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Monday, Jan.24 10am: Just flew over the Rockies into Salt Lake City. Sweet Jesus- this looks like Lord of the Rings, with massive craggy mountaintops poking poking through rippling sheets of clouds. 10:15am: Salt Lake City is cloudy and dreary. 11:30am: Park City is basking in sunshine! Did you know?: Sundance was started by Robert Redford in 1969, the same year Redford played Sundance opposite Paul Newman’s Butch Cassidy. Now you know. Looking back on the day: Got whisked into the elite seating circle at 2:30 with my producer Amy Hobby for “The Jacket,” a film produced by Steven Soderburgh. Amy has nice connections! There’s a lot of concern about getting on the list for parties here, and Amy got me on the ASCAP (music producers) brunch tomorrow. Free food! There are still tickets to many shows that were showing up as “sold out” on the internet. Even when a show is sold out, it seems like you can still get in via waiting lists. So you really can see a lot of movies. $10 a pop. Reincarnation theme: “The Jacket” dealt with a man who dies several times. I got in touch with an amazing woman in New Jersey today who wrote a book about reincarnation that we will be developing into a feature somehow. Coincidence? Health fact: I’m one of a group of people that gets a little altitude sickness here in Park City, about 7000 feet high. I was told to drink lots of water, which really helps. But I think getting up at 5am today didn’t. I asked a guy at the box office for the same thing 3 times after he told me they were sold out. Then I implored him to bear with my low-altitude disposition during this fleeting period of mild delirium. Leafy greens are supposed to help. Anyway, it’s no big deal unless I decide to break into a sprint uphill. Tempting as it was to go out for a late night movie (some start at midnight!), I’m opting for travel recovery. Beddy-bye at 10:30pm. Tomorrow will be a late one. It’s a fun scene, despite some unhappy folks running about attached to their cellphones . But no need to pay them heed. A lot of people have come here giving it their best shot, so there’s plenty of inspiration in this thin air. And Park City and the festival setup are very charming and user-friendly. Stay tuned.... Eric Top Tuesday, Jan.25 10am: the ASCAP brunch. Lots of food. Stayed away from the blueberry slurped blinis, but those eggs, muffins, cookies, and sausages were mighty fine. Met up with David Paterson, the movie’s executive producer and writer. He built the main set (Myra and Ludlow’s) apartment himself. True to form, he was passing out Ludlow bracelets, lighted stickers, caps, t-shirts, and Twinkies – you gotta love this guy. He walked right up to a Sundance Channel camera crew and created an on-the-spot interview! He introduced me to a reporter from “Under the Line” who is writing a story about editors. I gave her a free ticket to our premiere after which she will interview me. General note: everyone is looking for a deal. If you can shut off all your thoughts, you’ll hear an endless symphony of hopes, anxiety, anticipation, and wonderment. Stepping back, it’s pretty funny, like a Hollywood party “Annie Hall” style. Acclimation update: no headache today. Easier to strut around. But no jogging up the stairs yet. Hydration! 5:30pm: Saw “Who Killed Cock Robin” a feature shot mostly on DV (digital video). It wasn’t my cup of tea, BUT it was done with a lot of passion and sincerity and the Director of the festival couldn’t speak highly enough about it. Yes, almost half the audience walked out within the first 20 minutes, but a good number of folks liked what they saw. I would have rejected it from the festival if I was a one-person selection committee, but I was really heartened to see that the director/writer/editor/producer’s just really going for it gave it a home at Sundance. He deserves it. 9pm: off to a bite of dinner before going to the Shorts Program at 11:30pm. And the first movie I’m going to tomorrow morning is at 8:30. Mon dieu! Signing out for Tuesday. Yours, Eric Top Wednesday, January 26 Some serendipity from late Tuesday: I THOUGHT I was going to the Shorts Program at 11:30pm, but I learned that my hotel (the Yarrow) has 2 screening rooms just for the Press. Earlier that day, one of PR heroes gave Roger Ebert a “Love, Ludlow” cap which he promptly place on his head. The 2 ladies guarding the PR screening area were fans of “Ludlow” and took well to my schmoozing and agreed to let me into any of the press screenings during their shifts. Nice! As I’m sealing that deal, who should walk up as the first press member to the 10pm showing of “Steal Me” but Roger Ebert. So I said hello, reminded him of the “Ludlow” cap and talked about his Oscar and Sundance-filled day. He’s a friendly and easy-going guy who likes to chat. Ok, so on