One Night on Stage, Nearly a Year in the Making

Behind the scenes of producing a Song of Sunset show
By Brian Craig Hinderberger, creator and host of Song of Sunset

Someone recently asked me, “How long does it take to produce a Song of Sunset show?”

The short answer is almost a year.

What audiences experience in a few hours begins months earlier, with a story worth following, a conversation worth having, and the work of bringing those pieces together. By the time we open the doors, we’ve traveled, filmed, edited, submitted to film festivals, booked artists, and built a live production around the stories we want to share.

The process starts in early spring. That’s when we begin looking for stories, reaching out to people, securing interviews, and planning the travel and production work that will become our documentaries. There’s plenty to figure out before a camera starts rolling: who can help tell the story, where it takes place, and what we need to capture while we’re there.

Director of Photography, Jordan Chamberlain capturing footage at Robert Lang Studios

For this year’s Underground show, that work led us into two very different worlds. Cosmic Heirloom: Buried 400 Years explores the suppressed history and rediscovery of psilocybin. Salvaged Reverb: Inside Robert Lang Studios takes us inside a recording space built by hand over decades. Both began with curiosity and the opportunity to spend time with people whose stories deserved a closer look.

Through spring and into summer, we move into filming and editing. Interviews give us the foundation, but the story continues to take shape as we review the footage. We listen again, find connections, and make decisions about what belongs in the finished film. There are revisions, sound decisions, music choices, and all the small details that help an audience follow the story.

As the films come together, we also begin submitting them to festivals. Many of the deadlines we’re working toward fall during the summer, so that becomes another part of the production calendar. Festival screenings give us a chance to sit with an audience and experience the work outside the editing room. Watching people respond to a film you’ve spent months making is one of the most rewarding parts of the process.

Accepting award for 2026 Best Short Documentary from the Oregon Short Film Festival

Then our attention turns toward the live show.

We work with the venue, bring together the musicians and panel guests, and start shaping the evening. Each film needs a place in the program. Each performance needs room to breathe. The conversations need to carry something forward from what the audience has just seen.

At the same time, we’re building the production that connects it all: projection, lighting, audio, transitions, and the cues that move us from a film into a live performance or discussion. We’re also working on tickets, promotion, sponsors, and the practical details that help people discover the show and make plans to attend.

As the date gets closer, those pieces become one shared timeline. We rehearse, check playback, refine transitions, and coordinate with the venue and artists. A transition that takes only a few seconds on stage can take much longer to prepare. That preparation helps the audience stay immersed in the evening.

This year, that work comes together at Silver Moon Brewing in Bend on October 24 for Song of Sunset: Underground. The show brings original short films, live music, and conversations presented by Oregon Film into an evening centered on Pacific Northwest stories and the people behind them.

Afterward, the work continues as we prepare to take Song of Sunset to the next venue. Each room brings its own possibilities, and each audience brings a new response. Before long, we’re looking toward spring again—new stories, new interviews, and another year of creating.

That’s what goes into those few hours we share together. When the doors open, you’re stepping into something we’ve been building for most of the year. I’m excited to finally share it with you.

Join us for Song of Sunset: Underground on Saturday, October 24, 2026, at Silver Moon Brewing in Bend. Doors open at 6:30 p.m.; the show runs from 7–10 p.m.