Advertisement
Dori Berinstein Has Gotta Dance
(Page 2)
MM: Before becoming a documentarian you were mostly a Broadway and television producer. What inspired you to direct film?
DB: I always wanted to direct. I made the leap when I had a story I absolutely, no-matter-what, just-try-and-hold-me-back, had to tell. It was about Broadway behind-the-curtain. I dove in the moment I felt ready. I had worked as a director in TV, produced and supervised film for over 15 years and was a seasoned producer of Broadway shows. I felt ready to handle the responsibility of capturing Broadway backstage as a director. Since then, I simply can’t stop. I love directing. There are so many stories I want to tell. I can’t wait to tackle a narrative feature.
MM: Your first documentary, ShowBusiness, was set on Broadway, which seems a natural fit coming from your background. What made you look to TOYchallenge for your second film?
DB: Some Assembly Required came out of my work with Dr. Sally Ride. Dr. Ride has a company dedicated to inspiring kids (girls in particular) to pursue math, science and engineering. The statistics are horrifying. By 8th grade, interest in science and math plummets. It’s really a national crisis. At any rate, Dr. Ride asked me to be a Judge at the national TOYchallenge Finals. When I saw first-hand how the lives of these kids had changed just by participating in the competition, I wanted to chronicle their journey, capture the process from blank page to insanely cool toy creation… These kids were empowered, thrilled with what they were able to accomplish. It wasn’t at all about winning.
MM: All of the documentaries that you have directed and produced have a start and end point—from the idea for a play to opening night on Broadway in ShowBusiness, the eight-month stretch before the final competition in Some Assembly Required and auditions through the final performance for Gotta Dance. So they all have this natural progression and story to follow, but as a director what do you look for to keep the pace of the movie interesting to audiences?
DB: The Tony Awards, the TOYchallenge competition, the final dance of the season, gave us some structure to work with on all three films. However, far more important, was the process our characters went through getting to those final moments. It’s about getting lost in the lives of our protagonists, caring about their journey, rooting for them, watching them change and grow. All three films are about passion, about chasing your dreams no matter what the risk is… It’s not about who wins the Tony, who creates the best toy or who has the hottest dance moves. So long before we get to Act III, I’m looking to craft a story that offers engaging characters you grow to care deeply about, humor, drama and suspense.
MM: When you’re in the midst of production and so many things are happening around you that aren’t planned or can’t be postponed—especially with the large topics that your films cover—how do you choose what should be focused on? What makes you prioritize one scenario over another? Is it instinct? Is it something that can be learned?
DB: This is exactly what I love about making documentaries. You don’t know where you’re going. Anything can happen. That unpredictability, that risk…watching the story unfold before your eyes and having to think on your feet, is exactly what I love about this medium. In the beginning of all three films, I tried hard to be everywhere and capture everything (38 Broadway shows, 50 teams of middle-schoolers creating toys, 13 hip hop senior dancers). I needed to get to know my characters, I wanted to be there when they had their ‘ah ha’ moments… when they nailed that dance move… when they hit the wall. You just don’t know when or where the great moments are going to come from. As we start to get a handle on the story we want to tell, our focus narrows, we’re more deliberate, we’re able to be more discriminating in our filmmaking. But until the last shot, the story is in flux. I love that.
Digg
StumbleUpon
Facebook
Del.icio.us
Reddit
YahooAdvertisement
COMMENTS | POST A COMMENT 
Latest from the blog:
In Theaters Now: Hancock & The Wackness
This July 4th weekend box office demonstrates what America is all about: Big superheros and movie stars battling it out against a potential independent gem.
Posted 07.4.08 | In Theaters Now | No comments yet...
Other recent posts:
Posts people are talking about:
SITE DELIVERY OPTIONS
Advertisement
