Most of the time, I'm hoping my guest will be a great one to have on the podcast, but with director + editor Sara Barger, I knew. She was an instructor as part of my documentary certificate program -- COVID killed the program -- but I got so much out of her thought process on how to make films. So when I saw her name listed prominently on the poster as the editor for her new film, DAD GENES, I knew I'd love to have her on the pod. I'm glad she agreed.

As you hear in the intro, we talk about women in film and the lack of representation, as Sara served as president of Women in Film & Video, and through our conversation, I say she's forceful...because she is. But as I came up with that intro, I reflected on that: is that an attribute I'd give some guy? No. Because he'd be just being a guy.

So a better way of putting it is Sara is how all people should be in film, regardless of gender: fierce advocates for their art.

In this conversation, Sara and I discuss:

• her name being next to the director and producer on the poster;
• the story of DAD GENES and what the premiere was like in NYC;
• how she got her start in filmmaking;
• should directors know how to edit?;
• do you need to have a forceful personality to be a great editor?;
• looking back on her film, LITTLE BUT FIERCE (2020), and what she learned from it;
• finding issue areas to pursue as a documentary filmmaker;
• the quick 60 minute+ run time and her support for short feature docs;
• whether she loves the producing job -- on ads, yes; on films, no;
• progress on women in film;
• what's next for her and innovation in political advertising.

Sara's Indie Film Highlights: THE SOCIAL DILEMMA (2020) dir. by Jeff Orlowski; THE GREAT HACK (2019) dir. by Karim Amer and Jehane Noujaim; THE LAUNDROMAT (2019) dir. by Steven Soderbergh

Memorable Quotes:

"I don't think most people realize this, but when it comes to documentary filmmaker, the editor does a lot more than just piecing it together."

"It was my first time seeing it with an audience. It was my first time seeing it on a screen larger than my laptop. And so I kept being like, oh my God, it looks so good. It sounds good. Okay, this is like a real movie."

"I was the kid who was making all the neighborhood kids perform in backyard plays for our parents growing up."

"The best people on set are the ones who know how to do everyone's jobs."

"Yeah, I can edit this film, but you have to let me do my job."

"When I'm in pain, when my back goes out, there's not enough weed on this planet."

"The second you stop recording is when they say something amazing."

"I have a ADHD, I'm like, come on man. We gotta keep this moving."

Links:

Sara Barger's Website

Watch LITTLE BUT FIERCE (2020)