Keith Davis
Writer/director Keith Davis is currently at the Sundance Resort in Utah developing his screenplay The American People as one of eight fellows at this year's Directors Lab. Each fellow has the opportunity to rehearse, shoot and edit selected scenes from his or her screenplay in a workshop environment, where the focus is completely on creative exploration and discovery. We've asked Keith to share a glimpse into his process at the Lab in a couple of blog pieces, the first of which is below.
I've been staring at my laptop for about 20 minutes now.
I sat down here to encapsulate what this experience is like. Above all else, I'd like to be brutally honest with you. But I can't. Not so much because of what happens at the Directors Labs itself, but rather because of what seems to happen to you at the Directors Labs. You change. Immediately. And it's difficult to nail down without maybe sounding muddy or like you've drank the Kool-aid. (Disclaimer: I drank the Kool-aid.)
Almost ten years ago I was an actor fresh out of drama school, enjoying the beginnings of a career in New York City. On September 9, 2001, I walked out of my gym on 45th and 6th and listened to a voicemail from my sister (back in Alabama).
Keith, call home!
I did. She picked up and told me our little brother was dead. He'd suffered a sudden heart attack at home (in front of our mother and other brother). I collapsed right there in the street and hot tears jumped and fell as I ran down 6th Avenue and back to my tiny room in Times Square. Two days later, back in Alabama, I saw my brother's small body laid in a casket before me. Simultaneously, but a world away, the Twin Towers were being attacked in New York City.
We buried my brother the following day.
It took years to find our way again as a family. I went back to acting, but I was changed. I wanted to be more than an actor to share and create more. I thought back to how our intense personal grief set against the backdrop of the nation's public grief from 9/11 held so much conflict for us. Back then I couldn't know it, but I was already writing the screenplay in my head.
I already had a title: The American People.
My experience here at the 2011 Directors Labs has proven (so far) to be mostly about seeing myself as a director/creative person more clearly. Yes, we had a workshop about directing actors. Yes, we made shot lists on the spot and talked about how to use the camera. Yes, I staged and shot scenes from my script with a full crew, DP, and professional caliber actors. It's also true I cut those scenes with an editor and evaluated them with accomplished and insightful Advisors.
But I've done more than that.
When we worked on directing actors, we started by being actors ourselves. When we made shot lists, I was encouraged to use it to think about my own visual tendencies with a camera. Where was I being clear with my visuals and where was I muddy? How do I instinctively communicate those ideas to crew and cinematographers? How can I improve the collaboration? What parts of this script were undeveloped or muddy because I was muddy in my thinking or feeling about them?
You see, the secret of the Labs is that they mount incredible resources and talent around you to do one thing: to begin to show you you. Once they've done that, it's up to you to use what you've found (though they guide you through that too of course), and then pour all of that back into your directing/writing/creating.
I don't know. Maybe I'm wrong. I told you it was impossible to explain.
Next time I'll just tell you how quiet it is here at night and how you see so many stars in the sky. Or how everyone from the drivers to the artistic staff have read your script and talk passionately about it. Or how cool it is to have a reading with Tim Blake Nelson (here as an Advisor) playing one of the parts. Or how each member of the crew (not just the key positions) are filled with talented and accomplished filmmakers in their own right. And how dope it is to be on set and have the world's best and most accomplished actors, cinematographers, directors, and editors (all here as Advisors just for you!) to turn to when you get stuck. Or how deeply Robert Redford reads your script and then talks at length with you about it and your approach to directing it.
Yeah. I'll start there next time.
Most recent headlines
27/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
26/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
26/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
25/12/2025
Holiday lights are twinkling, hot cocoa's on the stove and gamers are settling in for a well-earned break.
Whether staying in or heading on a winter getawa...
24/12/2025
What is AI good for? Posted by MTI Film on December 24, 2025
What is AI good for?
What is AI good for?
It's been three years since ChatGPT first cap...
24/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
24/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
24/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
24/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
24/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
24/12/2025
Back to All News
The Boyfriend' Season 2 Unveils Heartwarming Trailer, Key...
