Massify Studio

Docs on a Roof

Amy Allen — 2009-07-09T19:10:44Z

For those of you in NYC, two of the year's most well received documentaries are playing in the beautiful borough of Brooklyn this weekend. On rooftops, no less!

On Friday night, The Way We Get By, created by Aron Gaudet and Gita Pullapilly, plays in Williamsburg. On Saturday 45365, by Bill and Turner Ross, will screen in Gowanus/Park Slope. Both are New York premieres.

A Conversation with Eileen Yaghoobian

Amy Allen — 2009-06-24T17:46:13Z

Massify Interview: Eileen Yaghoobian from Massify on Vimeo.

Died Young, Stayed Pretty is Eileen Yaghoobian's first feature, a documentary about underground rock posters. Drawing on her background in fine arts, Yaghoobian shot, produced, directed and edited the movie, and deserves respect for diving into the project without any initial financing.

A Conversation with Jennifer Kroot

Amy Allen — 2009-06-22T14:51:22Z

Massify Interview: Jennifer Kroot from Massify on Vimeo.

Documentary filmmaker Jennifer Kroot talks about the inspiration behind her homage to the Kuchar Brothers, It Came From Kuchar. The film highlights the prolific directors' love for camp, for fun, and most of all, for filmmaking.

A Conversation with Luke Meyer

Amy Allen — 2009-05-27T17:38:12Z

Massify Interview: Luke Meyer from Massify on Vimeo.

52 Reasons Why American Indie Film Will Flourish

Amy Allen — 2009-05-26T17:02:26Z

Ted Hope, always a master of the fact-packed list, just posted 52 Reasons Why American Indie Film Will Flourish. Since he asks others to add onto the (extremely comprehensive) list, I would add:

53. For those starting out, there are more networking opportunities outside of film school. While a formal program has never been a prerequisite for quality work, it's still important as a place to network. While important, film school is also expensive, and if you're only plucking those who can pay from the talent pool, the quality almost certainly diminishes. Tutorials and film theory distributed to the masses online can help everybody develop their skills. The best training is to go out and make something anyhow, which has never been easier.

54. Unions like SAG are embracing the importance of independent film. SAG Indie has an intuitive website and offers affordable contracts to movies with lower budgets, allowing everybody access to experienced talent.

55. Building on #42, while a lot of attention has been placed the falling prices of digital production equipment, projectors are just as important. As more studios pay for digital projectors to be installed in major theaters, those theaters will be better equipped to screen independent fare and indie filmmakers won't have to budget for that expensive 35mm print, allowing both small films and theatrical distribution to survive.

Ted's List is a must read. Check it out.

A Conversation with Andrew Neel

Amy Allen — 2009-05-26T13:21:11Z

Massify Interview: New World Order from Massify on Vimeo.

Andrew Neel is one half of the directing team behind New World Order, a feature length documentary about people who believe in conspiracy theories. Andrew, a thoughtful, experienced filmmaker with four feature documentaries under his belt, notes that "We went to great lengths to not get involved in making any sort of truth evalutions about what the people in the film were saying." Read the interview with Andrew and his directing partner, Luke Meyer in Indiewire, and make sure to check back here for the interview with Luke.

A Conversation with Tony Massil

Sasha Nelson — 2009-05-11T19:19:15Z

Massify Interview: Forty Men for the Yukon from Massify on Vimeo.

Director Tony Massil talks about his short documentary, Forty Men for the Yukon, which follows "German-born Frank Erl, a 75 year-old gold miner and English-born Geordie Dobson, an 82 year-old saloon owner [who] live isolated in the outskirts of the Yukon." Tony chose to tackle his subjects in a manner befitting his surroundings: with a sense of exploration and discovery. His advice for filmmakers? "You have to go out and make the film that you think is right and that you're excited about....and then find an audience for that."

The Promised Land: A Conversation with Matthew Wilkinson

Amy Allen — 2009-04-24T10:13:45Z

Massify Interview: The Promised Land from Massify on Vimeo.

London-based filmmaker Matthew Wilkinson chats about his feature-length Documentary, The Promised Land. The film follows a group of musicians collectively known as the Lil' Band of Gold against the beautiful backdrop of Southwest Louisiana, the home of Swamp Pop.

Project Spotlight: From 0 to 90

Amy Allen — 2009-04-20T16:18:08Z

From 0 to 90 is a feature length documentary currently being produced by Melissa Ulto. Melissa, who is also an accomplished video artist and photographer, has been making films since the early 90's, and is well versed in its nonfiction form. From 0 to 90, which is being produced by Melissa's production company, 1 Line Media, aims to detail the first 90 days that President Obama occupies the highest office in the land, and is unique in that every interview has been sourced through social networks - Facebook, Myspace, Craigslist, this site and others. Since its focus is on real people, everybody from every walk of life is invited and encouraged to participate, in front of or behind the camera. The doc plans to pull interviews and thoughts from various sources - video cameras, web cams, still images - to create an "extraordinary documentation of how change occurred." We caught up with Melissa to talk more about the nitty gritty of her project.

45365: A Conversation with the Filmmakers

Amy Allen — 2009-04-17T18:57:47Z

Massify Interview: 45365 from Massify on Vimeo.
Bill and Turner Ross, with the help of their little brother, Alex, talk about the making of their feature length documentary, 45365. The film weaves together a mosaic of faces, places and events in the small town of Sydney, Ohio, where both Bill and Turner were born and raised. Joe Leydon of Variety calls the film, "A seductive, fascinating tapestry of small-town life by interweaving seemingly random glimpses of residents in Sidney, Ohio." The Film won a Grand Jury award at SXSW 2009 and received an honorable mention at the HBO Emerging Filmmaker Awards.

Say My Name: A Conversation with the Filmmakers

Amy Allen — 2009-04-13T15:30:45Z

Massify Interview: Say My Name from Massify on Vimeo.

Say My Name is a documentary about the struggles and triumphs of passionate female lyricists across the globe. It's a film about race, motherhood and urban life, focusing on talented women as they balance life and career dreams. Director Nirit Peled and Producer Dave Hemmingway talk to Massify about the process of making the film.

The Way We Get By: A Conversation With The Filmmakers

Amy Allen — 2009-04-07T12:22:27Z

Massify Interview: The Way We Get By from Massify on Vimeo.

Director/Editor Aron Gaudet and Producer/Interviewer Gita Pullapilly talk about their award-winning documentary, The Way We Get By. The film took four years to complete, during which both the subjects and the filmmakers went through significant life changes. The Way We Get By premiered at the SXSW 2009 film festival, where it took home a Special Jury Award.