barefootworkshops.org | Alumni Interview: Sara Newens

Sara Newens has been involved in film and television for over a decade, working primarily as video editor for CBS News in New York City. Sara is a recent graduate of the M.F.A. Documentary Film and Video Program at Stanford University, where she was awarded a Princess Grace Foundation scholarship for her thesis film, TANGLEWOOD. Her film accomplishments include Student Academy Award Regional Finalist, Best Short Documentary at the San Diego Asian Film Festival and a CINE Golden Eagle Award. Sara’s films have screened at many festivals including Sarasota, Starz Denver, Rooftop Summer Series, Lunafest, Mill Valley, Big Sky, BendFilm, and Cinequest. She has also worked for The Edit Center, Barefoot Workshops, and as an Assistant Producer for the award-winning PBS feature documentary, NEW YEAR BABY.

Sara attended the Barefoot Workshops in 2006 and made the film, All This Blues. Her film was accepted into the Sarasota film festival among many others.

Give us a description of where you were in your filmmaking career before you took a Barefoot Workshop?

Sara: I had been working as a video editor for CBS News in New York City for several years when I got this nagging feeling that I needed to be more creative and passionate about my work. Over the years I had made a lot of videos and fun little mockumentaries, but I lacked the confidence to call myself a filmmaker and got stuck in a steady job that would pay the bills.

How did you hear about Barefoot?

Sara: One of my first jobs after college was working as a lab manager at the Maine Photographic Workshops (now Maine Media Workshops). Though I was working with photographers, I kept finding myself hanging out with the filmmakers and film students...and that’s where I met Chandler. He genuinely seemed to have this knack for inspiring people, and I remember thinking he would be a really good person to keep in touch with. A few years later when he started Barefoot, I wanted to know everything I could about it.

What drew you to consider taking a workshop with Barefoot?

Sara: Well, it actually took some convincing. Having known Chandler for awhile at that point, he knew that I was good at talking myself out of things that seemed risky. Spending 4 weeks in Mississippi to make a documentary seemed like a very long time to give up my income and I was worried my job might not be there when I got back. But I also knew that I could not continue being so restless and unsatisfied with my career. Chandler helped me see that the pros far outweighed the cons; I would be getting hand-on experience and access to top of the line equipment AND come away with a short documentary-a product that I could be proud of.

Did you just want video training or was there something else you were looking for?

Sara: I certainly did want to learn how to use the equipment that was typically used in the industry, but more than that, I was looking to gain confidence. I was at a point where I really needed to challenge myself and convince myself that I had potential to turn my career into something creative.

Did your experience at Barefoot motivate and inspire you to pursue graduate studies in film and video?

Sara: Absolutely. Living in MS for one month was like this big gigantic light bulb moment. I think it was important for me to look both inside and outside of myself at the same time. Becoming a part of culture that is so different from New York City- it made me want to find new stories in all different corners of the world.

Can you talk about how your training at Barefoot prepared you for graduate studies and a career in filmmaking?

Sara: Well, it certainly did help me with the confidence to even consider a career in filmmaking. The short film that I made there, ALL THIS BLUES, was accepted into a few festivals and I just felt innately that this is what I was meant to do. My film also became the portfolio that I submitted to Stanford, and ultimately allowed me to study filmmaking at one of the most incredible universities in the country.

Now that you’ve completed your graduate studies, what is your advice for individuals who are interested in making documentary filmmaking a career?

Sara: Well, I’ve only just graduated a month ago, so I’m still considered an emerging filmmaker in the industry. However, the MFA program at Stanford is incredibly intensive-we produce and direct four documentary shorts in less than 2 years, all while pursuing theoretical and analytical studies. All this to say, I was able to learn lessons with each film in how to put it out into the world, no matter how challenging or how little money is out there to support filmmakers. And my advice would be to never let money be the reason to keep you from being creative; I think if you are passionate enough, the monetary stuff will work itself out... It may not be what you originally envisioned, but the biggest lesson I have learned from being a filmmaker is to embrace the things that do not go as planned.

