Macon Film Festival: Recapping the Sundance Institute Master Class

The Macon Film Festival welcomed us with open arms and kicked off the weekend with a Sundance Institute Short Film Master Class with Mike Plante and James Ponsoldt.

Plante, Sundance Short Films Senior Programmer, wove his tale to an eager crowd. Beginning his festival journey in 1993, he is no stranger to the inner workings of getting films into festivals, and he started with rule number one—'Don’t be a dick.' Simple enough, just treat every single person you meet along the way well. The positivity will read through the work and more people will sign on to help you make a great film.

Short Take: "Confusion Through Sand" is a Unique, Mesmerizing Experience in Animation

"Confusion Through Sand" is one of the animated competition selections from the 2014 Atlanta Film Festival. The film comes from Ornana, a studio founded by native Georgians Danny Madden (director and animator of the film) and Benjamin Wiessner (producer). Previously, the guys produced "euphonia," which turned out to be one of ATLFF 2013's best films and the perfect example of just how daring and beautiful a true Georgia indie film can be.