Eugene Martin: Longitudinal Documentary
DATE: Wednesday, May 16; TIME: 7:00PM-9:00PM; SPRING 2012
Instructor: Eugene Martin
Workshop Location:
Scribe Video Center
4212 Chestnut Street
3rd Floor
Philadelphia, PA 19104
Fee: $25. $15 for Scribe and PIFVA Members
Two of the greatest gifts a documentary filmmaker can ever ask for are 1. access to interesting subjects and 2. time. These are the ingredients of “longitudinal documentary filmmaking.” This style of filmmaking takes the long view of its subjects, following a character’s journey, often over years, allowing us to witness real-life stories. While this method rewards the filmmaker and audience with a deep understanding of subjects, it also presents unique challenges for the filmmaker. Through a case study of his film, The Anderson Monarchs, director Eugene Martin will discuss how he planned his project, organized and edited hours of footage collected from years of shooting, and will share successful strategies for maintaining relationships with subjects over time.
For more information, please call 215-222-4201 or register online now.
INSTRUCTOR: Born in Philadelphia, Martin received his BA and MFA in filmmaking from Temple University. Martin was one of the first instructors to teach at Scribe Video Center in the early 1990’s. He is a filmmaker whose work looks intimately at issues of youth, the inner city, poverty, and social justice. Martin has written and directed seven feature length films: Edge City (1998), Diary of a City Priest, starring acclaimed actor David Morse (2001), The Other America (2004), and The Anderson Monarchs (2012).
His films have been screened in more than 25 countries and been invited to more than 100 film festivals. His debut narrative feature film, Two Plus One, was part of the inaugural Slamdance Film Festival in 1995. Edge City won the Grand Jury Prize at the 1998 Hamptons International Film Festival. Diary of a City Priest was an official selection at the 2001 Sundance Film Festival. In 2003, Lions Gate and Sony released Edge City in partnership with Palm Pictures. In 2008, The Other America was selected as a national winner in the online From Here to Awesome film festival. Martin's films have screened nationally on PBS, Comcast, the BBC, at the DGA, the National Gallery of Art; and are available online via Amazon, Hulu, and Netflix. Funders of his works include The Independent Television Service (ITVS), The Pew Charitable Trusts, The Philadelphia Foundation, the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, the American Motion Picture Academy of Arts and Sciences, the Texas Filmmakers Fund, and the Sundance Documentary Fund.
Martin is on tenure-track at the University of North Texas in the Radio-TV-Film Department where he teaches Directing, Screenwriting, and 16mm Filmmaking for both narrative and documentary.