“Undefeated,” Oscar Winning Film Makers T.J. Martin and Dan Lindsay

Episode 15 : BYOD: Bring Your Own Doc

Episode Synopsis

Dan Lindsay and T.J. Martin are fresh off the success of their Oscar Winning Best Documentary feature, Undefeated, and into thelip studios to talk with Ondi and Vlad on BYOD.
From being Sundance darlings, to getting the big push from Oscar, they are in the middle of a whirlwind of attention for their inspirational story of a high school football team that overcomes the odds. They open up about the process of filming and editing the movie, as well as getting backing from P. Diddy and how it feels to be Oscar winners.

Guest Bio

Dan Lindsay and T.J. Martin met while working on the feature-length documentary film LAST CUP: ROAD TO THE WORLD SERIES OF BEER PONG, which Lindsay directed and Martin edited. The film was distributed under the “Morgan Spurlock Presents” banner of Virgil Films and was broadcast on Spike TV. UNDEFEATED marks their first feature-length firectorial collaboration.
Dan Lindsay was born in Rockford, Illinois and graduated from the University of Missouri in 2001. He began his career by directing WHY US?, a short documentary film exploring the roots of the 9/11 attack on America.
Born and raised in Seattle, Washington, T.J. Martin graduated from Western Washington University with a degree in American Cultural Studies. His first film, A DAY OF HYPE IN AMERICA, won the Best Documentary award at the Rhode Island International Film Festival.
They are recently winners of an Oscar for Best Documentary for UNDEFEATED.

Episode Breakdown

00:01 Introduction to BYOD.
01:19 Welcoming T.J. Martin and Dan Lindsay.
02:01 Making High School football look cinematic.
03:42 The shoot in Memphis.
03:56 “How did you come across this story?”
07:39 UNDEFEATED trailer.
09:54 UNDEFEATED parallels with THE BLIND SIDE.
11:12 Ambassadors of American Film.
12:36 P. Diddy joins the project and helps bring attention.
15:58 The Oscar count.
17:09 Working on LAST CUP: ROAD TO THE WORLD SERIES OF BEER PONG.
18:32 Money and his turtles: the heart of the movie.
20:52 Shocking inner-workings of high school football.
22:10 “How did the characters come into focus?”
25:56 Dan’s history on the project and finding a partner in shooting/cutting.
29:26 Future project ideals.
31:23 The hybrid-doc trend in festivals,
33:25 “Is this a feature film?”
34:15 How the subjects have progressed.
35:28 UNDEFEATED clip. “Don’t quit.”
36:17 The lessons and message of UNDEFEATED.
40:54 Dan and T.J. teach a high school film class.
44:35 Telling a different story in North Memphis-screening the film.
46:15 Smashing cameras on location
48:05 “How did you finance?”
50:45 Making a film on a small budget.
51:49 The importance of being able to edit.
54:12 “Where can we see the film?”
56:07 UNDEFEATED clip.
57:08 The Daily Dig Down.
1:03:06 “Your favorite documentaries?”
1:05:54 Thanks!

Additional Links

http://weinsteinco.com/sites/undefeated/
http://spitfirepictures.com/
https://twitter.com/#!/dan_lindsay
https://twitter.com/#!/tjmckaymartin
http://martin-lindsay.tumblr.com/
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/14/undefeated-directors-dan-lindsay-and-tj-martin_n_1345207.html

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Hosted By

Ondi Timoner

Ondi Timoner is the only filmmaker to win Grand Jury Prize at Sundance twice. Born in Miami, Florida, Timoner graduated cum laude from Yale University, with a double major in American Studies (concentration in Film and Literature) and Theater Studies.

Vladimir Radovanov

Vladimir Radovanov is a musician, entrepreneur and entertainment attorney, and has represented numerous entities in the entertainment industry, including musical artists, record labels, independent filmmakers, and television and film production companies, including TV Guide and 20th Century Fox.