FOCUS ON: Chris Shellen, Producer of Marwencol

By Melody Morgan

FOCUS ON is a regular interview series profiling independent filmmakers and their projects. Up this week is Chris Shellen, producer of Marwencol, which airs Tuesday, April 26 on Independent Lens.

When/How did you decide that you wanted to be a filmmaker?

I decided senior year of high school to go to film school. I was one of those kids who’d make personal film projects with friends of mine and then I found out you could actually go to school for that.  That was back in the days of editing in-camera; I used a VHS camera.

What do you wish they had taught you at film school that you had to learn on your own after graduation?

My transition was weirdly not hard because something bad happened to me in film school. I was fully funded with scholarships and financial aid, and at the end of my junior year I lost a lot of that. I had to get a job. A friend of mine worked in the ICM mailroom and I got a job as an assistant. I worked there by day and then took classes at night and on the weekends.
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Tags: filmmaker profile, focus on, Independent Lens, interivew, ITVS, marwencol, melody morgan, PBS, Producer

Always Look on the Sunnyside of the Doc

Last month, the Sunnyside of the Doc International Documentary Market took place in La Rochelle, France. Cynthia Kane, ITVS International programming manager, was on hand to hear from producers and filmmakers from around the world about their latest projects. She reports back on the intimate climate of the event:

I honestly thought this might be a “light” year at Sunnyside given the economic crisis, the fact that Silverdocs was happening simultaneously in Silver Springs, and the EBU Pitching was taking place at France Télévisions in Paris instead of La Rochelle.

Morning meetings on the terrace at Sunnyside of the Doc

Yet, while U.S. participation was somewhat down, Sunnyside was alive and well — thriving in fact with almost 1,800 people in attendance from 48 countries.  And, as manager of ITVS’s International Initiative, it was the right place for me to be.

What I have always loved about Sunnyside is the opportunity it provides me to sit down with filmmakers and producers for relaxed one-on-one meetings and in depth talks about their projects.  This year was no different; I arrived on “the Terrace”every morning by 8:30 AM — coming in the back way, as the Espace Encan was not officially open till 9 AM (important to find a good table and get an early start).
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Tags: documentary, film festival, France, Producer, sunnyside of the doc

Hey Filmmakers – The LINCS Deadline is on June 18th

Hey filmmakers — the LINCS deadline is on June 18, so if you haven’t already contacted a potential station partner, now is the time to do so.

Do you have questions about LINCS funding and how to successfully partner with a public television station? Recently ITVS Director of Programming Erica Deiparine-Sugars and LINCS Production Manager Robby Fahey joined DocuMentors for their ongoing expert interview series Doc Talks. The ITVS team revealed strategies for a successful LINCS application and station partnership.

Also joining the conversation was filmmaker Monika Navarro, whose film Lost Souls (Animas Perdidas) was funded by LINCS and was produced in association with WGBH-Boston. Lost Souls aired this season on Independent Lens.

Listen to the LINCS Doc Talks interview here >>

Tags: documentary, film, financing, funding, independent film, Producer

Anne Makepeace and Eugene Shirley Discuss the Making of I.M. Pei: Building China Modern

I.M. Pei: Building China Modern follows the renowned architect I.M. Pei as he returns to his ancestral home of Suzhou, China, to design a new museum. The film premieres tonight, Wednesday March 31 on American Masters on PBS (check local listings). Beyond the Box recently caught up with director Anne Makepeace and producer Eugene Shirley to give you an in-depth behind the scenes look at the making of the film.

Producer Eugene Shirley with I.M. Pei

Was there a certain visual theme that you were looking to obtain for this program?
Eugene Shirley: Yes, indeed – and this is one of the fundamentals about the project that was set out from the beginning and that everyone on the team knew: we were looking to document the interplay between tradition and modernity. It’s an idea we kept exploring and Pei kept articulating, but it’s also seen visually throughout the film. It’s pretty much everywhere.

You can see the quality of the image shifting from the beginning of production to the end of production. What were some of the decisions that were made in terms of the type of cameras and equipment you used on location?
ES: Where possible, George [Adams, director of photography] and Anne [Makepeace] would discuss camera needs and I would throw in my two cents. This is exactly how it worked when we shot in Paris, for example, and one of the reasons why we got those lovely shots of Pei at the Louvre, as well as of the architecture. When we filmed in China, however, we often did not have the long lead-time required for us to bring in our own equipment – which would have required advance notice of many weeks in order to secure the necessary visas. We were committed to accompanying Pei on every trip he made – and we stuck to that commitment – but it meant that we often had to move heaven and earth at the last minute.  And under these circumstances you can’t always get the equipment you want.

How did you begin to select the crew for this project?
ES: There certainly was a small U.S. crew but there was also a very significant team from China. Our partners were the China Intercontinental Communication Center (CICC) and we were small by their standards. The CICC supported us with a team of executives, producers, interpreters, production managers, and drivers. The American team spun out of long-term relationships that both I, and my executive producer and sister, Anne Shirley, have had for many years. We tried to make sure there was a good working relationship between the American and Chinese teams – and then to keep those relationships steady for over a decade.

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Tags: China, Director, filmmaking, I.M. Pei, Producer, Production