2021 Summer Youth Film Lab Week 2 + 3 Recap

The Woodstock Film Festival’s 2021 Summer Youth Film Lab concluded last Friday, with the students hosting a public online showcase of their films this past Wednesday. A playlist containing their completed projects and a recorded Q&A is available to watch above. Here’s a recap of what our students and instructors were up to during the final two weeks of the program:

Producer and filmmaker Lisa Cortés speaks with the students over Zoom.

The program’s second week opened with a virtual guest mentor session with producer and filmmaker Lisa Cortés. Lisa’s road into the entertainment industry started at Def Jam Recordings and Rush Artist Management, where she worked with legendary hip-hop artists like Run-DMC and LL Cool J. After a fateful trip to India, Lisa chose to shift gears and re-train herself for a career in film. Her noteworthy projects include working with acclaimed director Lee Daniels on 2001’s MONSTER’S BALL and 2009’s PRECIOUS as well as co-directing THE REMIX: HIP HOP X FASHION, which screened at the 2019 Woodstock Film Festival. Lisa broke down the essential skills of a producer for the students, which include being a good listener, staying optimistic and knowing how to identify the right talent to hire for a project. She then listened to the students’ pitches, offering them practical advice on how to move forward on their films.

Award-winning filmmaker and WFF alumni Carlo Mirabella-Davis meets with the Film Lab students.

On Wednesday July 21st the students met with filmmaker and WFF alumni Carlo Mirabella-Davis for a guest mentor session on directing. Carlo’s thriller SWALLOW won the jury award for Best Narrative Feature and a special mention for lead Haley Bennett’s performance at the 2019 Woodstock Film Festival. Carlo introduced the students to the basic tenets of camera directing, including knowing how to position the camera in order to tell your story, elevate the subtext of a scene and psychologically affect the viewer. He also provided some insights into how to work with actors and keep your personal drive to make movies alive when dealing with the rejection that many budding filmmakers experience.

“It was a truly wonderful experience discussing the construction of motion pictures and hearing about the absolutely fascinating films being made by the remarkable directors in the Woodstock Youth Film Lab,” said Carlo. “Hats off to WFF for fostering the visions of new creators in cinema.”

Editor Michael Taylor advises the students on post-production.

The second week of the Youth Film Lab ended with a mentor session with editor Michael Taylor. Michael’s recent credits include Lulu Wang’s THE FAREWELL and Amazon’s upcoming remake of cult Austrian psychological thriller GOODNIGHT MOMMY. He’s also a member of the editing branch of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Students were able to ask Michael specific questions about the audio and video editing processes for their individual projects.

“What a terrific group of young film artists!” said Michael. “I was so inspired by their creativity, passion and commitment. It gives me great hope for the next generation of filmmakers.”

Music supervisor Sue Jacobs speaks with the Film Lab students.

The Film Lab students meet with Radio Kingston’s Jimmy Buff for a group interview.

The last guest mentor visit occurred during the Youth Film Lab’s third week with music supervisor Sue Jacobs. Over the course of her prolific career, Sue has worked on countless big ticket features including 2012’s SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK starring Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper, 2014’s WILD starring Reese Witherspoon and Emerald Fennell’s recent Academy Award-winning thriller PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN. She also won an Emmy for her work on HBO’s hit drama series BIG LITTLE LIES. During the session, Sue listened to each of the student’s elevator pitches and offered advice on how to incorporate music into their projects.

“I was so impressed with the variety of subjects [the students] chose for their films.” said Sue. “I know by how insightful their questions were that the Woodstock Film Festival is giving an invaluable experience to our next generation of very talented filmmakers.”

The Youth Film Lab students capped off their third and final week by hopping on-air with Radio Kingston’s Jimmy Buff, which has become an annual tradition for the program.

Special thanks to everyone who helped make this year’s Summer Youth Film Lab a success, including our wonderful team of instructors and mentors. We look forward to seeing how our students will apply the creative skills they’ve learned during their stay with us and hearing about their future projects!