102 MINUTES THAT CHANGED AMERICA | HISTORY| EDIT, SOUND DESIGN
2 HOUR SPECIAL AIRED SEPT, 2008.
EMMY WINNER | OUTSTANDING SPECIAL: LONG FORM
EMMY WINNER | OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN CRAFT: SOUND DESIGN
EMMY WINNER | OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN CRAFT: SOUND MIX
EMMY NOMINATED | OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN CRAFT: EDITING
INSIGHT WINNER | EDITING
UK FOCAL WINNER | OUTSTANDING SPECIAL
iTUNES | BEST SPECIAL of 2009
CINE WINNER | MASTER SERIES AWARD
HISTORY MAKERS WINNER | MOST INNOVATIVE SPECIAL
BANFF NOMINATED | OUTSTANDING SPECIAL
102 MINUTES THAT CHANGED AMERICA reconstructs the morning of September 11th in New York City – in real time – using only visuals and audio recorded between 8:46 am and 10: 28 am… the impacts of AA Flight 11 and UA Flight 175 into World Trade Center and the final collapse.
9/11 is the most charged event of modern history, transforming not only our country but the entire globe as a whole. Lives broken, wars fought, civil liberties changed… A new frightening world emerged where it seemed as if everyone was using the events of that day as some kind of platform… and in the process those rough, jagged, hard edges of that September morning were being smoothed and polished, and something was being lost… think of this:
In 1904, 1342 passengers boarded the General Slocum, a steamboat that serviced New York City’s East River. Their destination was a picnic site at East Longneck, Long Island. Most of the passengers were women and children, members of St. Mark’s Evangelical Lutheran Church. At the half hour mark of their journey a fire broke out in one of the cabins and soon engulfed the entire ship. With the lifeboats inaccessible, mother’s place life vests around their children and threw them overboard. The children sank below the dark waters. The life preservers were old and the contents of them actually absorbed water. By the time the vessel sunk, 1,021 people had either burned to death or drowned. After the event there were headlines around the country, inquests and memorials, indictments and new laws… and a vow to never forget. There is a faded marble memorial in Tompkins Square Park that most people pass unknowing. [NPR radio piece]
Working on 102 MINUTES was very much a labor of love, I cut it in my bedroom over the better part of a year. This DIY aesthetic was also shared by my friend and brilliant composer, Brendon Anderegg, who working out of the tiny hallway in his apartment created the soundtrack. It is important to mention that ALL of the “music” in the film is actually manipulated sounds recorded on the morning of Sept, 11 2001. An ambitious and amazing achievement!
“There is no question that 102 Minutes is the most comprehensive and accurate record of the events of that day, told from a number of very human perspectives. You have done a great public service by producing a documentary that will help our families’ children and grandchildren understand this momentous event in the history of our department and of our country.”
– SUZANNE SEBERT, FDNY FAMILY ASSISTANCE UNIT
“A minute-by-minute account of the unfolding catastrophe by piecing together footage from numerous sources and locations. Some of the footage was shot in the very shadows of the World Trade Center; some shows the scene in Times Square or New Jersey… But it’s not all as familiar as you might think, thanks to some smart choices by the editors… what pervades these 102 minutes is a sense of utter helplessness. There is value in being reminded of that feeling of impotence, and of that old saying about eternal vigilance.”
– NEW YORK TIMES
“What’s so incredibly unique – and uniquely powerful about “102 Minutes that Changed America” is that it is visceral and elemental. There is no moment over these 102 minutes that plows the mind any closer to comprehension, but instead, quite the opposite. To watch is to reverse some process that we’ve all gone through over these years – a process of grudging and painful acceptance and even partial understanding. This program is a knife that scrapes living bone and tissue. It’s a hot poker in the belly. In sum, “102” is a remarkable film. You should watch.”
