of the film.

Erin Scherer: Amy, this is your first feature narrative film, but you have worked on a number of low-budget, DIY productions over the years, including Medicine for Melancholy, Tiny Furniture, and a number of Joe Swanberg’s films. How has working on other people’s films prepared you to make this film?

Amy Seimetz: The films I made prior to Sun Don’t Shine as a director were more experimental, more strict, and a little more intellectual. I met Joe Swanberg through Pat Healy, who was my roommate and had acted in a movie of mine. After I met Joe, I met a lot of filmmakers who were doing improvisational films. I really enjoyed the idea of a lack of stress, where you just start rolling, and observe what’s interesting in the room, as opposed to depending on or sticking to one idea that you have, and you’re like, “If this isn’t working, then we’re failing.” So I really liked the freedom that you have with improvisation and not knowing exactly what you’re going to capture. But I still definitely wanted to make a scripted movie, but utilize that sort of freshness and looseness with Kentucker and Kate. If I want them to, if they feel like it, they can really do brilliant stuff.

I’ve also done several horror movies the last couple of years. The anxiety portion of horror films and the cathartic feeling of the horror experience. Not necessarily making a horror movie–I loved the tone, the mood, and how you can go into these really weird spaces in horror films. I didn’t want to make a horror film, but a film that had some of these elements.

Erin: Kate, you play a “broken woman” in the film. At one point in the film, your character mentions in a monologue that she has been mistreated for most of her life. It sounded like she had been in one abusive relationship after another. Recently, I read a book on verbal abuse, and the author of the book cited that women will go with the men that court them. However, do you think your character gets involved with a guy like Leo because it’s basically what she knows?

Kate Lyn Sheil: We sort of imagined that the beginning of Leo and Crystal’s relationship was kind of sweet. Maybe that is what she knows because the beginning of most relationships are pretty tender and and kind until two personalities are not able to intertwine–

Erin: Not to interrupt here, but that’s one of the things the book said. Abusive relationships are initially not abusive. There’s some event that happens, some shift in the relationship that it becomes abusive. Sometimes it has to do with the abuser’s fear of being abandoned.

Kate Lyn Sheil: I think both of these characters are dealing with serious abandonment fears, definitely. In my personal life, it’s been my experience that whether or not I realize it, at the beginning of a relationship, I do wind up choosing people with a lot in common over and over again. Which I think is something Crystal does very well. Also, what we wanted to show in the movie was that she’s been victimized in certain ways, but on the flip side, she has not taken a whole lot of responsibility for herself. Trying to deflect what happened away from herself, instead of coming to terms with what she did.

Amy: What being a victim means, and how Kate and I talked about how if you’re abused, and you’ve been through these experiences for a really long time, that in order to survive, you have to develop survival techniques. Manipulation is not mean-spirited, but it’s just a way to exist so you can navigate a fight. Some of the ways that she ends up lying or hiding things is because your whole life is, “I don’t want this to turn into a bad thing, I don’t want it to be my fault. I’d rather have the other person think it’s their fault.” As opposed to getting blamed for something.

Kate: Right. Because of what you’re used to how you’ve learned to deal with overwhelming and angry personalities, and learn to slip around those personalities however you can.

Amy: And vice versa. You’re also creating the same environment that you’re used to. If there’s not craziness intially, your body and your brain seek out the chaos that you started with, or the calmness–whatever home was. It’s comfortable for you to find the situations and re-create them.

Erin: Kentucker, you’re primarily a director, but you’ve also acted in movies like this one, Bad Fever, and Joe Swanberg’s Marriage Material. How has being a director helped you as an actor?

Kentucker Audley: They’re not very interconnected in my case. The films that I make are based on a hyperrealism that isn’t present in the two primary films I’ve acted in. I don’t know to navigate between the two. I guess it came more naturally than I thought it would to exist in a character, rather than play myself, which is what I do in my films. They are two separate things, and I guess the only way they’re interconnected is the comfortability and being able to exist and interact naturally. Whether or not this is based on hyperrealism, or if it’s based upon it. I guess there are similarities.

Erin: Amy, I think you hit the nail on the head at the Q&A of the screening that I attended that people that you want to work with on the film are people have to willing to endure a certain type of filmmaking that at times may not be so pleasant. Given that you are a part of this community, do you think that it’s also about people who understand a certain aesthetic?

Amy: Yes and no, because I think we–

Kentucker: Yes, but it might also be no.

Amy: Yes! Let’s not forget that it’s no also.

