Please contact us
with corrections
or breaking news
Tiffany Shlain, Connected and Sundance by Doniphan Blair
Shot from 'Connected,' Tiffany Shlain's first feature, which is both an autobiographical doc and a meditation on modernity. photo courtesy: T. Shlain
Tiffany Shlain, who took the world by storm with "The Tribe," in 2006, is currently at the Sundance Film Festival, not only with her first feature, “Connected: A Declaration of Interdependence,” but a short called "Yelp." Made with husband Ken Goldberg, it is about a "sabbath-like" unplugging from your machines and Allen Ginsberg.
Coincidentally, Sundance also features two other documentaries by San Francisco women: "Miss Representation," about female identity incorrectly projected, by Jennifer Siebel Newsom (the actress and spouse to ex-mayor Gavin), and "!Women Art Revolution," by Lynn Hershman Leeson, about female identity self-created. It covers feminist American art from Judy Chicago and The Guerilla Girls to Miranda July. Along with "Connected," Northern California's only other entry, they are three of an increasing number of Sundance features directed by women.
And "Connected" is a feature unlike any other, more female in a sense. Using Shlain's signature style of quick cutting between aesthetically pleasing and intellectually stimulating images, following an art film tradition, it weaves a complex cinema essay. It is of a piece with "The Tribe," which packed a wallop into its 18 minutes, and became the number one movie on iTunes, with over two million views.
"The Tribe" tackles being Jewish, world culture, assimilation, and female identity—the issues swirling around its star, the Barbie doll, which was developed in the late '50s by a Jewish businesswoman, Ruth Handler. Shown at over 100 film festivals, including Sundance, Tribeca, and Rotterdam, and laureled with loads of awards, "The Tribe" fuses not only documentary and narrative but whimsy and serious, which allowed Shlain to unpack complex notions while remaining light and surprisingly commercial. In 2003, Shlain did the well-received short, “Life, Liberty & The Pursuit of Happiness,” about reproductive rights.
Barbie stars in Shlain's hit short about Judaism, identity and the world: 'The Tribe.' photo courtesy: T. Shlain
By that point, however, Shlain had already become a massive presence in Bay Area culture. One could say it started with her father, Leonard Shlain, a local physician and author of the respected "The Alphabet Versus The Goddess" (1999), although Tiffany hardly needed help. By age 26, she had started the Webby Awards (1996), to celebrate the new media, and continued serving as creative director and CEO untill 2005, by which time the Webbies moved to New York and were getting 10,000 submissions annually.
Shlain continued creating organizations, co-founding the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences in 1998, and engaging in a variety of media, including performance. She was an artist-in-residence at the Headland Center for the Arts (overlooking the Golden Gate Bridge), a filmmaker-in-residence with the San Francisco Film Society (which does the international festival), and she and husband Ken, a professor of robotics at Berkeley, created the Moxie Institute, which mounts multimedia performances and installations, such as "Smashing" at the Pulse Contemporary Art Fair in New York City in 2009.
All this and more is why Newsweek recognized Shlain as one of the “Women Shaping the 21st Century” and she has been lauded in "The New York Times," "Variety," and "The Hollywood Reporter." Sundance has shown almost all her films; she has received dozens of awards and fellowships; and she met with Hillary Clinton, in 2010, to discuss how technology is changing our lives.
An enthusiastic educator, as well as marketing and distribution innovator, Shlain is constantly striving to find unique ways to engage an audience. She always develops curriculums to accompany her films, simply because the films trigger intense discussions but also because that is a excellent way to add revenue. She has experimented extensively with mixed platforms and distribution models and her current system—some Web, some DVD and some printed material—can be considered the most cutting-edge around. Plus she lectures extensively on filmmaking and the net’s influences, among other topics, at Harvard, MIT, Apple, and the 92nd St Y, among other places.
No wonder she was invited back to her alma mater, UC Berkeley, to deliver the commencement address last May. Much like one of her movies, her speech mixed personal quests with appeals to remain hopeful, to leverage the connected world, and to make art. It included a short film and concluded with co-workers with cameras diving into the audience and interviewing the graduates about their dreams.