– NEWSDAY
“I know the promise of a 9/11 made for TV documentary isn’t the most enticing, but directors Nicole Rittenmeyer and Seth Skundrick make use of an ingeniously simple approach to overcome the challenges of reframing a historical event that’s been repeated by the news media ad nauseam. The film combines multiple sources (16mm film footage, amateur home video, news) and edits them into an almost real-time replay of the terrorist attacks as seen from the hundreds of people who capture it with their cameras. Some brilliant editing and subtle sound design result in a truly visceral multi-angled piece of citizen journalism, full of amazing images and harrowing moments.’102 Minutes That Changed America’ overcomes a desensitized, jaded perspective on one of the most replayed, retold, and rerun news events. Unfortunately, I don’t think it has quite overcome the stigma of its made-for-TV History Channel roots.”
– THE DOCUMENTARY BLOG
Executive Producers: GREG JACOBS, JON SISKEL
Producer: NICOLE RITTENMEYER
Composer: BRENDON ANDEREGG
STORIES FROM THE ROAD TO FREEDOM | HISTORY | EXECUTIVE PRODUCER, EDIT, SOUND DESIGN
2 HOUR SPECIAL AIRED FEB, 2013.
The black experience… from Emancipation to the Civil Rights era… the story of regular people swept up in extraordinary times. Using first-hand accounts, rare audio recordings, never-before-seen archival footage, and black home movies this film chronicles 150 years of social upheaval as told by people overlooked by history books.
Two years in the making and drawing from 2000+ hours of archival material, this was an massively challenging yet fantastically rewarding project. I am grateful to our amazing research team and the archive suppliers… especially the folks at the Alan Lomax Collection and Fortune Records who supplied the incredible period music throughout the film… and of course thanks to Brendon Anderegg who knocked it out of the park with his fantastic original score.
STORIES FROM THE ROAD TO FREEDOM was honored with an EXCLUSIVE PREMIER screening at the SMITHSONIAN MUSEUM OF AMERICAN HISTORY.
Production Company: NEW ANIMAL PRODUCTIONS
Co-Executive Producer & Writer: NICOLE RITTENMEYER
Narration: DEON COLE
Composer: BRENDON ANDEREGG
Line Producer: ALLISON FERNER, PBA
AP & Research: BRITTANY SHAW
Assistant Editor: JOSEPH KELL
9/11 THE DAYS AFTER | HISTORY | EXECUTIVE PRODUCER, DIRECTOR, EDIT, SOUND DESIGN
2 HOUR SPECIAL AIRED SEPT, 2011.
EMMY NOMINATED | OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN CRAFT: EDITING
The resilience of humanity is what makes all of us infinite, or something like that… in the face of the abyss, to have the ability to scrape the shit off their shoe, put one foot in front of the other and just move on. Some do it by shear determination, some by delusion, others fueled by love, some by hate, and some just by the DNA in their bones. This is what I had in my mind when starting this project, that and the idea that we are now living in a dystopian sci-fi world.
This film is very much a sequel to 102 MINUTES THAT CHANGED AMERICA. And while the aesthetics are simular, 100% archive, no interviews or narration, the tone is different… less horror film and more exploration of this new sad yet determined landscape; the frantic search for survivors at Ground Zero, the overflowing Red Cross stations, the round the clock shifts at an American flag factory in Pennsylvania, the anger filled death threats to an Islamic center in Queens, the armed National Guardsmen patrolling Wall Street, the Krishnas drumming for peace at Union Square; this verite tapestry captures the multitudes of ways in which the world was turned upside down and the ways millions tried to put it back together.
“If I were going to recommend only one of these (anniversary) programs, it is History Channel’s “9/11: The Days After”… It puts you, as much as possible, into the place and time. As such it is hard to watch, and impossible to turn off.”
– LA TIMES
“Easily my favorite viewing experience… woven together without narration or seemingly any unifying theme, the film becomes a unique tapestry of the feel and movement of Sept. 11 and the week that followed…. It treats the viewer with the subtlest possible touch.”
– WASHINGTON POST
“A remarkable documentary… an amazingly vivid portrait of what the city was like: in shock, in mourning, in fear, in sadness, in anger, in despair, in hope…. Director-producers Seth Skundrick and Nicole Rittenmeyer have added immeasurably to the chronicle of this period of history.”