to Wednesday 8:30am: saw “The Salon,” a broad comedy that takes place in a beauty shop in Baltimore. OK. 11:30am: saw the best movie I’ve seen so far at Sundance, “Thumbsucker,” written and directed by Mike Mills, a music video director’s first feature. Just the kind of movie I’d like to edit. Honest, intimate, funny, with an amazing 17-year old lead (Lou Pucci) and outstanding supporting cast. A sincere and unpretentious look at how we navigate through big transitions in our identities and roles in life. Vincent Dinofrio plays the dad, and though he was not at the screening, the director called him on his cellphone for the question/answer session that followed and had him talk to the whole audience through the speaker system. An unforgettable moment for the annals of independent film culture. I’ll be shocked and heartbroken if this film doesn’t get a significant theatrical release. Ahhh! 12:30pm: Lunch at the bustling Sundance Headquarters building where frantic staff and volunteers buzz about on the phone with details about Kevin Bacon’s schedule for the day, this director’s needs, and that producer’s interview. I was there to drop off a “Ludlow” ticket for Mary Ann, the reporter from “Below the Line” and sure enough she pops up right in front of me, out of 45,000 people attending Sundance. Nice chat and off I went to lunch. 4:45pm: Back to my new friends at the press screenings to catch “Hustle and Flow,” a sensitive, energetic, and beautifully done film about a pimp trying to better himself by producing a rap song with the help of a music producer friend and an endearing group of his girls. A great film which sold on Monday for $9million. I don’t see it getting a very wide distribution because the ghetto language may be too thick for the suburbs. Of course, Mary Ann appears so we went in to watch it together. I figure we’re supposed to hang out. Once she sees Ludlow, she’ll have a pretty extensive picture of me. Her husband is a writer too, but he’s not at the festival. After the movie, we grabbed a bite. Her friend backed out on going to the 8:30 screening of “Loggerheads,” so she invited me. Wow, I’ve made a friend! Her story is going to be on cameramen and editors, so she’s on the prowl. She raves to me about a short film she saw called “Motel.” 10:30pm: As we’re walking by the projection booth for “Loggerheads,” I notice a friendly-looking bloke with an id tag around his neck with big bold letters: MOTEL. He’s the director of photography of “Motel”, Tom McGrath. I whisk Mary Ann over and she promptly schedules an interview. Now I’m working for her and really enjoying it! So much easier than being concerned with the “what can I get out of all this” mantra. Two deep thoughts emerged today. From seeing so many films (4 today) I’m getting the message that there are no bad stories, just bad storytelling – good storytelling is what people respond to. You can tell them just about anything and they’ll be satisfied if you take care of them in the process. The second is a theme I’ve been hearing: to get an indie distributed you need at least one celebrity in the movie. I believe it is a trend, but I know there are exceptions. I hate the thought of a talented filmmaker giving up on a project because they don’t need or have a star to tell the story. Hey, someone told me years ago I couldn’t get into editing without a family member already in the business – ehhhhhhh (sound effect of wrong answer buzzer.) I honestly thought I’d have very little to write today.... Cheers, Eric Top Thursday, January 27 Cut to the chase: 5:30pm: Our world premiere went great! A packed house filled with folks who laughed in all the right places and then some and who fell in love with the story. Holy moly. At the end of movies screenings, a big bunch of people usually leave before the q&a period with the director and actors, but hardly anyone left! And I finally met the actors I’ve been “living” with so long. There was a vibe in the air before the movie started that felt like people were going to have a really good time, but I had butterflies and fingers like frozen fishsticks – that’s how nervous anticipation works for me sometimes. A bunch of us gave out caps, stickers, and pins that read “Sarcasm – Queens’ main export” which is a reference to a line in the movie. So when the line was uttered, people had a big “aha” moment. That’s some nice promotion, thanks to our Executive Producer/screenwriter David L. Paterson. Making the movie was the most fun, but sharing the experience with a very receptive audience was a thrilling bonus and a definite cause for pride. Relief and exhaustion have set in. A deep slumber awaits.... Goodnight friends, Eric Top Friday, January 28 Ah... Slept in today. Then, 11:00am: I went to a panel discussion at the Filmmaker Lodge with editors and directors who have documentaries in