At the official Sundance kickoff press conference, Robert Redford was, as he always is, conversational and politely unequivocal. He‘s always been open about his constitutional convictions and the role filmmakers play in speaking truth to power, whether that‘s studio, corporate, or governmental power.

This year, Sundance has made an explicit case for the importance of independent documentaries by choosing to open the festival with Brett Morgen‘s Chicago 10, a fascinating multimedia documentary about key events of the anti-Vietnam war movement. more

In line with the journalists at the Egyptian for the official opening press conference–Robert Redford, Geoffrey Gilmore, director of the festival and Brett Morgan, director of the 2007 opening documentary film Chicago 10, various jurors, etc. are promised.

In the meantime, on the camera sighting front, outside the theater it‘s France 4 TV with a HDV camcorder–new technology for the station. Local Salt Lake City CBS affiliate KUTV is here with Panasonic DVCPRO, but looking at a corporate driven move to tapeless workflow this year; P2 perhaps, though XDCAM HD looks like a strong contender for that transition. Nothing specific on the record, but it struck me as significant to see a local station going tapeless as part of a wider corporate move and not at the end of a trickle down process. CNN on hand with the ever-reliable Digibeta, but of course CNN is also a leader in tapeless workflow, so technology there will no doubt continue to change.

Back in a few with the press conference and the opening of the New Frontiers center.

Listen in on an exclusive interview with Little Miss Sunshine Directors Valerie Faris and Jonathan Dayton talk about creating the award-winning film, and the importance of the Sundance Film Festival to it’s success. Millimeter contributor Darroch Greer asks the questions.

To listen to the podcast interview click here.
(To download: Right Click, Save As)

Nearly missed Southwest dawn patrol to Salt Lake– the LAX security line was out the door and onto the sidewalk. The plane is half-full of Sundance people and half-full of riders who are hoping to make it to Snowbird by 10:30. All are optimists–this is so far the “Why Bother” year all over the West for decent snow, and Sundance is rumored to be Bigger Than Ever, which is not what Sundance needs to be.

Though it really is inevitable, and to be fair it‘s probably right. You will hear people say that it‘s bigger in the wrong ways, that it‘s just another studio co-opted celebrity duty call in Ug boots and Hobo Kelly sunglasses. I‘m sure that‘s true, but I don‘t really know since that‘s not the Sundance I see. I see more people from more walks of filmmaking life who are getting a chance. Last year one of the visual effects artists from The Darwin Awards brought a bag full of swag mittens her mom had knitted (with her logo, kind of). She wasn‘t the only person who un-cynically embraced Sundance as a Big Deal. I‘m thinking of a couple of earnest first-time cinematographers and most of the animation department from San Jose State. Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris were the best kind of grassroots music video directors before Little Miss Sunshine got them to the Golden Globes (more from them in a minute). more

Below is an excerpt of last week’s interview between Little Miss Sunshine directors Valerie Faris and Jonathan Dayton and Millimeter contributing writer Darroch Greer.

What did Sundance mean?

JD: (Little Miss Sunshine) wasn‘t in competition, but it was scheduled to premiere outside. I think that for various reasons they thought it wasn‘t a proper film for the regular festival, but it usually features five or six premieres. I think that was right. We ultimately ended up with a cast of fairly big actors, and it wouldn‘t be fair to compete against lesser-known casts.

VF: They also like to have certain films in their premiere category that have stars to draw an audience. more

Live Blogging Starts Thursday, January 18

Welcome to the second annual Sundance blog from the editors of Digital Content Producer and Millimeter, brought to you by HP. We‘re on our way to Utah to cover the annual film festival, which serves as a celebration of independent filmmaking and as a gathering of the tribes for directors, cinematographers, editors, and actors.

In the blog we‘ll be posting information about the latest happenings, information on people using the latest technology, as well as interviews with filmmakers at Sundance. We start with a Sundance Preview podcast series on the making of Black Snake Moan, as Senior Editor Michael Goldman talks with Director Craig Brewer, Editor Billy Fox, and Fotokem’s Walter Vopatto.

Check back often, as we‘ll be updating multiple times a day starting January 18. Have a great Sundance if you‘re attending, and if not, this is your source for realtime coverage of the show.

Scroll down for some pre-show podcasts and press releases.

Listen to the final podcast of our Black Snake Moan Sundance Preview Series as Fotokem’s Walter Vopatto discusses their participation on the film’s HD dailies and postproduction with Millimeter Senior Editor Michael Goldman.

To listen to the podcast interview click here.
(To download: Right Click, Save As)

Listen to the second podcast of our Black Snake Moan Sundance Preview Series as the film’s Editor Billy Fox discusses the post workflow and his intricate involvement in the overall production with Millimeter Senior Editor Michael Goldman.

To listen to the podcast interview click here.
(To download, right click, “Save Target As”)

Sundance Institute announced details for the 2007 Sundance Film Festival‘s presentation of films by Native American and Indigenous filmmakers and the annual Native Forum. The Forum features a program of panel discussions, filmmaker workshops, and networking events that provide opportunities for Indigenous filmmakers to share their expertise and knowledge with each other and the larger independent film community. This year‘s Festival will provide a world stage for Native American and Indigenous filmmakers whose works include two short films and four features screening in the Competition and Spectrum Categories. The 2007 Festival includes work from Native American and Indigenous filmmakers from New Zealand, U.S.A., and the Philippines. The 2007 Sundance Film Festival runs Jan.18-28, 2007, in Park City, at the Sundance Resort, in Salt Lake City, and in Ogden, Utah. more