Category: BSDFF

During the 16th annual film festival, the Montana Media Lab hosted a plethora of events related to BSDFF’s DocShop Filmmakers Forum. The lab participated in numerous events throughout the series including: From Audio to Visual: Taking Podcasts to the Screen, The Art of Sound in Documentaries, News Not Noise, and more.

BSDFF’s Filmmakers Forums

The Making of St. Louis Superman

Bruce Franks Jr., pictured below in the red sweater, sat down with the Montana Media Lab to discuss the film St. Louis Superman in which he was the subject. Franks Jr. is an activist who had a prominent presence in Ferguson, and a battle rapper. St. Louis Superman chronicles Frank Jr.’s journey into politics when he is elected to the Missouri House of Representatives.

Montana Media Lab Presents News Not Noise

This DocShop series captured the thoughts of the media producers and editors and how the use of short documentaries can help stories rise above the constant noise of the 24-hour news cycle.

Shining a Light: Investigative Journalism in Documentary Film

In Indonesia, a small group of activists have risked their lives to save enslaved fisherman— those that help feed the world with fresh seafood. Filmmaker Shannon Service discussed the trials and tribulations she ran into while making this documentary.

From Audio to Visual: Taking Podcasts to the Screen

Reporters and producers sat down and discussed what it takes to turn your podcast into a film.

The Montana Media Lab proudly partners with the Big Sky Documentary Film Festival’s DocShop each year to host panels and presentations by top documentary filmmakers and producers in the industry.

In February 2020, TIME Studios presented at the Montana Media Lab on their ground-breaking documentary Paradise Without People. TIME Studios director Francesca Trianni and producer Justine Simons discussed how they approached the story of two Syrian refugee families and how they took that story from print to screen.

The documentary team documented developments daily on Instagram and worked with TIME.com to create an interactive supplemental piece called, Finding Home.

TIME Studios’ “Paradise Without People” Trailer

“Paradise Without People” Producers Speak to Our Students