Although Ms. Shlain got too booked, in her last frantic days before leaving for Sundance, for a face-to-face interview and photo shoot, we were able to talk on the phone—albeit with a few mommy-duty interruptions—and get some great recent shots from photographer Katherine Miller.
Tiffany Shlain vamps it up a little at a recent photo shoot. photo: K. Miller
CineSource: So how do you describe your current film?
Tiffany Shlain: The featured documentary in US competition is called 'Connected.' It is an 'autoblogography'—that's a word we made up—an autoblogography about love, death and technology. We started it four years ago. Then I have another film called 'Yelp.'
What is that about?
Technology can be addictive. In a tribute to Allen Ginsberg's classic 1956 poem, we created a short film lampooning the addictions of our generation. It's narrated by Peter Coyote.
'Connected'—an 'autoblogography'—fabulous! I did see the trailer for that. It's kind of a new way of filmmaking, kind of crowd sourcing... how are you characterizing it?
It is definitely a new look. It is a lot of original animation with archival and stock images interwoven with an autobiographical story. About 65% [of the footage is] stock and archival, about 30% original animation and 5% regularly shot footage.
Do you release a budget?
Our budget was $750,000 but then we raised a lot for outreach. Basically seven hundred for production and seven hundred for outreach, our discussion kit and curriculum. We do a lot of educational sales with our films, and experiment with the Internet—new forms of distribution.
But you still send out discs and hard copy?
We still do a lot of that. We do a hybrid of traditional showings of the film in theaters and DVDS and new Internet strategies.
Which you essentially pioneered with 'The Tribe?'
'The Tribe' was the first documentary to be number one on iTunes. We did a lot of work with Facebook and alternative distribution. We really believe that making a film is the first half and the second half, where you have to be just as creative, is getting the film out into the world.
Does 'Connected' have any actual filmed interviews?
It is not like that—it is definitely a different documentary style. It is a style I have developed over the years with my other films. I have had two other films at Sundance: 'The Tribe' and 'Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.' They are all done in this style I have been developing since I was in college [but] that I hopefully took to a new place with the feature 'Connected.' It doesn't look like a traditional documentary.
The editing seems to draw from visual art films: are there any you look back to?
The highly graphic and effective home page for 'The Tribe.' photo courtesy: T. Shlain
Stan Brackage, Maya Deren, Woody Allen's 'Annie Hall,' 'Koyannisqatsi.'
Have you ever taken that style and thought about blending it into a narrative mechanism?
This film does that. There is an autobiographical narrative in the film and it weaves between the two styles.
Is it also about romance in the modern era—love and death being two very romantic themes?
It is actually not about romance, it is about relationships and your family—well, it has some stuff about romance. It is a film about what does it mean to be connected in the 21st century. I explore that from every way you can imagine: technology, emotionally, environmentally, how issues are connected, what the technology is doing to us, where it is taking us, the hope of that, the curse of that. I kind of come at connected in the 21st century from every perspective you can imagine.
Fantastic. Do you think that we have a structural impediment in California that might put a damper on our romantic development? Do you ever notice it is a little odd that all your friends are incredibly free and have all sorts of art and mobility but that true love sometimes still eludes us?
I hadn't thought about that [laughs].
You have a young daughter.
Two daughters.
That is incredible and they are incorporated—obviously—because it is autobiographical.
Yes.
From curriculum writing to film production and marketing, Shlain's work supports a substantial team. Left to right, top row: Gunnard Doboze, Dalan McNabola, Stefan Nadelman (jumping), Carlton Evans, Jesse Wakeman, Sawyer Steele, Dalan Mcnabola; bottom row: Haley Seppa (kneeling), Tiffany Shlain, Ken Goldberg. photo: K. Miller
You have already been to Sundance but Sundance is the big gig—one of the top three festivals in the country—
Yeah, well this is my first feature there and it definitely has a special meaning. In the film, I also talk about my founding of the Webbie Awards and my experience with technology. I am really excited; we have worked really hard; I have an amazing team; all of them are from San Francisco; we are really excited to share it.
