Director Andrew Bujalski on the red carpet for the premiere of Computer Chess at the Sundance Film Festival 2013. He is one of the leading figures of micro-budget filmmaking known as mumblecore.
Bujalski used a 1969 Sony AVC-3260 tube video camera to give the film its period feel (and to show that video definitely doesn’t look like film!). Computer Chess centers around a weekend computer chess tournament in the early 1980s at the dawning of the age of personal computers and well before technology was in the palm of our hands.
He discusses the challenges of making a living from microfilmmaking and how working with USA Projects helped him crowdfund over $50K to make this film.
After this video was shot, Bujalski was awarded the Alfred P Sloan Feature Film Prize. The prize is given to a feature film that focuses on science or technology as a theme, or depicts a scientist, engineer, or mathematician as a major character.
Sheri Candler
Sheri Candler is the Director of Digital Marketing Strategy at LA based non profit organization The Film Collaborative. She advises independent filmmakers on how to build an artistic brand and an engaged and robust online community for their work that can be used to monetize effectively. Follow her on Twitter @shericandler