ABOUT
LAUREN LEVINE, FILMMAKER
Unity Temple is a project that allowed me an unusual level of creative freedom. I produced hundreds of hours of television in my 20+ years career in Los Angeles as a freelance producer/director, most often hired by a network or production company that had an established format where my job is to plug in to that format. For example, I produced/directed several episodes of History Channel’s Modern Marvels episodes. This project was a little bit like that in that you are telling the story of a “marvel” of engineering, or art or history but I was happy to take on an independent project wherein I would wear all the creative hats as well as manage the “nuts and bolts” of producing. I realized making this documentary had inherent challenges including the complexities of a historic restoration, the two year period of construction and the task of weaving in the story of America’s best known architect. I needed to balance my methodical producing mind set with my artistic side. The story began to take shape as I spent time on the site and observed and interviewed the talented and devoted restoration team. I really wanted to find a way to infuse a sense of Wright himself into the story so I was especially thrilled when Brad Pitt agreed to narrate specific quotes reflecting Wright’s creative approach. I think his readings give the film an authenticity that wouldn’t otherwise exist
My next project will be much the same in terms of “wearing all the hats”. I’m looking forward to getting in the editing room with footage of several student activists I filmed in 2018-2019. The longitudinal documentary following a diverse group of students immersed in the gun violence prevention movement is a partnership with Whitewater Films. I began my career working in development for director/producer Rick Rosenthal and Whitewater so I am very much looking forward to our continued collaboration.
FILMMAKING TEAM
BARBARA COHEN, COMPOSER
Barbara Cohen is an accomplished composer, multi-instrumentalist, singer/songwriter and producer whose work expertly embraces a variety of musical genres—from folk to trip-hop, electronica, world and modern-classical music.
Cohen’s ability to effectively blend disparate musical elements extends to her scores for film and television: these range from the Emmy- nominated PBS documentary, The Judge and the General to the dream-like cabaret-influenced HBO feature, Habana Eva and guitar driven score for the MTV feature, Pedro; from the, Middle Eastern arrangements for feature documentaries The Lost Dream PBS/POV and Al Jazeera America’s Words of Witness.
TAL SKOOT, FILMMAKER
Tal is an award-winning filmmaker with a credit list of over twenty feature length documentaries and narrative films that have won multiple Emmy awards, screened theatrically, broadcast nationally on network and cable television and appeared in numerous national and international film festivals. He recently produced and directed '4 Wheel Bob', a feature-length documentary about a wheelchair hiker and his attempt to cross the Sierra Nevada. The film aired nationally on PBS and screened at over twenty film festivals.
Tal is also a skilled film editor and has worked with many San Francisco Bay Area filmmakers.
SANDRA CHANDLER
SANDRA CHANDLER is an Emmy Award-nominated cinematographer with an emphasis on feature documentaries.
Her documentary and commercial work, has taken her around the world; having shot in the Australian Outback, the Himalaya, Fiji, Europe, South America, and numerous locations throughout the Africa.
Behind The Scenes