Not only is playing at Sundance but Sundance's 'Selected/Connected' one night at the <U>Sundance-Kabuki Theater on January 27. I will be flying back from Sundance for one night to go to that screening in San Francisco.
That is where [film] is going, from wholesale mass media to little films done retail, where you go around with it and have seminars. I know your 'Tribe' you sold to schools.
With the new film we have a discussion kit we are releasing in March. We have a curriculum and a local phone app coming out with the film, too. We will do a hybrid model in the theaters and with self-distribution. That's what we want to do.
I am guessing you are still final editing it?
I just finished it Monday [4 days ago]. I am so relieved! It is all done, we sent it off Monday. We are done, done!
Was that a drop-deadline or you did you have a couple of days to spare?
Oh god, I don't know. I didn't know if I would ever finish it. It feels very good to have sent it off. In fact, I feel so much better—I had no idea how much it was stressing me out.
You kind of ramp up your energy over the months? You are like the frog in the hot water: all of sudden you find yourself going 48 hours without sleeping?
I know, it is so true. I wasn't sleeping—so much on my mind. Now, I am just looking forward [to Sundance]. I just want to take it in and enjoy it with my team. We are so excited for an audience to experience it.
Do you transfer to film or how is it being shown?
It is being shown on HD Cam but we are going to be making film prints.
To show in Tibet [where they don't have video projecters]?
No, we are going to be showing in theaters and some theaters are made [just] to show films.
Does it look pretty good?
Scene from Shlain's 'Connected,' which features a lot of animation. photo courtesy: T. Shlain
Yes, it does look pretty good. You know Gary Coates did the color correction—
Gary Coates! He is such an old-timer of film processing in San Francisco.
He is so good and we on-lined at Video Arts—everyone helped make it look really beautiful.
Is your father going to be joining you at Sundance?
He passed away. [Leonard Shlain, August 28, 1937 – May 11, 2009, was a surgeon and author of three books well received books, notably 'The Alphabet Versus The Goddess,' but also 'Art and Physics,' 1993, and 'Sex, Time and Power' 2004 .]
My condolences. Did he influence you, did you read his books—you must have?
He is very much a part of the film, his ideas. He was co-writing it with me. He [was involved] in multiple different aspects.
Ever thought of tackling the 'The Alphabet Versus The Goddess' [about how the advent of male rationality and literacy killed off matriarchal culture]?
'Connected' has a lot of ideas from the 'The Alphabet Versus The Goddess.' My father's ideas are woven throughout the film.
The same lightness and levity one gets from Shlain's films, evidently infects her team's office life. photo: K. Miller
You have any projects in development?
I have this exciting project we are just starting to get off the ground. [It is] a series of short films about pressing issues of our day and we are looking at a foundation that is interested in funding them. That is really exciting to do that.
Local foundation?
No.
'The Tribe' tackles Judaism which is always a hot button issue around Israel and Palestine. Is that something you would consider tackling?
You know, it is funny you say that. At some point, I would like to make a film about Israel but not right now. But I do think it will be a film I will make. I have thought about it before. I feel like it is such a polarizing subject and I think it would be really interesting to delve in and try to get more context about what is happening.
Now these short films—a TV show perhaps?
No, I would release them on the web and maybe television, we are just at the early stages. I am really excited about doing powerful short films, instead of doing this long feature, doing some shorts.
Are you still associated with Webbies?
Only in spirit and I do still have equity in The Webby Awards. I founded it and was leading it for nearly a decade. I'm super happy to see it continue to grow and prosper and also super happy that I get to focus full time on my filmmaking.
Has the Web intrinsically changed since you started using it for communication—more ads, more complexity, Facebook—or is it still the same general instrument?
It is infinitely more exciting now that there are over a billion people online. So much more can happen now with that so many people engaging.
And with that one of Tiffany's daughters was calling and she had to beg off, although we finished up, as befits in our mixed platform world as well as interviewing a multimedia artist, with a few questions via email.