Yeah, I was attempting to be as accurate as possible–thanks for clearing up a point or two. I knew I was gonna find out that I thought I knew something that I didn’t or didn’t have all the facts for.

By the way, was that you up above with the advice about a better phrase to know in Chinese? Very funny.

Glad to know we all enjoy the same good advice. Thanks to John!

later,

gumby

Thanks so much for explaining this, and so well and thorough too. I wouldn’t doubt that a lot of our present and future applicants frequent this site.

A couple tiny pieces of clarification (for anyone that’s interested).

1. The January Screenwriters Lab actually happens just before the festival, rather than after it.

2. The fellows that attend the June Directors Lab come from any previous Screenwriters Lab (not just the one that year). This year, one of our projects came from the January Screenwriters Lab that happened in 2007.

3. The Sundance Feature Film Program (umbrella that the Screenwriters, Directors, and Producers Labs are under) is entirely separate from the Sundance Film Festival. While we definitely look at the short films that play the festival, it’s really only one of many places where we do our outreach. Many times we actually select a project for our January Screenwriters Lab, only to find out that the festival programmers have independently programmed that same filmmakers’ short film. It actually happened this year with a filmmaker named John Magary (who I think you can download his most excellent short film “The Second Line” from the sundance website).

If anybody out there has any questions about the Labs, I’m more than happy to field them. I know that Sundance seems like a big weird mystery to a lot of people out there, so please just email me at mike_mohan [at] sundance.org and I’ll do what I can to help y’all out.

Hope this helps! Thanks John!

Mike

No subject matter is new, really, but it’s curious how it comes about that large numbers of people begin to think about and actively birth projects of such singularity all at one point in history. After all, these things take years to grow. Makes one believe in some higher form of communication, no?

No doubt we’ll see several books and movies featuring the aforementioned dead children in the new year. Not a bad thing at all.

/diane http://www.fatbrain.ca

If you know only six phrases, wouldn’t it be more useful (and honest) to learn something like “I don’t speak Chinese” or “Find someone who speaks english”?

I’ve been working at the Director’s Lab for several years, the screenwriter’s lab comes before and after that (there are several others that take place throughout the summer, including a Documentary Edit lab, Composers lab, Theater lab, and a new Producers lab).

Anyway, usually selection begins with the first Screenwriters lab, which happens just after the film festival. Scripts are chosen either because the writer/director had a short that played at the festival and/or they submitted their script through the Sundance website and made it all the way through the screening process. I’m not entirely certain how many they choose, but it’s only about 10 or 12 out of thousands. The content isn’t limited to anything in particular, necessarily, as far as what they’re looking for–although in the 5 years I’ve attended the labs, there does seem to be a certain Sundance Flavor that keeps seasoning the scripts. (Any third world or Native American coming of age and/or coming out stories told with a personal slant seem to pop up quite a bit…)

Then, depending on many things, 8 of those writers (if they are also aspiring directors) will attend the Directors lab, which is one month long, usually in June. There they get to shoot a few scenes from their scripts in a workshop environment where they’re encouraged to take risks and find their voice…it’s a free pass to make mistakes as a director because the results aren’t seen by anyone outside the lab, really.

After the Directors lab, they attend Screenwriters Lab Part 2, where they re-work the material again now that they’ve had a shot at filming some scenes. This second writing lab is where our friend, Mr. August, frequents as a creative advisor to the writers.

Basically, as he mentioned earlier, they usually search for projects that were written with passion and have a distinctive point of view…not necessarily projects that have the best stories. It’s less about What the scripts are about, and more about How they are about it. (if that makes any sense)

This year, there were actually 9 filmmankers at the directors lab because one project was being co-directed by a team. Almost all of the projects were pretty dark and heavy, with a slant towards child abuse and baby rape. One project was a weird comedy, but even that dealt with a messed up evil baby of some sort. As depressing as it all sounds, each project was really interesting and full of life, and the filmmakers had nothing particular in common other than a willingness to truly take a chance and be themselves as writers.

Many of us who want to be screenwriters might forget how important this is: Put yourself (or your view of the world) on the page. Sounds easy, but it takes time to nurture.

I liked how Moon’s night drowning scene turned out, considering we shot it in bright sunlight in the dirt.

Anyway, I won’t use up this space for this convo. Perhaps we’ll meet in Utah someday…

I didn’t have Dee’s project, though I read it during the year. And Moon’s scenes were terrific.

Sophie was there briefly, but I didn’t get to see her movie. She looked better than a director in post should be allowed to look.

@Michael Costello:

We’re not even close to thinking about casting, but I admire your dedication.

@Christopher:

Sundance lab projects are almost always “difficult,” either in subject matter or approach. It’s not simply about the quality of the writing. A decently-written script about an unexplored issue would be much more likely to get picked than a terrific but more-conventional one.

“Urgent” is a word I heard used this year, which I think sums it up. They want projects that speak to passion and crisis.