I think there’s something interesting for this form of naturalism and I definitely think that it’s a skill set. Not everyone can be comfortable in their own skin in front of the camera. For instance, in Open Five, what Kentucker was aiming to do is capture the essence of the person, the real person. I think that skill set that not everyone necessarily has, but all of us understand how to do that, or how to use that to our advantage. At the same time, I think that now people that are involved in that sort of realism are transitioning into either pushing narrative to into another level and are trying to figure out what you can do with that realism and how far you can take it into the hyperreal.

Erin: I think that the thing with these movies is that it sort of started out with Joe Swanberg and Andrew Bujalski documenting this sort of naturalistic and not tightly plotted, and now it’s moving more into stylization.

Amy: Every Generation has a group of filmmakers that try to get closer and closer to what people act like in real life. It just happened to be this other movement, like the Dogme films and Cassavetes’ films and how they tried to get closer and closer to reality.

Kate: A lot of people have tried in the past to capture people as they are, and a lot of these people are of a theatre background.

Amy: For the most part, it’s more of a DIY sort of movement. It’s not feeling like you have to depend on big money or big companies to tell the stories you want to tell. That now, in this day in age, all you need is an idea, a camera, and technical knowledge. If you know this, there are so many programs that are accessible, consumer-wise. Once you take three days to figure out these programs like Final Cut Pro or Protools and you have the ear and the eye for it, there’s no reason to spend tons and tons of money to tell the story you want to tell.

Kentucker: There’s also an oscillation with the young maverick filmmakers going toward hyperrealism, or moving away from [hyperrealism] into stylization. I feel like that it’s a continuous way it’s predicated on–being a reactionary against the previous mainstay. I’m very interested in genre, style, and energy now, whereas in the past I’d shy away from those things. I’d classify them as phony or unnecessary. I think things are heading toward style for a lot of people I respond to will work with.

Erin: Amy, when you were doing the fundraiser for this film, you donated part of the funds to a battered women’s shelter that you volunteered at while you were in high school. Do you think your time volunteering there may be gave you a certain sensitivity to abusive situations and helped you in the making of this film?

Amy: Yes. I worked at a shelter where there were women and children that were taken from abusive homes.

At the core of both of these characters in these awful situations. What I really wanted to portray with Crystal is that how hard and how scary it is to feel alone, and feel like changing your entire situation, and how terrifying that can be. What you want–because you are so scared and beaten down is that you want to go toward comfort. Sometimes that comfort comes from the person that you really shouldn’t be with.

My movie is pretty aggressive, and it’s not necessarily a good expose on how to get out of an abusive relationship. It’s more like a character portrait for me, getting out a lot of aggression and getting out a lot of fears and a lot of these things that people don’t necessarily talk about when they talk about abuse. Even after children were pulled from there abusive parents, they would be like, “I want my mom!”

Erin: You want to show some of the contradictions of being in an abusive relationship.

Amy: Exactly! And sort of blur it for people because I think that Crystal is really brilliant in a lot of ways. Her survival techniques–her brain has been at this high functioning mode. She’s existed in this high-stress situation, so she’s kind of fight-or-flight. So her brain is functioning at this rapid level, and you see it in the movie with Kate’s performance in how quickly she can change, and has figured out how to cope with this high-intensity situation. She shifts again and again, and you see all these faces.

I would love for it to open up a discussion and what it means to be a victim, but also how to get out of the idea that you’re a victim, and realizing that being a victim is a choice, and you have to make that decision. You have a choice to make that decision. But also it’s okay to feel all these other things, like the desire to want to be with this other person, and that you miss this person. Not necessarily villainize people in these situations.

Next month, fellow notetaker Rebecca Banach and I will be coming to Austin for this year’s SXSW Film Festival. We will be arriving on Friday, March 9th, and leaving on Wednesday evening, March 14th. We are currently searching for accommodations, and would prefer a location that’s within three miles of Austin Convention Center (makes it convenient for cheaper cab rides), and near a bus stop. Please understand that we are on a tight budget, and are looking for accommodations that $150 per night or less.

If you have accommodations for us, please contact me at erin at erinscherer.com using the subject line “SXSW Film Panel Notetaker Housing”. Thank you.

The documentary community was out in full force at last night’s Cinema Eye Honors for Nonfiction Filmmaking : from rising stars like Kristi Jacobson, who is heading to Sundance with her film Finding North next week; to household names like Michael Moore; to doc pioneers who’ve inspired us all like Al Maysles and Fred Wiseman.

And what a community it is! The spirit of camaraderie in the room was palpable, and was commented upon by several presenters.  The evening was hosted by charismatic Cinema Eye Honors co-chairs AJ Schnack and Esther Robinson. They fostered this sense of community by sharing personal anecdotes throughout the evening and reminding the audience why the awards were founded in the first place: to honor the countless hours spent by often unsung documentary producers, directors, shooters, and editors in the name of helping us better understand our world.

