Festival Trailers: In-Theater, Pre-Show
by Karen Pecota

The designers of the Sundance Film Festival incorporated the theme called STORYTIME. The created design to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the festival captured a nostalgic past and a quirky/pungent imagery of the future. The artists involved are to be commended for their work integrating all forms of the Sundance Design presentation. They effectively presented a unique subtle visual imagery communicating pride connected with twenty-five years of accomplishments.

I need to comment on the in-theater pre-show film trailers (STORYTIME trailers) because I saw them at least five times a day for the duration of the festival. There were four different trailers. Only one ran before each screening called: Hoop Dreams 1, New Stories, Hoop Dreams 2, Only at Sundance and Sex, Lies, and Videotape. Each was edited by a different person from the bicoastal editing company, Lost Planet under the direction of Hank Corwin and each used the trailer music by Black Iris and Saxon Shore.

The intrigue was the candid account given by the various movers and shakers of the Sundance Organization dream team. The celebration of the festival’s 25th anniversary allowed many stories to be told of days gone by and solid projections for the future.

 “Every year there will always be space for new stories to be told in new ways…” - Robert Redford

 “…there really is no such thing as a Sundance Film because there is too much diversity.” - Robert Redford

“DI-VER-SI-TY!” - John Cooper accentuates along with his gleeful facial extortions

As the chipper style of music plays in the background of each trailer, the particular Sundance lead team member being interviewed recalls one memory that either makes them laugh, cry or ponder upon their amazing journey to bring Independent Filmmaking to the forefront of the film industry today because “Every year a new crop (of films) comes in pushing the limits”.