24/12/2025
Back to All News
Love, Fights, and Everything in Between: Badly in Love' Returns for Season 2
Entertainment
24 December 2025
GlobalJapan
Link copied t...
24/12/2025
Scripps Research study links sleep variability with sleep apnea and hypertension How consumers' digital activity trackers could enable personalized health s...
23/12/2025
How guilas Cibae as Dominican Winter League Games Are Locally Produced for Glob...
23/12/2025
BitFire's Jim Akimchuk on Supplying Scalability and Customization in the Clo...
23/12/2025
CAMB.AI Enables European Athletics to Offer Multi-Language SupportPlan is to eventually offer translation into all languages spoken in EuropeBy Ken Kerschbaumer...
23/12/2025
Analysis: As sports media values trend negative, scarcity and quality are king By Callum McCarthy, Editor-at-Large
Monday, December 22, 2025 - 14:08
Print ...
23/12/2025
ESPN, Disney, and NBA Return to the Animated Altcast Fray With Second Edition of...
23/12/2025
End the Year on a High Note and Donate to the Sports Broadcasting Fund Today! By Ken Kerschbaumer, Editorial Director
Tuesday, December 23, 2025 - 12:25 pm
...
23/12/2025
The year is winding down, the weather outside is frightful, and it's the perfect time to escape into a story that warms the heart. For listeners looking for...
23/12/2025
A Zeus motor is hot fire tested at L3Harris' Camden, Arkansas, solid rocket ...
23/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
23/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
23/12/2025
Lightware will exhibit several major product innovations at ISE 2026, including the new USB-C BOOSTER-V1, Google Meet. integration for various Taurus UCX models...
23/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
23/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
23/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
23/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
23/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
23/12/2025
Taking the Stage at Carnegie Hall-On a Global Scale Boston Conservatory Orchestra students reflect on their epic concert marking the 80th session of the UN Gene...
23/12/2025
Back to All News
Netflix's The Great Flood and Culinary Class Wars 2 Top Gl...
23/12/2025
Back to All News
Stranger Things By the Numbers: How the Global Phenomenon Shap...
23/12/2025
Experience the power of WO Automation for Radio's newest service, the System Effectiveness Review. Designed to help you achieve more, a System Effectiveness...
23/12/2025
23 Dec 2025
VEON's Beeline Kazakhstan and Rakuten Symphony Collaborate to A...
23/12/2025
Back to All News
How Steamy Can It Get? Single's Inferno' Season 5 Pre...
23/12/2025
Back to All News
33 Million Global Viewers on Netflix Watched Jake Paul vs. Ant...
23/12/2025
New technique lights up where drugs go in the body, cell by cell Scripps Research scientists developed a technique that maps drug binding in individual cells th...
22/12/2025
SVG New Sponsor Spotlight: Presidio's Neerav Shah on the Role of Its Captiva...
22/12/2025
Hitting the bullseye: Sky Sports readies itself for the biggest PDC World Darts ...
22/12/2025
Unique skillset: Bringing new directors to the world of darts at The Worlds with...
22/12/2025
Gravity Media prepares for a flight of fancy with the PDC World Darts Championsh...
22/12/2025
One hundred and eighty: Gravity Media on hitting the production bullseye at the ...
22/12/2025
The Famous Group's Jon Slusser on Fascinating Fans Through Immersive Content...
22/12/2025
ESPN's Meg Aronowitz on Continuing High-Quality Broadcasts of Collegiate Spo...
22/12/2025
ESPN Takes Data-Driven Storytelling to New Heights with MNF Playbook with Next ...
22/12/2025
For a decade, popular German podcast Fest & Flauschig has hosted an annual Chris...
22/12/2025
Paramount Scores Largest Share Increase Among Distributors as Paramount and CBS...
22/12/2025
New multi-year deal integrates Roku's data to fuel Nielsen's measurement suite
Roku gains access to Nielsen's streaming ratings, showing The Roku C...
Keith Davis
