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
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