the festival. The subject was editing – wouldn’t want to miss that, now would I? My favorite guy was Richard Hankin, the editor of “Capturing the Friedmans.” He was very down-to-earth and humorously described how much fun that period is when you’re working on your own before the director gets involved. But one could tell from the way he spoke that he’s a great collaborator. When asked what his secret was when you hit a creative roadblock he responded, “Go to lunch!” Each editor showed a clip from their work in the program, the panelists discussed it, and at the end of the last editor’s section, we had an open q&a which ended with people still eager to ask more questions. (Some of the q&a’s I’ve been too have gone on until comas were induced.) I’m pretty used to the altitude now, though Tylenol is still my companion. Trend: When panelists talk about the work and the process, it’s exciting. When they talk about themselves, it’s just not pretty. Another interesting occurrence: I’ve heard many panelists talk about how important the story is when discussing their films, but I keep seeing a thought bubble above their gleeful eyes that says “Gosh, I love the movies and filmmaking!” After all, if it was just about the story, why didn’t they just make it a book or a song? 2:30pm I ran into Andrea (the actress who plays Myra’s friend Carol in “Love, Ludlow) at a bustling coffee shop where they call out your name when your sandwich is ready. She’s a sweetheart and a wonderful actress. Then off to... 3:00pm: The Sundance Digital Center where I watched some shorts on computers and passed by the booths for Avid, Sony, etc. Then into the theater there for a screening of various interactive web sites and programs. Was it fun? I turned around, and guess who was there? Andrea – sleeping like a baby. Nuf said. 4:00pm: A little shopping on Main Street. I got a nice fleece. 5:00pm: My interview with “Below the Line.” The first time I’ve had a tape recorder pointed at me. It was nice and relaxed. “What would you have done differently?” More sound design. “How did your commercial background serve you?” It’s taught me precision and how to follow my instincts in a wide variety of styles. Background story: a nice Canadian film buff named Jean told me about a fantasy fiction movie called the “Mirrow Mask” that’s been getting great buzz. It’s directed by Dave McKean and written by McKean and Neil Gaiman, 2 ferociously talented and imaginative Englishmen. Of course it’s sold out, but he told me to go the theater early and see if anyone in the parking lot was selling their tickets – it happens. I was running late and got there for the 6pm show at... 5:50pm: the Eccles Theater, where “Mirror Mask” will be playing to a packed house of about 800. A guy in the parking lot with a big sign: “Looking for tickets.” I imagined a question mark at the end of the sentence and eagerly approached him until he eagerly asked me if I had tickets. Parking lot experiment over. Into the theater where I got on the waiting list line with easily 200 people in front of me. A ticket person announced “We have a 125 to 150 tickets max left and that’s it.” Oh well. I figured, “Well, now I can become part of the great Sundance tradition of waiting on line and not getting in.” I was about 6 people in from the end of the line. As soon as I finished my sentence, a confident woman walked quickly up to me and said, “You need a ticket?” She had two in her hand. As I dumbfoundedly tried to express a yes, the woman popped one into my hand. As she whisked away, I called out “I can pay you!” to which she yelled back “No, no – I’m a sponsor” which means they were comps. “Thanks!!” And past 200+ people I whizzed. A stunning movie with live action and graphics interwoven in a way I’ve never seen. 11:30pm: “Love, Ludlow’s” second screening. A smaller theater, but despite the late hour, we had a very enthusiastic crowd and an upbeat q&a at 1am. Twinkies were thrown out to the audience at the beginning of the screening since they are an important detail in the movie. As I watched the movie tonight, I started seeing it in a lot of theaters. Hmmm. One person approached the director and said this was his favorite of the 16 movies he’s seen at this year’s Sundance. I got a big clap from the audience. Acknowledgement can be a little challenging, but it felt really good tonight. And now it’s 3am. Enter Sandman. A snow capped Rocky Mountain night. Eric Top Saturday, January 29 9:30am: Rise and shine. Time for the next Ludlow screening. Weren’t we just there? 10:50am: Well our old friend Roger Ebert showed up to take pictures of the cast and crew of Ludlow outside the theater. Chatty and accessible Roger is rooting for us and knows how much blood and sweat writer/executive producer David Paterson has put into this movie, from building the set to giving out caps, buttons, and Twinkies. We have pictures of him taking pictures. 