NEW YORK—Featuring presentations, panels, case studies, and interactive meet ups, the Create FWD track on Inspiration Stage 3 presents sessions designed to educate and connect creative professionals.
Emphasizing innovation and produced in partnership with a number of industry organizations, the sessions assemble experts to share their knowledge and experience.
A highlight of the Create FWD program on Oct. 18 is “Inside ESPN's '30 for 30' and Ahead of the Curve,” a conversation with Libby Geist, ESPN Films and Original Projects. Geist will discuss the evolution of documentaries in mainstream media, how ESPN became a leader in the sports documentaries and her experience producing the epic, nearly eight-hour documentary “O.J.: Made in America.”
A scene from "O.J.: Made in America"
“When we launched '30 for 30' in 2009,” Geist said, “our number one goal was to tell sports stories that didn't just cover a player's life or a game-winning shot, but had a second layer that touched on social issues or had a cultural ripple effect of some kind. Our measurement of success has always been whether or not we made our audience look at a topic with fresh eyes or learn something new—of course using sports as a focal point.
“Our goal with 'O.J.: Made in America' was no different, just on a much larger—and, as it turns out, much longer—scale,” Geist continued. Director Ezra Edelman, she explained, “put O.J.'s story in the context of our country and Los Angeles' history—it touched on race, celebrity, the media, domestic violence, the LAPD... and made us all look at this story through a different lens.”
Wednesday's sessions also include a discussion with Rob Walch of Libsyn (LSYN) with “Reaching for the Golden Mic Part 1: The Pursuit of Fame in Podcasting.” Joined by Steven Goldstein of Amplifi Media LLC, Walch will analyze the podcasting ecosystem and provide strategies for success within the marketplace.
“No matter the subject, there are plenty of [podcast] choices,” Goldstein said. “There are 27 podcasts about crocheting. How can one show stand out from the pack? What is measurably better or different? Those questions remain elusive for too many programs. Without a thoughtful strategy of differentiation, many shows and podcasts will tread water or disappear.” (“Reaching for the Golden Mic Part 2: The Pursuit of Fortune in Podcasting” will be held on Thursday at the Post | Production Campus.)
Other sessions on Wednesday include “Maximizing Advertising Creative With New Camera Tools and Techniques” and “Show 'Em the Money: What Tech Startups Need to Know To Get To Yes.” The day will close with a screening of the winning films from the Summer Shorts 2017 Contest held by StudentFilmmakers.com.
On Thursday, Oct. 19, the panel “'Good Time': Recreating Queens Through Sound and Music” assembles members of the team involved in the recent film. Co-directed by brother Josh and Benny Safdie, “Good Time” is a crime thriller that explores family and fate over the course one night. Supervising sound editor Ryan M. Price, sound designer and mixer Evan Mangiamele and Foley artist Leslie Bloome will discuss how they helped create the environment inhabited by the film's characters through a blend of minimalist electronica and sound effects.
“Every visual element has its own sound,” Josh Safdie said of “Good Time.” “The score becomes another character in the movie.”
“A big feeling that comes out of this movie is mania,” the co-director continued. “We wanted a score that felt fully present in terms of its emotional current.”
In “Re-Envisaged: Transling the Live Theater Experience to the Screen,” Clayton Jacobsen and Brett Sullivan, from Steam Motion and Sound, explore how they translate Broadway shows from live events to the screen, using “Disney's Newsies: the Broadway Musical!” as a case study.
Other highlights of Thursday's Create FWD stage include “New York: the Big Apple of Post,” presented in partnership with the Post New York Alliance (PNYA) and “Tiny Image, Big Impact: Creating Compelling Content for Social Media Sources,” produced in partnership with LDI Media.