The crowd shared appreciative laughter when one presenter commented on the difference between doc-makers and Hollywood producers: “We fly Greyhound.”  There were also some surprisingly touching moments, like when Tim Hetherington’s mother accepted his award for the short film Diary.  Tim, a photojournalist who was killed while covering the Libyan conflict last year, was beloved by many in the room. Danfung Dennis, director of Hell and Back Again, addressed Mrs. Hetherington in his acceptance speech for the Cinematography prize, sharing that “Tim was our Prince.”

Another emotional highlight was the appearance of Jason Baldwin at the podium. Baldwin is one protagonist of the Paradise Lost documentary trilogy, which covered his wrongful imprisonment as a teenager. Baldwin and the other two men featured in the films were finally released last year after 18 years in prison, a testament to the power of documentary films for advocacy and awareness. Filmmakers Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky joined Baldwin on stage to receive the “Hell Yeah!” Award, created specifically to honor their films’ achievements.

Esther Robinson summed up the crowd’s feelings as she wiped away tears after Mrs. Hetherington and the Paradise Lost crew’s appearances: “This is not abstract. This is about real people I respect, making work that moves me, and I am humbled.”

Many excellent films were recognized, but the top prize of the night went to Steve James and his team for The Interrupters. Check out the trailer here:

P.S. A big congratulations to our very own Chief Notetaker, Brian Geldin, who served as press liaison for the event and did us all proud!

While I did have the opportunity to post some of my own notes this year, I personally  had to take a back seat from posting due to my very fortunate almost non-stop work on many incredible film publicity projects. I want to thank the people who’ve been very generous to me giving me these amazing opportunities.

First and foremost, Thessa Mooij of Silversalt PR. Thessa is such a warm and kind person, and extremely  hard working. She’s also a busy jet setter having traveled all over the world this past year from her home country of The Netherlands to the far reaches of Kazakhstan where she’s been doing unit publicity on the largest film to come out of that country ever, Myn Bala. We all need to look out for that film next year!

Big thank you’s to AJ Schnack, Esther Robinson and Nathan Truesdell for having me on their team at the Cinema Eye Honors for Nonfiction Filmmaking! We’re doing it again on January 11, 2012 at the Museum of the Moving Image. Some more thanks and praise to Thom Powers and Raphaela Neihausen for putting on another incredible DOC NYC and having me back as publicity liaison. And to all of the filmmakers and press who attended, as well as to the staff of DOC NYC including John Vanco, Harris Dew, Dana Krieger and Denise Hughes, publicist Susan Norget, photographer Simon Luethi, and all of our volunteers!

I also worked with some terrific filmmakers this year who I must also thank. Thank you Deborah Kaufman and Alan Snitow with whom I worked during their Stranger Than Fiction screening of Between Two Worlds. Thank you to Alexandra Roxo, director of Mary Marie, which premiered at the Brooklyn Film Festival where it won Best Cinematography for DP Magela Crosignani, and later screened at NewFest. It was great to work with Alexandra, as well as producer Rachel Earnest, and co-writer/co-star Alana Kearns-Green. I had such a wonderful time seeing Rachel, Alana, and Magela in Los Angeles during the time another film I repped, Honest Man: The Life of R. Budd Dwyer was making its L.A. debut. Speaking of which, huge thanks to Honest Man director James Dirschberger and to the Dwyer family. We had an incredible and emotional sold-out screening of Honest Man in Meadville, Pennsylvania, and of course again in L.A.

I’ve also had the good fortune to work with Alma Har’el on social media during her film Bombay Beach’s Tribeca Film Festival premiere, where it won Best Documentary! Thanks, Alma!  Shout outs also go out to Alex Cirillo and Dani Faith Leonard of Big Vision Empty Wallet and David Teague of Flicker NYC!

And something a little different this year for which I had the great honor of working was Canadian artist John Coburn’s Healing Hearts art exhibition, a tribute to the families, first responders, and recovery workers of 9/11, at Sciame Construction. Thank you to everyone at Sciame, as well as Healing Hearts artist John Coburn, curator Thomas Beckett, producers Tom Powers & Gordon Smeaton, Toronto publicist Ingrid Hamilton, and gallery coordinator Melissa Silvestri.

Instead of our normal Top 10 Panels of the Year, I’ve set aside some highlights below from our notetakers who contributed in 2011.

Happy upcoming holidays and new year to all!

