Okay, today was more like it.
I squeezed in a little nature time this morning, then went full bore on the Sundance Directors Lab experience.
The super friendly folks on the Lab staff took me on a tour of the operation here, which left me duly impressed. The Sundance Institute has gone to great lengths to provide their Fellows with a nurturing, creative environment in which to hone their craft.
During the tour, I was able to visit the sets of some of the Lab productions. I watched while Armagan Ballantyne worked with her child actors (and, interestingly enough, a stuffed chicken), and stood by while Cary Fukunaga worked on a scene with Q’Orianka Kilcher. I met Eran Merev in the dinner tent, and convinced him to pose for a photo sporting his SAGIndie hat (you can see by his expression in the photo above that he may not have been entirely certain of just who the hell I was).
Later, over Indian food, I sat and listened to Armagan discussing her production with her crew and creative advisor. Listening to them hash over camera angles made me want to sign up for a couple of days of production work.
The staff then graciously allowed me to say a few words to the gathered filmmakers and creative advisors, who gave me a nice round of applause for the free booze from the night before. Judging from conversations I had with filmmakers, having beer before dinner was a popular decision. If I’d only been there to see it…
Before I sign off to pack for the trip home, I’d just like to say thanks to the entire staff of the Directors Lab. Emma Ruse, and everyone else here, has been unfailingly helpful and friendly. I wish I could stay longer, but duty (and a pile of unsigned expense reports) calls.