{"id":557,"date":"2017-02-01T14:00:26","date_gmt":"2017-02-01T14:00:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/commarts.pleather.us\/2017\/02\/01\/viral-videos-at-sundance-why-super-deluxe-belongs-at-film-festivals-and-watch-their-short-deer-squad\/"},"modified":"2017-02-01T14:00:26","modified_gmt":"2017-02-01T14:00:26","slug":"viral-videos-at-sundance-why-super-deluxe-belongs-at-film-festivals-and-watch-their-short-deer-squad","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.valdosta.edu\/m2\/2017\/02\/01\/viral-videos-at-sundance-why-super-deluxe-belongs-at-film-festivals-and-watch-their-short-deer-squad\/","title":{"rendered":"Viral Videos at Sundance: Why Super Deluxe Belongs At Film Festivals (And Watch Their Short, \u2018Deer Squad\u2019)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Super Deluxe<\/a> has developed a name with its\u00a0bizarre and often political viral videos, but last week the company made a play for the Sundance Film Festival.<\/p>\n

READ MORE:\u00a0Jerry Seinfeld, Demetri Martin and Female Bros: The 16 Best Web Series Of 2016<\/a><\/p>\n

Three Super Deluxe projects played in Park City: “Bayard and Me,” a short documentary from Matt Wolf about civil rights leader Bayard Rustin and his adoption of his younger lover, long\u00a0before same-sex marriage was\u00a0legalized; “The Chances,” a short form\u00a0comedy about two deaf best friends, directed by Anna Kerrigan; and “Deer Squad,” a\u00a0short documentary profile of Kelvin Pe\u00f1a, a Pennsylvania\u00a0high schooler\u00a0who befriended\u00a0a family of deer in his backyard.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Pe\u00f1a’s videos developed an\u00a0online following big enough to get him recognized by the Uber driver\u00a0tasked with getting him to Park City in time for his Sundance\u00a0debut. The film was part of\u00a0the documentary shorts section, and screened before Sydney Freeland’s “Deidra & Laney Rob a Train.”<\/p>\n

In the film, Pe\u00f1a explains\u00a0the genesis of his special relationship with animals. “I named [the deer]\u00a0Money, just straight off the dome,” he says. “It was the first thing that came to my mind, ’cause I love money and I felt like I loved the deer. I was like, man, this is lit.”<\/p>\n

When fans\u00a0suggested\u00a0Pe\u00f1a feed the deer healthier foods, he switched it up from powdered donuts. “Organic freshly cut fruits for them, man. Everybody eats.” This last sentiment has become the Deer Squad catchphrase, and\u00a0Pe\u00f1a sports an “Everybody Eats” hat throughout the film.<\/p>\n

READ MORE:\u00a0\u2018David\u2019 Review: \u2018Marcel The Shell\u2019 Meets \u2018Twin Peaks\u2019 In Dean Fleischer-Camp\u2019s Surreal Series Starring Nathan Fielder<\/a><\/p>\n

“The day after he started going viral, we sent him an email and shot with him a few days later,” said Scott J. Ross, who directed the film for Super Deluxe with his Public Cinema Club co-founders Pipus Larsen and Kenneth Gug. “I just thought, ‘If we don\u2019t go find him now, then somebody else will probably do it.’ He’s got such a vibrant personality.”<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Turner Entertainment first launched Super Deluxe\u00a0in January 2007 as\u00a0an ad-supported website for edgy humor, aimed at the 18-34 male demo, but folded Super Deluxe into Adult Swim 18 months later. Turner quietly began to revive the brand in\u00a0September 2015. It’s led by Wolfgang Hammer, the former CBS Films president who, while a\u00a0director at Media Rights Capital,\u00a0developed “House of Cards” before selling it to Netflix.<\/p>\n

“It was always intended to be set up very differently from the way everything else is set up,”\u00a0Hammer said. “It was always intended to be a studio in the truest sense of the word. A company that produces for every single format from the very beginning. It’s not easier to make internet videos \u2014\u00a0it\u2019s actually quite difficult. But it\u2019s easier from a production perspective, obviously.”<\/p>\n

READ MORE:\u00a0How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love Sundance Hype<\/a><\/p>\n

Hammer is careful to distinguish viral videos from the television series and films under development at Super Deluxe, although he admits to wanting to meet\u00a0younger audiences where they are watching. “Younger generations are not watching in traditional ways,” he said. “It seems silly to confine yourself to one distribution medium.”<\/p>\n

That said, the company’s name recognition is largely gained from\u00a0the viral videos, which should\u00a0go a long way toward piquing interest in a 15-minute\u00a0civil\u00a0rights documentary like “Bayard and Me.”\u00a0Hammer is proud to offer that\u00a0variety. “Show me a digital<\/a> publisher that has pieces in competition at Sundance,” he said. “You can\u2019t point to one.”<\/p>\n

Even\u00a0Pe\u00f1a has to admit he never thought he’d end up\u00a0at Sundance. For his trip to Park City, Super Deluxe handed their Snapchat account to the teenager who calls himself “the Dominican Snow White.” The resulting compilation plays out like a comedy of\u00a0errors worthy of its own Sundance slot. Check it out to get an idea\u00a0of what a\u00a0SuperDeluxe video is all about:<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

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Source: IndieWire Digital TV<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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