Doug Pray Q&A

Pray also directed the documentaries "Scratch" (2001) and "Hype!" (1996). "Scratch," which opens at The Charles Theatre May 10, explores the hip-hop DJ and turntablist movement and "Hype!" looks at the growth of grunge and the early-1990s Seattle music scene explosion. In addition to directing, Pray worked on the film editing of the Hughes Brothers' "American Pimp" (1999), which explores the lives of African-American street pimps.

Q: How did the experience of making "Sundance20" differ from your previous documentaries?

Pray: In some ways, it was really fun because I got to be in a place that I had wanted to visit for years. It was difficult because it was a cable documentary format. The experience was wonderful, but it's really challenging to make a documentary that had to fit a pre-existing format. It's difficult in the editing room.

Q: What was your motivation behind chronicling the Sundance Labs?

Pray: It was a job. I was really honored to be asked by the producer to do it. I did it because I'd always heard about the labs. They are really highly honored and difficult to get in to. It was a total opportunity for me as a filmmaker. I got to be at these workshops and witness the incredible process and struggle other young directors are going through.
It was extremely difficult during the editing process because it's hard to look at yourself and this is a group of filmmakers and they know a lot about filmmaking. It's really difficult to have the camera turned on you. I love conducting interviews, but I freak out when the camera turns on me.

Q: Were you ever a "student" at the Sundance Labs?

Pray: No, I never even applied. I had always heard about them and had many friends who had applied, but couldn't get in. They only accept eight out of thousands of applicants, which makes it more intense for those who do go.

Q: Without the Sundance Labs, how do you think the film industry would be different today? What are the best and worst aspects of the labs?

Pray: The film industry has been hugely impacted by the Sundance Institute. It's given support to independent filmmakers. There's no question that Robert Redford, by founding the Institute 20 years ago, made his dream of giving alternatives come true. The downside is often misperceived. When anything becomes overly desired, you get jealousy and envy, which is not healthy for filmmakers.

Q: Why should/will the public care about the subject matter?

Pray: Whether or not they've heard of Sundance, there's a lot of people who've seen this documentary and get a really good idea of how difficult it is to direct. That's one thing I'm proud about. It's joyful, but it's always a struggle. This documentary captures that struggle.

Q: Why do actors go to the Sundance Labs?

Pray: The actors and advisors go because even though they're not being paid, it's a chance to make mistakes and to work with their peers. To learn and to fall on your face and to work with other actors in a totally safe environment, you can't find that anywhere else in the industry. It's totally non-competitive.

Q: How do you decide which subject matter to select for a documentary? Which subjects would you still like to tackle?

Pray: I have not come up with the ideas for most of my documentaries. "Hype!" was the idea of the producer. "Scratch" was conceived by producers. My next film is my idea for once and it's a documentary about truck drivers, called "Big Rig." I start shooting this summer. I have plenty of ideas, but if someone is talking about something that interests me, I see no reason to not get excited about that.

Q: When selecting a subject matter, what preparations do you make? How far do you immerse yourself in the subject matter?

Pray: I immerse myself as much as I possibly can. For "Scratch," I did months and months of research. I met with DJs, listened to CDs and read every hip-hop magazine I could get my hands on because I had so much to learn.
All three of these works have one thing in common. They are all about communities. You've got to figure out how these communities work.

Q: Which documentaries are you looking forward to seeing at the festival?

Pray: I really want to see "Blue Vinyl." I'm really excited to see that. It sounds really cool. [I'd like to see] "My Father, the Genius." I'm sure there's a bunch more.

Q: While working on "Hype!," did you work with Alice in Chains at all. Were you affected by Layne Staley's recent death?

Pray: Alice in Chains was one band that I never actually met and didn't get close to. When I was making "Hype!," that particular year, they -- like Nirvana -- were really reclusive. My story became more about the garage bands and a few of the better known bands.
Though I never met [Staley], like any fan, I was really sad to hear about his death. It shows the insane toll [heroin] continues to take on Seattle. It's just insane. I thought his music was great. We tend to think that because we move on musically, that somehow musicians move on, too. But stars are stars for life.

Q: What did you think of the recent documentary hit: "Startup.com?"

Pray: I liked it because it was completely honest and it's the kind of honesty you can only get by waiting around for months and months with your subject. I don't ever get to do that with my films. I admired it, although I think they could have chosen better music.

Q: What was it like to work with the Hughes Brothers [on "American Pimp"]?

Pray: They were really kind to me and they also have really strong opinions of what they think is right in a movie. The more I worked with them, the more I came to respect these opinions. They're really into detail and I think it pays off. It definitely did in that documentary. We also got along really well, musically. They gave me free reign to choose any music I wanted for "American Pimp." That was my favorite part about editing "American Pimp" -- the music.

Q: How did you decide to make documentaries as opposed to feature films?

Pray: I would like someday to do a feature film, but I think my mind might be better suited to documentaries because they're backwards. Rather than writing a script and spending years trying to make it, you go out and make a movie, then spend years trying to get the vision together. I actually like that. I think it's because I'm an editor at heart and documentaries are so much about editing.

Q: Do you have any advice for budding documentary makers?

Pray: Go out and borrow a DV camera and start shooting. Make little documentaries about your mom, your dog, your neighbors. Just start making documentaries. We now have the technology that people can't say anymore that they can't afford it. The only way you learn is trying and failing.
Spend a lot of time editing. Don't think because you edited it one way that's how it should be. Almost everything can be reinterpreted and almost everything can be better.

Q: Do you think people are learning about history through documentaries now more than ever?

Pray: People are getting a different sense of history than ever before because of documentaries. Because of the proliferation of thousands and thousands of hours of programming on cable channels. We actually have documentary junkies now. That's not a bad thing, as long as people don't think that [the format on cable channels] is the way documentaries have to be.

Q: Is there anything else you'd like to say about the festival?

Pray: I'm really excited about coming out to the Maryland Film Festival. Also, "Scratch" is premiering at the Charles Theatre the week after the festival. I hope a lot of people go and see that. Thanks to everyone. I hope to meet some of you in person at the ["Sundance20"] screening.