– NEWSDAY
“Highly effective… a pastiche of unnarrated footage that perfectly captures the confusion and fear that witnesses felt in those first few hours and then days.”
– NEW YORK TIMES
Much thanks to a spectacular team.
Production Company: NEW ANIMAL PRODUCTIONS
Co-Executive Producer: NICOLE RITTENMEYER
AP & Research: ALLISON FERNER, PBA
Composer: BRENDON ANDEREGG
Assistant Editor: JONATHAN LEE
THIRD REICH: THE RISE & FALL | HISTORY | EXECUTIVE PRODUCER, EDIT, SOUND DESIGN
4 HOUR SPECIAL AIRED DEC, 2010
EMMY NOMINATED | OUTSTANDING HISTORICAL SPECIAL: LONG FORM
BANFF NOMINATED | OUTSTANDING SPECIAL
Nazi Germany… their words, their films. A simple concept and yet incredibly fucking profound.
This was a two year project consisting of deep archival research on an international scale – pouring over some 1500 hours of footage… some of it very hard to watch. I remember one reel of film that began with off duty soldiers on a fishing expedition in the Ukraine, the next bit of footage was also shot in the Ukraine – the same soldiers, this time in uniform, overseeing the extermination of Jews and Communists in a muddy village. The last footage on the reel contained a soldier from the previous scene back in Berlin at Christmastime, smiling for the camera and bouncing a small boy, perhaps his son, on his knee.
“Vividly captures the times, from a very unique perspective… After having watched a great number of documentaries about World War II and the Nazis in general, I have to say that ‘The Third Reich – The Rise And Fall’ is one with a very unique slant on those terrifying years. This set is highly recommended.”
– BLOGCRITICS
Production Company: NEW ANIMAL PRODUCTIONS
Writer: NICOLE RITTENMEYER
Additional Editor: CODY ROGOWSKI
Composer: BRENDON ANDEREGG
Assistant Editor: JACK POROBIL
JFK: 3 SHOTS THAT CHANGED AMERICA | HISTORY | EXECUTIVE PRODUCER, CO-EDITOR
4 HOUR SPECIAL AIRED OCT, 2010.
REALSCREEN FACTUAL WINNER | OUTSTANDING SPECIAL
HISTORY MAKERS WINNER | BEST USE OF ARCHIVE
The assassination of John F. Kennedy has cast a shadow that still darkens our contemporary world. The questions and mysteries surrounding his death and the murder of his alleged assassin have become part of this country’s DNA, part of our mythology. And yet perhaps because that scope, what we have lost is what it really felt like to be alive in November of 1963… to be part of this cultural whirlwind that would sweep up all of us for generations.
As with 102 MINUTES THAT CHANGED AMERICA, we dispensed with the idea of interviews and narration, these devices would only get in the way of the experience. The challenge however, was how do we make a huge chronological story (55+ years) “feel” experiential using only archive? The answer… get the right archive and get the right fucking team… And I think we did.
“If you think you’ve seen it all, and can’t bear to see it again, think again… Perhaps the best on the subject you will ever see”
– NY POST
“JKF: 3 Shots is Marvelous! Spectacular!”
– KEITH OLBERMANN
“Absolutely off-the-charts outstanding, I loved it! Best JFK assassination special, ever!”
– BILL SIMMONS
“I promise you History Channel’s JFK 3 Shots is the most riveting television you will ever watch”
– ROB DYRDEK (Yep, the skateboard dude)
“I thought I had seen every scrap of footage related to the Kennedy assassination far too many times already. Boy was I wrong… a remarkable parade of clips of home movies, raw news footage, police dispatches and local Dallas coverage — much of it never before aired… JFK is hypnotic, powerful, spellbinding stuff.”
– UNITED MEDIA
Production Company: NEW ANIMAL PRODUCTIONS
Co-Executive Producer: NICOLE RITTENMEYER
Producers: HUGO RUPERT, ELIZABETH TYSON, KATERINA SIMIC
AP & Research: ALLISON FERNER, PBA
Editor: KATERINA SIMIC
Composer: PAUL BRILL