What was the most important element of the creative and documentary filmmaking process that impacted you while at Barefoot?

Sara: Well, Chandler, and another Barefoot instructor, Jack McDonald, were a HUGE part of what impacted me at the time. They both knew how to challenge me and encourage me when I needed it. Everything was such new territory, and because we were making films at such an accelerated pace, it wasn’t about learning and practicing every detail until you got it right-it was about getting out there, meeting knew people, and figuring out what stories speak to you. In turn, you learn a lot about who you are when you ask yourself what draws you to certain subjects.

Do you believe documentary storytelling is a powerful medium? If yes, explain.

Sara: Absolutely! I wouldn’t have given up my cushy TV job if I didn’t think so. Documentaries are an incredibly effective way to educate and inform, but they are also an incredibly valuable and even cathartic tool for discovering one’s own voice. It wasn’t until I made 3 or 4 films that I realized I am consistently drawn to stories about people who do the extraordinary things that I cannot. And the idea of sharing these stories with an audience and possibly even inspiring them will keep me coming back again and again.

Based on the film you made at Barefoot, was there a specific lesson learned about the meaning of community and storytelling?

Sara: I remember at the Barefoot screening, after the films where shared with about fifty or sixty people in the community, that the main subject of my film (a young guitar prodigy named Jacqueline and her mother, Toni) were talking to Roger Stolle of Cathead (another person in our film). It was rewarding to know that the film and the screening itself brought them together in a conversation they would have otherwise not had. I could see that even in a small town there are people that seldom cross-paths or know each other; and perhaps the experience of participating in a documentary made them see each other-and themselves-in a new light. It definitely made me reflect on the importance of engaging in your community.

Did your experience at Barefoot change how you interact with your own community or family?

Sara: After Barefoot, I returned to New York with a new sense of confidence and enthusiasm. It also changed my level of involvement in the documentary community and consequently, I started to attend lots of independent film screenings. I also started to go to seminars at Women Make Movies. It was there that I met the filmmaking team of NEW YEAR BABY and as a result, started to participate in that film as the Assistant Producer. I may have never had that opportunity had it not started with Barefoot.

Did Barefoot help you to shape your own philosophy and/or approach to documentary storytelling?

Sara: I was aware of the philosophy that I believe Chandler wanted to impress upon his students - to truly engage with a community. The experience should not be solely about the product (your film), but rather what you learned about yourself and others along the way. Barefoot’s commitment to empowering people and youth also inspired me to want to tell character driven stories about people who are doing extraordinary things in the world. In fact, I am just beginning work on my first feature film with a Stanford classmate about two teenage table tennis phenoms who have their sights set on the London Olympics in 2012.

How was your Barefoot experience different from other workshop experiences you have?

Sara: It is difficult to say, but Chandler, in particular, was a positive force who never doubted that I could do something. He became the voice in my head that was constantly telling me, ’you can do it!’ It made such a difference. There was also a passion at Barefoot that was infectious.

Is Barefoot’s training limited to technical or did you see a bigger picture to the overall point of Barefoot’s workshop experience?

Sara: It is definitely not limited to the technical training, even though you do receive this hands-on experience with top of the line equipment. A big part of the philosophy is engaging in your community. It is more about allowing yourself to be where you are in your own personal and professional development, and to discover your own artistic and creative process.

How can Barefoot alumni make a difference?

Sara: To support each other in our respective fields and inspire others to attend a Barefoot Workshop. I would also love to go back and teach at Barefoot since I truly believe that the workshop setting is a catalyst for change - the experience literally changed the course of my life. To take time away from the routine and be creative and collaborative in a new environment is invaluable. And I would love to give back to Barefoot and other organizations in this way.

To learn about and support Sara Newens and Mina T. Sons’ feature documentary, Top Spin, which explores the world of competitive table tennis and follows two U.S. National Champions train for the 2012 Olympics, please visit:
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1341817656/top-spin-a-feature-length-ping-pong-documentary

Q & A with Sara Newens, Barefoot Workshops Alum, 2006