An Interview with Elizabeth Klinck on Sunny Side 2020 Archive Workshops

Elizabeth Klinck will Moderate the Archive Workshops at Sunnyside 2020.

We’re looking forward to Sunny Side of the Doc 2020, the Connected edition, which kicks off on Monday, June 22. Footage.net will be an exhibitor, so please stop by our “virtual booth,” which you can find under the exhibitors tab once the conference platform goes live. History will be the focus at this year’s edition, and as part of that theme, archival researcher extraordinaire Elizabeth Klinck has assembled four Archive Workshops, which will be streamed throughout next week to registered attendees. We had a chance to catch up with Elizabeth and find out more about the content of each workshop.

Footage.net: The workshops all look very interesting. Can you give us a sense of what you will be discussing in each one?

Elizabeth Klinck: In the first workshop (Archive Workshop #1: Sourcing) we will delve into the making of  "Berlin 1945", a historic documentary from Autentic Distribution that takes viewers into Berlin's most fateful year through the eyes of those who lived through it: the German population and the Allied soldiers. Panelists will include Patrick Hörl, Managing Director, Autentic GmbH, and Andrew Bird, Editor - Zero One Film, and they will walk us through the various sources used by the producers to tell their story.

In the second workshop (Archive Workshop #2 : Technical Aspect, Restoration & Colorization) we’ll learn about the latest techniques and technologies for restoration and colorization. Many docs offer fully restored and often colorized archival footage, which can convey a much greater empathy for the people depicted in history. In this session we will speak with Vivek Rao, the founder and president of West Wing Studios, one of the most successful companies for colorization and restoration worldwide, and Stanton Rutledge, producer/colorist, also at West Wing.

Our third session, entitled No Narrator? No Interviews? No Problem, will be a masterclass with award-winning filmmaker Tom Jennings, who has written, directed, and produced more than 400 hours of programming. Always looking for new ways to tell informative and entertaining stories, Tom has perfected an archive-only format. He will share both his tips as well as some impressive clips.

The fourth and final workshop will be a case study of “The Secret History of World War II,” which looks into the remarkable stories behind the key events of the planet’s most destructive conflict. Panelists will include Kate Beal, the CEO and co-founder of Woodcut Media, and Elisabeth Hadgstedt, Head of Content & Broadcast at France’s Histoire TV, and together we will look behind the headlines and into the heart of each incident to unveil the archive and characters uncovered to tell these incredible true stories.

FN: Are you moderating all four workshops?

Yes, I am.

FN: You must have had your hands full getting this organized. Was the switch to an online format challenging?

EK: I’ve always enjoyed a new learning curve.  For every good session, the process of getting to know the panelists, preparing a good session outline, and being familiar with the projects being discussed is the same whether it is online or in person.  

FN: Who are the workshops tailored for?

EK: Each workshop will bring new information to various types of participants – international co-producers, archive producers and researchers, as well as archive houses.  They will hear a masterclass, discover a case study of an international archive co-production, learn about colorization of archives, and explore new sources of material.

FN: You have some very interesting topics. How did you narrow it down to these four?

EK: We looked at many different possibilities and decided on these four for the best breadth and depth of scope when discussing archive topics.

FN: How can people view the workshops?   

EK: They can register at this link: https://www.sunnysideofthedoc.com/accreditations/

FN: Will the audience be able to participate and ask questions?

EK: Yes, there will be a 30 minute Q&A after the presentation. We encourage people to ask lots of questions and to take advantage of this incredible brain trust of archive production expertise.

FN: Is there a cost for viewing the workshops?

EK: All of the registered participants will have access to all of the sessions including the workshops, at no additional cost beyond the accreditation.  

FN: Will they be available for “post Sunnyside” viewing or will it only be a live stream?

EK: All the sessions will be available until September 30th on the Online Videolibrary. In addition to the four archive sessions there are more sessions on history programming, as well as two history pitches. 

FN: Well, thank you very much Elizabeth. We are looking forward to seeing these great workshops next week. Best of luck!

 EK: Thank you!