Solo Documentary Filmmaking with Bing Liu and Luke Lorentzen
Session: October 2026
About this Weekend Intensive
Many documentaries begin as the passion project of a single, solitary filmmaker. Such “one-man band” films require the director to also serve as producer, camera operator, sound recordist, assistant, and more. Often working on shoestring budgets, these filmmakers wear many hats as they capture intimate footage with the smallest footprint possible.
In this online weekend intensive, Oscar nominee Bing Liu and Sundance Directing Award winner Luke Lorentzen will share how they capture extraordinary, deeply personal footage as solo operators. Liu will break down Minding the Gap as a case study in navigating stories involving close friends and family. Lorentzen will unpack Midnight Family and A Still Small Voice to examine how a solitary filmmaker enters unfamiliar, high-stakes environments and earns long-term trust.
By the end of the weekend, you will:
- Learn production strategies to capture broadcast-quality picture and multi-track audio with a light, single-operator rig.
- Discover how successful solo filmmakers shoot sit-down interviews, verite footage, b-roll, and more.
- Gain practical tools to balance technical execution (camera, sound, lighting) with authentic, real-time emotional connection with your participants.
- Master the art of narrative patience to know when to stay with a moment, how to anticipate action, and how to structure unscripted footage into a compelling cinematic arc.
This intensive will:
- Dissect Minding the Gap, Midnight Family, and A Still Small Voice as case studies on documentary film production.
- Offer behind-the-scenes insights on how Liu and Lorentzen gain participant trust while juggling the many tasks of a solo filmmaker.
- Leave attendees with an array of techniques and strategies to make documentary films with minimal budget or crew.
This intensive is ideal for:
- Filmmakers working in a silo as the sole creator of a documentary project.
- Filmmakers of all experience levels, regardless of whether they have a project currently in production.
Leave this weekend inspired and renewed by what a lone wolf documentary filmmaker can create.
Weekend IntensiveAccessibility
Sundance Collab provides accommodations and support services to participants with disabilities. Accommodations and services are designed to meet the needs of each participant. Please email us at accessibility@sundance.org to arrange for services.
Scholarships
Sundance Collab offers a limited number of need-based, partial and full scholarships. Scholarship applications can be submitted until one week before the registration deadline and do not stack with discounts or promotions, including early registration. Due to the volume of applicants, we are not always able to provide a scholarship, but we may still offer a spot in the course.
Dates and Times
- Introductory Opening Session: 3–5 p.m. PT
- Session 1: 9 a.m.–12 p.m. PT
- Session 2: 1–4 p.m. PT
- Session 3: 9 a.m.–12 p.m. PT
- Session 4: 1–4:30 p.m. PT
Team
Bing Liu
Instructor
Bing Liu is best known for directing Minding The Gap, which was nominated for an Oscar, an Independent Spirit, an Emmy and won a Sundance Special Jury and Peabody Award. His other directorial credits include America To Me, All These Sons, and What The Hands Do. Since 2021 he has been working on Empathy Mirrors, a museum exhibit in partnership with Actual Films and Futures Without Violence. His latest film, Preparation For The Next Life, is a narrative feature produced by Plan B and Pastel for Orion Pictures, distributed by Amazon MGM. He was previously a member of the International Cinematographer’s Guild and holds a degree in English Literature from the University of Illinois at Chicago and an Associate of Arts from Rock Valley Community College.
Luke Lorentzen
Instructor
Luke Lorentzen is an Emmy Award-winning documentary filmmaker. His most recent film, Boatbuilders, follows the construction of a 56-foot wooden sailboat at the Brooklin Boat Yard in Brooklin, Maine. The film will premiere at the 2026 Venice Film Festival.
In 2023, Luke directed A Still Small Voice, which follows a chaplain completing a year-long hospital residency. The film won the U.S. Documentary Best Director Award at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival, was listed as one of the best ten films of the year by The New York Times, and was shortlisted for the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.
Luke’s previous film Midnight Family (2019) was also shortlisted for the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature after winning over 35 awards from film festivals and organizations around the world, including a Special Jury Award for Cinematography at the Sundance Film Festival, Best Editing from the International Documentary Association, and the Golden Frog for Best Documentary from Camerimage. In 2024, the film was adapted into a 10-part fictionalized series for Apple TV+.
Luke’s other work as a director and cinematographer includes the Netflix original series Last Chance U (2019), which won an Emmy for Outstanding Serialized Sports Documentary. With Kellen Quinn, Luke is a co-founder of the independent production company Hedgehog Films.
FAQ
In Sundance Collab’s Intensives, participants attend live, virtual class sessions in a condensed time period. These sessions are led by an instructor and supported by the Sundance Collab courses team.
All members of the Sundance Collab community are welcome to register for Sundance Collab Intensives. Some Intensives require an application. Please review the description and any eligibility requirements to ensure the Intensive is a good fit. If you have any questions, please email collab_courses@sundance.org.
For application-based Intensives, note that space is limited. Applications are considered as they are received and applicants are accepted on a rolling basis until the Intensive is full or the deadline has passed, whichever comes first. If the application window is open, you will see an “Apply” button on the course page.
We send our application acceptance notifications on a rolling basis, starting after the application deadline. You will be notified of your acceptance status no later than three days before the first session. At any point, you can check the status of a course that you have applied to by logging into Sundance Collab and visiting the course page. You’ll see a purple bar there indicating your status.
When reviewing applications for an Intensive, the Sundance Collab team evaluates the needs and expectations of each applicant. We are also looking to convene a diverse group of participants who will work well together and support each other throughout the Intensive. Finally, we will confirm that the applicant can meet the time commitment necessary and has a strong interest and readiness to complete the Intensive and meaningfully contribute to the group process.
We do not offer any combined applications or discounts for Sundance Collab Intensives.
We often offer a limited number of need-based, full or partial scholarships. Check the course description to see if that course currently has scholarships available. Scholarships are prioritized for one per person per year (from the date of issue). Scholarship applications are available up to one week before the registration deadline. To apply for a scholarship, complete the registration form by clicking the REGISTER button and selecting the option to apply for a scholarship, if available.
Applicants will be notified about their scholarship decision prior to the first day of the course. Due to the volume of applicants, we are not always able to provide a scholarship, but we may still offer a spot in the course. In this case, depending on the course, payment plans may be available and can be selected at checkout.
We may offer the option of either a two or three-part payment plan for Intensives. If offered, the first payment will be due at the time of registration and the last payment will be due before the halfway point of the Intensive. Due to the length of Intensives, a payment plan option may not be available closer to the registration deadline. For specific payment plan dates, please reach out to our team at: collab_courses@sundance.org.
Yes, you are welcome to take a live, online Intensive even if you can’t make the live sessions. Recordings of each session are available online within two business days.
All sessions are recorded and usually made available within two business days. The videos will also contain the chat and transcript from the session, viewable in the video playbar.
Participants will have access to the recordings for one year following the last session.
All participants will receive a Certificate of Completion. The certificate will include the name associated with your Sundance Collab account.
You can join a course via a computer or mobile device. All of our Intensives are conducted via Zoom.
Download and set up the Zoom software and make sure you have the latest update. Here are some great resources from Zoom’s Knowledge Base to take a deeper dive into using Zoom:
- Watch Zoom's Video Tutorials or review training materials on the Getting Started page.
- Join a Live Training from Zoom.
If you have any further questions, please email collab_courses@sundance.org.
Sundance Collab provides accommodations and support services to participants with disabilities. Please contact us at (435) 776-7790 or email us at accessibility@sundance.org to ask any questions or to discuss your specific needs after you have been accepted into the course.