The only thing more exciting for us at Film Independent than spotting a promising project by an up-and-coming filmmaker is finding a way to nudge it forward on that long journey from idea into theaters. One way is by giving in-kind production grants to Film Independent Fellows whose films are in production.

We’re proud to announce that Film Independent has awarded the latest Wildfire Post Production Sound Grant, a complimentary sound mix provided by Wildfire Post Production Studios to writer/director Sydney Freeland and producer Chad Burris for Drunktown’s Finest, which will be premiering at Sundance. “Wildfire is thrilled to have opportunity to work with Sydney and her team on Drunktown’s Finest, said Daniel Medina, Wildfire VP of operations. “Film Independent’s unique ability to make these connections makes them an essential partner for us in our effort to support the community of independent filmmakers.”

Here, we check in with Freeland and Burris about the film, its sound design and what’s next.

What’s the film about?
Chad Burris: Topically, three young adults in a desperate location trying to understand themselves.  The three are all looking for the same thing, but coming at it from completely different place; one a young gang banger type wanting to make a better life for his soon to be arriving family, another an adoptee removed from the reservation trying to understand herself by finding her family, and the third a transgender looking for acceptance and an understanding of her place.  It’s a story of hope, love, and balance.

How did the story of Drunktown’s Finest originate for you?
Sydney Freeland: I grew up on the Navajo reservation and one thing that struck me growing up was that I never saw anybody that I recognized in the movies. I wanted to tell a story about the people and experiences I saw growing up and that’s what set me out to try and make this film.

What’s been the biggest challenge for you so far? 
CB: It’s a low budget movie without any discernible talent, so financing was a big issue.  The film took several years between script and money.  It’s always a challenge to get projects off go.  Past that, and still a function of financing, we could only afford a 15 days schedule.  That was tough.  We shot somewhere between 6-9 pages a day.  Fortunately we had a great crew and we were organized, so it went faster than we thought.  But still there were days we just had to start shutting down.  I know that was tough on Syd.

How are you approaching your sound design?
SF: We’re just starting this process. The film is very much grounded in reality so we’re trying to take a naturalistic approach. That being said, the movie has become much more quiet and sparse than I anticipated. For the most part, I think it’s working out well. Most of our sound design discussions have been more subtle and subdued but I’m really looking forward to what ideas present themselves in the sound edit.

What challenges have you faced regarding sound?
CB: Not much really.  We had a great mixer and most of our sound is perfect.  We had some weather issues that due to our schedule forced us to continue shooting, so we are having to ADR a bit around wind and rain, but it couldn’t be helped.  Otherwise it’s been pretty clean.

How has it been mixing the film? 
SF: Again, we’re still in the initial stages of mixing but it’s been a great experience. I’ve just been focused on visual editing the past few months but it’s now starting to shift over to music and sound. It’s amazing how much depth or emotion sound can add to a scene.

What’s next? 
CB: Sundance!

What’s your distribution strategy?
CB: Prayer.  Seriously, but also a really good, seasoned sales agent and a world premiere at Sundance.  I think that’s our best first step.  From there we see how it plays and we should have a more focused approach to getting it out.  We have plans for placement in a few select places early that should help with getting the best deal for the film.

By Pamela Miller / Website & Grants Manager