Go behind the scenes to learn from Sundance Advisors in our Conversations from the Labs series. This collection of videos will deepen your understanding of all the creative disciplines that are supported through our Labs including Feature Film Directing and Writing, TV Writing, Emerging/Interdisciplinary Media, Documentary, Producing and Film Music.

In this session from the 2022 Sundance Screenwriter's Lab, Creative Advisors Veena Sud (THE KILLING), Doug McGrath (BULLETS OVER BROADWAY), Tarell Alvin McCraney (MOONLIGHT), Linda Yvette Chavez (GENTEFIED), Jessie Nelson (I AM SAM), and Scott Frank (LITTLE MAN TATE) share scenes from well-known films to unpack and analyze the ways sight and sound were used to express the emotional landscape of the characters and their storylines. Featuring clips from RUST AND BONE, MEET ME IN ST. LOUIS, FRESH, THE PIANIST, THELMA & LOUISE, and DRIVE MY CAR.

Other conversations in this ongoing series include those with writer Steven Canals, editors Michelle Tesoro, Joi McMillon, Teri Shropshire & Dylan Tichenor; cinematographers Stephen Goldblatt, Robert Elswit, Brad Young and Charlotte Bruus Christensen; writer/director Miguel Arteta, writer/director Walter Salles, writer/director Randa Haines and more.

Writer

Tarell Alvin McCraney is an acclaimed writer. His script, IN MOONLIGHT BLACK BOYS LOOK BLUE, is the basis for the Academy Award-winning film MOONLIGHT directed by Barry Jenkins, for which McCraney and Jenkins won an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. more...

Veena Sud

Writer

Veena Sud created The Killing (AMC/Netflix) which was nominated for six Emmys, including for Sud’s writing, as well a WGA nomination for Best New Series. Her recent Emmy Award winning TV series, Seven Seconds (Netflix), is an ensemble drama centered on the hit and run of a young Black teenager by a white police officer. Sud’s feature film The Lie (Blumhouse), which she wrote and directed, premiered as a Gala at the Toronto International Film Festival and on Amazon in 2020. Her film/series hybrid, The Stranger debuted on Jeffrey Katzenberg’s ground breaking Quibi mobile platform in April 2020. more...

Linda Yvette Chavez

Writer / Producer / Director

Named one of the Top Latinas Changing the Game for Representation by Glamour Magazine, creator, director, writer, showrunner, and producer Linda Yvette Chávez has emerged in the entertainment industry as a powerful voice, bringing fearless, inclusive and impactful stories to the big and small screens. Highlighted by Variety in their Comedy Impact Report alongside heavy hitters Tina Fey, Amy Poehler and Tiffany Haddish, Chávez continues to break ceilings and has no plans to slow down anytime soon. more...

Doug McGrath

Writer

Douglas McGrath is a filmmaker and playwright. He was nominated for a Tony, Drama Desk, and Outer Critics Circle Award for his book, Beautiful: The Carole King Musical. He was also nominated for an Academy Award for his screenplay, Bullets Over Broadway, and an Emmy for his HBO documentaries, Becoming Mike Nicols and His Way. He wrote and directed the Academy Award winning films Emma, Nicholas Nickleby, and Infamous. He is a columnist for Air Mail and has written for The New Yorker, Vanity Fair, and The New York Times. As an actor, he appeared in The Daytrippers, Quiz Show, The Insider, Happiness, Michael Clayton, Godless, and Girls. He began his career as a writer at Saturday Night Live in what was incontestably the worst year in the show’s history. more...

Jessie Nelson

Director / Producer

Jessie Nelson wrote, directed and produced CORRINA CORRINA and I AM SAM, starring Sean Penn. She co-created and executive produced Sara Bareilles’ LITTLE VOICE for Bad Robot and Apple TV. Among her other directing credits are CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM and LOVE, THE COOPERS. more...

Scott Frank

Writer / Director

Scott Frank’s screenplays include LITTLE MAN TATE, DEAD AGAIN, MALICE, HEAVEN'S PRISONERS, GET SHORTY, OUT OF SIGHT, MINORITY REPORT, THE INTERPRETER, THE LOOKOUT (also directed), MARLEY & ME, THE WOLVERINE, WALK AMONG THE TOMBSTONES (also directed), LOGAN, and the Netflix limited-series, GODLESS (also directed). more...

Tags:Visual Storytelling

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