Real People | Real Stories

In July, Scott and I attended an ITVS workshop with Richard Saiz, their program director. Wooey! That guy is good. I hung on every word.

It took me back to when I flirted with being an English major. In the workshop we picked apart accepted ITVS films like we did Goethe in college. Richard spoke of symbolism, motif and universals.

Universals. What is it about our girls’ stories that our audience will, on some level, relate to— feel, “oh yeah, I understand that. I have been there. I know this story.”

With the girls, it is their determination to change their fate — to make their life better than their mothers’ and their grandmothers’. We all strive this. People working in factories in China strive to do better than their parents. People working in high rise offices in New York City strive for something different from how they grew up.  It is human to want to build up from the past. To change the way it has been. It is human to want to carve out your own life and identity, beyond what has been set up for you.

Shanta says this, “I am going to finish school. I am going to be someone.”

We all want to be someone.

Scott and I worked day and night on our ITVS application. We worked and reworked paragraphs. We would write a section, say “yeah, that is it”. And then read it again and start all over. It was a big brain teaser and I know it made us smarter.

No matter what happens with ITVS (We sent it off  in the mail on Wednesday!), I know come January when we are finally in the field and filming, the message of universals will be with us. Richard Saiz brought us back from focusing on fundraising and impact campaigns to what is the most important —what you have to have before you have anything else. STORY.

I love stories. That is why we make documentaries… we love stories.

Which makes me think I should turn on the radio. This American Life is about to be on.

Which makes me think of the bumper sticker I made up that I really need to get printed: What would Ira Glass Ask?

Something interesting from some colleagues (that we don’t know, yet).

A screenshot from the innovative story of "Tarla"

Go and visit the site.
We’d love to hear your thoughts about this. Catch “A Girl Story” also on Facebook.

And now, it’s off to the post office… Wish us luck!

We are applying for a the Sundance documentary grant. That is right, the Sundance. Maybe you have heard of it? It is super competitive. They fund 60 films or fewer per year out of over 2,000 applicants.

Girlworld fits the Sundance documentary mission so perfectly.  Sundance funds feature documentaries “about pressing human rights, social justice, civil liberties and related topics from the US and internationally. Proposals to the Documentary Fund are evaluated on effective storytelling, global relevance, originality, artistic innovation and potential social engagement.”

How Girlworld is that? We have to apply.

Sundance wants to see AT LEAST 20 minutes of continuous footage. At first I was simply going to submit our 30 minute short, Three. But as I was writing the description of the work sample on the grant application, it didn’t feel right.

So, I called up our documentary Guardian Angel, Chris Boulton. He tried to keep his feedback light and simple. He knew what he really wanted to tell me would mean hours more work for me at the editing bay. But he had to let it loose. And let loose he did.

“Cut the music,” he told me.

My stomach tightened and for just a small moment stopped liking Chris, our dear friend and reliable consultant, altogether.

“What was I thinking, asking for feedback? I don’t really want feedback!”

I love our Nepali music. We have the rights to it and everything.

“Don’t use the music as a crutch, ” Chris said.

I will break down his argument in list form here (in my own words):

The music takes away the tension. These girls are in life or death situations. The music is… nice. Saccharin.

The music gives the impression that this is another movie for westerners to feel guilty-yet-hopeful about the human condition and about the poor brown people living somewhere over there.

The music is manipulative.

Did the Maysles brothers use music in Salesman?

Chris, say no more. Thank you for the intervention.

I cut the music.

Here is our new 20 minute trailer:

If you want to see it bigger, head over to Vimeo and watch there in full, glorious HD.

What do you think?