11:30am: the third screening of “Love, Ludlow,” but for most of us the final one, since the last one is tonight at 9pm in Salt Lake City, and ain’t no way we’re driving an hour out and back there. Same theater as last night (the Prospector), a packed house, and a waiting list with folks that had to be turned away. Before each screening of our film, the short film “The Act” has run. A lovely film by husband and wife directors Susan Kraker and Pi Ware, whose feature “Solitude” just opened in New York. We have bonded with them as screening mates. They’re great people and we pulled them outside to have Roger Ebert photograph them as well. Once again, the audience really enjoyed our film. I overheard people saying how refreshing it was that it seems to start out as a classic feel-good comedy before it twists into darker, more meaningful place. Video cameras recorded a lively q&a, after which some of the actors to signed a poster for me. What a nice ending for our world premiere. Since the movie is not in distribution yet, Ebert can’t review, but I think he’ll give it a nice mention in his column. 1:30pm: off on the free shuttle bus (that’s our primary mode of transportation, very convenient) to the gigantic Eccles Theater for Korean writer/director Kim Ki-duk’s “3 Iron.” A masterpiece. Beautifully shot, directed, acted, and edited. There were about 2 minutes of dialog in the film – everything else is communicated through beautifully nuanced performances and imagery. This film could serve as a textbook for the power of visual communication without words. This movie was picked up by Sony Classics prior to Sundance, so when it comes to New York, I want to see it again with anyone who wants to go. It also had a beautiful score. Despite some violence, this film was oozing with serenity and intrigue. 5pm: Drinks and nachos with cast and crew members at a little spot called La Casita. A great sense of relief started to wash over me. Like a snow day, when you realize that school is out and there’s nothing to control or do. The heated part of the festival is over, the power brokers are mostly gone, and Park City is starting to feel more like a vacation spot. 9pm: I went off with 2 of the supporting actors to the closing night party – a Hollywood style craze-fest following the announcements of the competition films that won prizes. Our film was not in competition, but it was eligible for the audience award, based on audience members casting ballots after each screening and rating the movie 1 to 5. “Hustle and Flow” won the audience award, BUT we came in THIRD place out of a pool of 26 eligible films! AND since the voting closed this afternoon, our votes were based on only 3 of 4 screenings. Considering we premiered on the 8th day of this festival and screened in midsize theaters (as opposed to the Eccles, which seats about 1300), we felt elated about our popularity. Celebrity sighting: John C. Reilly – he’s one of the jurors. We walked around sampling food and then danced for about an hour. It felt so good to shake and dance all the jitters and expectations out. It’s over. I gave my tickets away for a screening tomorrow so I can go skiing. 11:30pm: Enough. Back to the hotel for carrot cake and vanilla ice cream with strawberries, a little packing, and slumber. One more update to come. Probably just some last thoughts, but you never know. No distributor deal yet, but 90% of those deals don’t happen during Sundance. Eric Top Sunday, January 30 The plan: up at 6:30am, pack and hit the Park City Slopes by 9 with Amy Hobby. 1am: Amy emails in to say she is pooped and will be sleeping in. 8:45am: Oops. I forgot to set the alarm. My bad. But it felt so good to sleep in. Pack, no shower. Grab a mocha and a green tea at “Bumps and Grinds,” a gourmet shack at the ski lodge in town. 10am: Skiing! An advanced beginner, I stick to the green trails in this snowy wonderland. I had some very fun runs with only 2 wipeouts. 12:10pm: skiing is done, and it's a 5-minute free shuttle ride back to the hotel. Quick change into civilian clothing, lunch, and a taxi to the airport in Salt Lake City. After spending a week with film buzz in the air and my mind racing right along with it, today was a welcome break courtesy of Mother Nature. No career-think, just me and life. Last thoughts: It’s been an intense week and I’ve learned a lot. Especially that with or without money or fame, the filmmakers who feel successful are those who lasso their passion around the process and ride through all its ups and downs. I love telling stories – for those of you who felt like you were there with me this week while reading this log, you were. And we... Fadeout. Thanks, Eric Ps. Here’s the picture Roger Ebert took: 
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