The filmmakers behind the documentary “Chasing Coral” will be among industry professionals presenting at the DePaul University School of Cinematic Arts during the Verité conference. (Photo by Richard Vevers © Chasing Coral)CHICAGO — Documentary filmmakers will gather at DePaul University’s School of Cinematic Arts in downtown Chicago to teach free master classes on the technical, creative and ethical aspects of their work. The Oct. 27-28 Verité conference includes a panel discussion on activist filmmaking and a screening of “Chasing Coral."
“Verité creates a venue for students and documentary enthusiasts to participate in the behind-the-scenes process that goes into creating documentary films and other nonfiction media,” said Anuradha Rana, assistant professor and chair of the documentary filmmaking program at DePaul.
Presenters include sound designer Dustin Cawood, editor Davis Coombe, producer Larissa Rhodes, cinematographer Mark Crawford, producer Adam Leipzig and cinematographer Kathy Kasic. The Oct. 27-28 events are free and open to the public, but space is limited and registration is required. Register for general and individual events at http://bit.ly/verite17. The two-day program includes:
Sound Design Master Class with Dustin Cawood
Oct. 27, 1-3 p.m.
247 S. State St., Room 214
Dustin Cawood will discuss his sound-design process for “Chasing Coral,” a film that follows divers, photographers and scientists on an ocean adventure to discover why coral reefs are vanishing. Cawood also served as sound effects editor on “Chasing Ice,” “Pete’s Dragon,” “The Boxtrolls,” “Lincoln,” “Madagascar 3,” “Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol,” “Toy Story 3,” “WALL-E” and “Up” among other films.
Editing Master Class with Davis Coombe
Oct. 27, 3:30-5:30 p.m.
247 S. State St., Room 214
“Chasing Coral” editor Davis Coombe will explore the transformations and surprises that took place in post-production of the film. Coombe will screen earlier versions of pivotal scenes and compare them to the finished film and will discuss how character development shifted during the editing process. He will also explore the controversies and responsibilities surrounding documentary filmmaking today in the context of activist filmmaking, fake news and sponsored content. Coombe produced and edited “Saving Face,” which won the Academy Award for best short documentary in 2012. In 2013, he won two Emmys for editing and best documentary at the News and Documentary Emmys. In 2016, he edited “Casting JonBenet.” In 2017, “Chasing Coral won the audience award at the Sundance Film Festival.
‘Chasing Coral’ Screening
Oct. 27, 6 p.m.
247 S. State St., LL105
Coral reefs around the world are vanishing at an unprecedented rate, and “Chasing Coral” follows a team of adventurers who are trying to reveal how oceans are changing. The film will be followed by a panel discussion with producer Larissa Rhodes and cinematographer Mark Crawford. Rhodes is a film producer and the director of creative development at Exposure Labs, where she develops projects motivated by social impact.
Pitch Session with producer Adam Leipzig
Oct. 28, 10-11:15 a.m.
247 S. State St., Room LL105
Audience members will watch as four documentary filmmaking students pitch to producer Adam Leipzig.
Conversation with Adam Leipzig, ‘A Plastic Ocean’
11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
247 S. State St., Room LL105
Adam Leipzig has been a producer, distributor, financier or supervising executive on more than 30 films that have disrupted expectations, including “March of the Penguins,” “Honey, I Shrunk the Kids,” “Dead Poets Society” and “Titus.” His movies have won or been nominated for 10 Academy Awards, 11 BAFTA Awards, two Golden Globes, two Emmys, two Directors Guild Awards, four Sundance Awards and four Independent Spirit Awards. Leipzig is the former president of National Geographic Films where he raised $125 million in production financing, and he is a former senior vice president of Walt Disney Studios. Currently, Adam is chief operating officer of CreativeFuture, a non-profit advocacy organization for the creative community, and CEO of Entertainment Media Partners. Leipzig teaches at Chapman University in Orange, California, and Hass School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley.
Cinematography Master Class with Kathy Kasic
Oct. 28, 1-4 p.m.
247 S. State St., Room LL105
Kathy Kasic is an artist, a nature cinematographer and filmmaker. She will show examples of her work and have a conversation with DePaul faculty member and documentary filmmaker Dana Kupper about traveling internationally to film the natural world. Kasic will demonstrate the Phantom 4K Flex high speed camera, which runs 2,000 frames per second and can film objects in extreme slow motion. Kasic is the director of Film Arts at Tippet Rise Art Center in Fishtail, Montana, a world-renowned land-art sculpture and classical music venue, where she directs art films, documentaries and performance videos. Before becoming a filmmaker Kasic was a biologist, recording vocalizations of an Amazonian frog. Since then, she has filmed off the bow of a ship, underwater in free-flowing mountain rivers and soon the South Pole. She has exhibited at international festivals and galleries and has broadcast on National Geographic, BBC, PBS and Discovery Channel. Kasic is also a faculty member in film at Montana State University.
More information about DePaul University’s School of Cinematic Arts is online at http://www.cdm.depaul.edu.
###