2011 Highlights

Sex It Up! Keepin’ It Kinky @ SXSW

Austin, TX – March 14, 2011

Notes by Erin Scherer

Summary:

The line between art and porn are becoming increasingly blurred. Independent filmmakers are gravitating toward graphic sex with films like 9 Songs and Shortbus, with both featuring unsimulated sex. Porn Directors like Vivian Darkbloom (featured in the panel) are doing more to incorporate edgy narrative into their work.

Discussion with Director Julie Taymor from 360/365

Rochester, NY – April 30, 2011

Notes by Rebecca Banach

Summary:

Director Julie Taymor has never followed the rules. In a discussion held at Rochester’s annual 360/365 film festival moderated by local film critic Jack Garner, Taymor said she “always jumped off the cliff instead of just standing on the cliff.” Her latest film, William Shakespeare’s ‘The Tempest’, is a perfect example of this. Taymor casts Helen Mirren as ‘Prospera,’ a female rework of the original male character.

Fins Encounter Landscape of Documentary Distribution in New York

New York, NY – June 9, 2011

Notes by Brian Geldin

Summary:

As part of its 10th anniversary, the Helsinki-based DocPoint festival celebrates Finnish documentaries with DocPoint NYC – a program of 47 films hosted by its New York partners: The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), Scandinavia House, 92YTribeca, UnionDocs and the Tribeca Film Institute. DocPoint is the largest documentary festival in the Nordic region. Finnish documentaries are enjoying an international boom, picking up awards, sales agents and distribution deals.

Grady and Ewing “Master” Silverdocs

Silver Spring, MD – June 25, 2011

Notes by Erin Essenmacher

Summary:

Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady are fierce. As Loki Films they have produced countless works for television and four feature length documentaries, with a fifth currently in production.  Their work has taken them from inner city Baltimore to East Africa, from the jungles of Sri Lanka to a non-descript looking corner in Florida that is actually ground zero for the fierce debate around abortion rights. They have snuck into abandoned buildings and the country of Cuba, fearlessly following where the story takes them.  Their work has premiered at Sundance, appeared on networks like HBO A&E and Al Jazeera and been nominated for an Academy Award.

Telling Global Stories at DOC NYC

New York, NY – November 5, 2011

Notes by Liz Nord

Summary:

“Does humanity have the possibility of doing better than this?” That question is posed as a guiding principal of the International Criminal Court in the captivating trailer for Pamela Yates’s recent film, The Reckoning. I would argue that the same question motivates many documentary filmmakers, particularly those represented on DOCNYC’s Telling Global Stories panel.

Telling Global Stories at DOC NYC
November 5, 2011
New York, NY

PANELISTS:

Andrew Berends (Director: The Blood of My Brother. Upcoming film: Delta Boys)
Ross Kauffman (Director: Born Into Brothels. Upcoming film: The E-Team)
Pamela Yates (Director: Granito, When the Mountains Tremble)
Elizabeth Cantrell & Mara Tshibaka (NYU Master’s students, co-directors of a yet-unnamed film shooting in the Congo)

“Does humanity have the possibility of doing better than this?”

That question is posed as a guiding principal of the International Criminal Court in the captivating trailer for Pamela Yates’s recent film, The Reckoning. I would argue that the same question motivates many documentary filmmakers, particularly those represented on DOCNYC’s Telling Global Stories panel.

Each of the panelists has traveled to multiple foreign destinations to bring us up close and personal with globally important, and often extremely grizzly topics from intimate, personal perspectives. From Ross Kauffman’s new film about the members of Human Rights Watch who document almost unspeakable war crimes; to NYU students Elizabeth Cantrell & Mara Tshibaka whose work attempts to shed light on the conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo; to Berends’ new film about militant rebels in the Niger Delta, the filmmakers put themselves in debt and danger in the name of truth.

Moderator Mary Domowicz, head of NYU’s Department of Design, Digital Arts and Film, brilliantly set up the panel as a discussion between the filmmakers, resulting in a very candid peek into the stories behind their productions and useful advice for aspiring documentarians. Highlights below:

Q: How do you tackle the logistics of your international shoots?

Yates: When I started Reckoning, I had never been to Africa. I used all of my contacts and sources in the human rights world to find local people who could help. I hate the term “fixer.” I call them “local producers” because they really make the films happen.

Berends: I’m now on my fourth film, and my approach has been more about picking one place and going there for a long time. It’s immersion: go there and learn about the big story by hanging out with people who are impacted by it. Nigeria was difficult in terms of people being reliable so it took a long time to get the access I wanted, but I spent 8 months there total. Unfortunately, I got kicked out before I could finish filming. [Note: read about Berends’ arrest while filming in Nigeria and eventual release here.] When I was in Nigeria, I worked by myself, but halfway through I found a translator. You have to work with who you can find, and sometimes you have to deal with shady hustlers.

