Sundance Institute’s Post

TL;DR is go see #MonkeyMan in theaters! Gold House's #WhyThisMatters social series started as a collaboration with Roc Su, thinking of ways to incentivize the AAPI community to show up and see amazing projects. There are a lot of ways to raise awareness for a campaign: paid spend, brand partnerships, or influencers. But the most underrated and underestimated method is the word-of-mouth campaign. Sharing the one-off fun facts has been the sustaining lifeline for pop culture. The water cooler conversations we often gloss over or malign have a significant impact on the collective consciousness. There's a reason why we find certain pop culture trends/moments annoying: we keep talking about it. So if we want to put our money where our mouth is, let's talk about AAPI projects. Let's talk about representation, and about seeing ourselves on screen. And let's talk about dope projects, like Monkey Man. And if you need a reason to watch it, then that's what the Why This Matters series is for.

The director of The Problem of the Hero discusses the language of theatre, steering away from the "truth", the importance of "offending" viewers, and more! Read our exclusive interview with Shaun Dozier: https://lnkd.in/eKX4kRpG

The film festival circuit is officially over for THE OLD GUITARIST. After almost two years and over 40 honors including Official Selections, Semi-Finalist honors, Finalist honors, and Wins, I am beyond proud of the entire Old Guitarist Team. I am thrilled that the short film is now being distributed by the great folks at Tiny Scripted. For more, please visit tinyscripted.com and to watch the film, please go to https://lnkd.in/ehTthE3y and be sure to "like", "comment", "subscribe", and SHARE. Just the beginning! #ProudFilmmaker 

Imagine yourself at the cinema. After a while, you conclude that the film is terrible: no plot, empty dialogues, and bad acting. While your rational self tells you to leave the cinema and do something else, your emotional self reminds you that you already paid for the ticket. The movie will not get better. The money you paid for the ticket is gone. You can't recover it. Save your time! But you can't move from your seat, can you?      Why do we continue an activity even if it's rational to give it up? Check out the Sunk Cost Fallacy. 

If you want your movie trailer to attract audiences, you need to do this! It’s simple, but too many filmmakers overlook it: Edit your trailer in 3 acts. Just like you would a movie: 1. Introduce the main character and their world 2. Showcase the challenges they will face 3. Tease the outcome. Do it in this order and be careful with the following: Don’t take too long in the introduction. Don’t reveal every challenge. Show the character struggling without showing the cause. Don’t reveal the outcome. Tease a decision they’ll have to make and leave it unresolved. This will attract more people to watch your film because: They will grow attached to your main character. They will clearly understand what the film is about. They will feel the need to see the resolution. Is your film being presented this way?

The director of The Problem of the Hero discusses the language of theatre, steering away from the "truth", the importance of "offending" viewers, and more! Read our exclusive interview with Shaun Dozier: https://lnkd.in/eKX4kRpG

It will take a while for AI to truly replace these disciplines beyond the qualities of YouTube fads, and indeed for most that will do a lot of work and they’ll feel like they’re done. But it’s the decades of expertise that seems it's not quite translating into any of these generative AI tools, at least so far. It’s difficult to articulate even what that would be, because it is both creative and culturally resonant at its core. You can create the pieces with these exciting new tools, but it takes masters to implement them in an effective way for audiences.

My post has been triggered by Michelle Raymond post about never sharing your #BIGDREAMS with the wrong person. I couldn’t agree with you more. When I shared the concept of https://lnkd.in/e6e5CAgq with some people whom I thought would understand, I received a lot of pushback. The reasons ranged from, "It’s never happened in rural Jamaica before," to "Film festivals wouldn’t work here," and "People have no idea what it is." There were also concerns about where the funding would come from. Truth be told, I listened to some of these doubts for a bit, and it made me nervous—imposter syndrome kicked in. I began to question why I thought I could execute something so massive, including attracting Hollywood stars and international attention. But here's the reality: The Black River Film Festival was a raving success! We had visitors from Europe, North America, Africa, and beyond. Now, we’re planning the second staging. What did I learn from this? 1.Never share your dreams with the wrong people. 2.Remember, it’s your vision—God gave it to you, and you’re the only one with the right prescription to see it through. What are your thoughts on sharing your big ideas with the wrong person? PS.that is me serving 🍸 cocktails at #blackriverfilmfestival. #BlackRiverFilmFestival #Visionary #DreamBig #BelieveInYourself #ImposterSyndrome #SuccessStory #FaithInAction #EntrepreneurLife #RuralJamaica #FilmFestival #HollywoodDreams #PurposeDriven #GodsPlan #DreamsDoComeTrue

🎬 Rediscovering Pain, Love, and Artistry: My Journey with Imtiaz Ali's "Rockstar" I recently reflected on the profound themes of love, loss, and the transformative power of music in Imtiaz Ali's "Rockstar." Writing this piece was a deeply personal journey, as I explored how the film's narrative resonates with our own experiences and emotions. I'm excited to share my thoughts and invite you to join me in rediscovering the emotional depth of this remarkable film. I hope this article touches your heart as much as the movie has touched mine. Read my full article on Medium. Link in comments. #Rockstar #ImtiazAli #Bollywood #HindiCinema #FilmReview

How does it feel to get a micro-budget short film accepted into multiple festivals? Hear my thoughts below as I talk about our latest short film No, Not Really & why we think it resonates with so many people. More info about screenings is coming soon! Christopher James Smith