Kauffman: For Born into Brothels, I spent 2.5 years on and off in Calcutta. We had no budget and therefore no fixer, only a drunken translator—the only person we could find who would be willing to work with us in the red light district because of all the stigmas. For the new film, I was in Libya with the Human Rights Watch team so they have their own local contacts and fixers. My job was showing that I wasn’t going to be too much hassle for them and wouldn’t be in the way, but we all got along well. It happens in a variety of ways for each film.

Cantrell: As grad students, we had a very limited timeframe to film. Vital to us was cultivating relationships with the right people before ever getting on the ground, and it was very effective. We only shot for 3 weeks on our first trip, but we interviewed vulnerable populations and having the support of locals helped us get over trust barrier.

Tshibaka: People in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and in many of these places have media fatigue: reporters show up, get the story, and the locals never hear from them again, so we exchanged information with everyone we interviewed. There’s an importance in letting them know you care.

Q: What about preparing for technical limitations?

Cantrell: Electricity and internet are not guaranteed, so you just adapt and make sure you’re prepared. Find solutions to problems as they arise.

Berends: There’s more electricity than you expect. Once we arrived at a rebel base in the middle of the jungle and were offered cold beer. My local guide said, “You know what this means? They have generators.” It hadn’t even occurred to me.

Yates: One practical hint is to get a car, and fill it with gas all the way. Cars can generate electricity and I’ve used it to plug in computers, download memory cards, recharge batteries, etc.

Kauffman: I learned from working with human rights workers. Act like you are camping out. It’s all about preparation! Bring extra batteries, backups of equipment, backups of everything. These days, you can even bring backup cameras.

Q (posed by Yates): Often the story we’re telling has already been told a lot by mainstream media. How do you make sure you’re telling a different story?

Tshibaka: We are trying to look for solutions. DRC has been covered a lot, but the international community is not fixing the problems, so we want to promote building local capacity.  We want to show the problems, but for us it’s about solutions and hope.

Kauffman: I get tired of depressing docs. With Born Into Brothels, I wasn’t even interested in making the film until I realized that it’s about joy and hope. So then what attracted me to the new film? I met some of the Human Rights Watch investigators and they are cool people–people I wanted to get to know better. We can see these terrible war crimes through them. They deal with it in a human way. The idea is exposing these issues by trying to create a connection between the audience and characters.

Berends: I’m making a film about Africa and I had a European distributor blatantly tell me that there is “Africa fatigue” in Europe. I thought, ” OK. I better make a really good film.”  This type of negative feedback can be painful and frustrating but it makes me want to do a better job.

Yates: I often think of the quote by Gabriel Garcia Marquez: “It’s not who tells the story first, it’s who tells it best.”

Q: How do you deal with filming against a heavy police and military presence?

Kauffman: You are always thinking on your feet.  My 20 years living in NY prepared me to look out in a weird way. I always try to keep my camera rolling no matter what because that can be useful material. I got taken by police in Kashmir but kept filming until I finished a tape. On the walk to the police station, I somehow managed to change the tape and put the first one in my underwear, but I forgot I was wearing boxers and it slipped down my leg! You have to be prepared for that kind of thing.

Berends: There are obviously challenges and there’s no formula. You have to adapt. Interact with people as human beings and you will gain trust and respect. If you’re filming people who are fighting for something, they’re thrilled to have you there. One big thing I’ve learned is that so many boundaries and obstacles are imagined by us, and when you get into reality it is not as complicated as you expect.

Yates: I never go with security, and I never go armed. I feel like it’s safer that way because it makes you less threatening. In my first film about civil war in Guatemala, I went on a Guatemalan gunship with a top military general, but we almost got shot by snipers and it became a bonding experience, so when we got to the base, he let us wander freely and film whatever we wanted. It was an opportunity, and we took it.

Tshibaka: When we were with locals, people left us alone. Make sure you’re with your local contacts as much as possible. We had a run in with local police officers during one of the few times we were alone, and he wanted us to go with him to the police station. We gauged situation and argued with him, and ended up not going.

Kauffman: I’m not just there to make a film. I want to enjoy it and get to know people. Sometimes that can also help you out of a tight situation. As an example, I became friendly by chance with a local mafia leader in red light district. We were filming one night and I felt something was wrong and that we had somehow overstepped our boundaries. My mafia friend showed up and led us out of the alley, and no one bothered us because we were with him. My advice is to be open and be yourself and don’t be too focused on filming.