I recently watched the Oscar-nominated documentary “Wasteland” (available on Netflix).  I was thrilled to discover an excellent example of a storytelling principle that I shared during my keynote speech at the DV Expo a few weeks ago.

I call this storytelling device the “Protagonist’s Statement of Desire”, and it’s a great way of focusing your viewer on the film’s narrative arc. After my talk, one of the filmmakers came to the podium to share her excitement about learning this new storytelling technique and how she would use it in her film.

But before I continue this tutorial, let me first make two quick announcements. First, I’m happy to say that my Inner Circle is full.  If you’re interested in the next 6-month Inner Circle program, I’ll be offering it again in mid-January, 2012.

Second, I’m now making my online courses available as m4v files, which means you can download them to your iPhone or mobile device. As busy as we all are, this is a great way to improve your understanding of documentary structure and style while you drive, bike or work out.

For a limited time, you can get ALL of my critically acclaimed home study courses for the price of ONE. Go to:

http://newdocediting.com/products/

Now back to “Wasteland”, a documentary that won Best Audience Award at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival.

Filmed over three years, “Wasteland” follows protagonist Vik Muniz, a world-famous artist, who returns to his native Brazil to create art from the world’s largest garbage dump.

In order to set up this quest, directors Joao Jardim and Karen Harley employ Muniz’s voiceover to reveal his object of desire.

Early in the film, just after the inciting incident, Muniz says, “What I really want to do is to be able to change the lives of a group of people with the same materials that they use everyday. And not just any material.  The idea that I have for my next series is to work with garbage.”

Note the phrase “really want to do” in the first sentence.  The Protagonist’s Statement of Desire usually contains a word like “want”, “intend”, or “goal”.

Eliciting such a statement of intent during your interviews gives you a powerful tool for focusing your viewer on the quest.

If you can’t get your protagonist to articulate what they are wanting, try getting that succinct line from another character, someone who can state what the protagonist is after.

If you’ve already shot your interviews, consider scheduling a pick up interview (audio only) and then just use the voiceover.

If all else fails, your film’s narration can deliver the Protagonist’s Statement of Desire, whether it’s spoken narration or text on screen exposition.

Stating explicitly what your protagonist wants in Act One orients the audience to your film’s narrative backbone.

I hope you’ve found this storytelling principle useful.  Let me know if you have an example of a Protagonist’s Statement of Desire to share from your own film, or from a documentary you’ve recently seen.

If you’ve found this strategy helpful, you’ll find dozens more documentary storytelling strategies in my online home study seminars.  Again, for a limited time, you can get all my seminars for the price of one at:

http://newdocediting.com/products/

Our Inner Circle is almost full. I have one spot left.

I’ve had many filmmakers tell me they are extremely interested in the New Doc Inner Circle program, but that the $4000 cost was prohibitive at this time.

So … if the Inner Circle is not filled by today, I’m offering one spot for $2600.  Note that tomorrow is the last day to register for this acclaimed 6-month program for documentary filmmakers.

Here’s how it works.

For $2600, you will get full membership to the new and improved Inner Circle 4.0, and two (rather than three) one-on-one consultations, in which we determine your film’s structure and style.

Note that I will give priority to a filmmaker who wants 3 full consultations at the full price. The last spot will go quickly, so please email me at Karen@newdocediting.com if you are interested. Inner Circle 4.0 begins October 15, 2011.

You can learn more about this highly acclaimed documentary consulting program at:

http://newdocediting.com/land/innercircle/

Finally, I love working with filmmakers in the context of the Inner Circle, partly because the group dynamics can be powerfully supportive and fun.

Here’s what one former Inner Circle member had to say about the program:

“Through the Inner Circle, I was able to develop a structure for my film.  Thanks to its collaborative nature, the Inner Circle was a creative haven of mutual support, constructive critique and filmmaking education.  Karen Everett is a gifted educator and filmmaker.”

- Greg Boozell, “Who Killed Joe Sigler?”

Film director Katie Teague approached me several months ago with a common problem that many directors face.

She had shot most of her principal photography for her documentary about the faltering U.S. economy, but she didn’t know how to organize her footage in a way that best conveyed her vision. In “Money and Life,” she wanted to alert viewers to the deeper meaning behind our financial crises.

Like many filmmakers, Katie could have spent several months in post-production rearranging her soundbites and essentially going in circles.

But Katie is a thoughtful filmmaker, so she made two purposeful moves.

First, she found time in a very busy schedule for a series of creative, reflective retreats.

Her deep introspection didn’t always yield answers, but it allowed her key structural and stylistic questions to surface with clarity. She was then able to articulate them. To whom did she ask these piercing editorial questions?

Well, that brings us to her second strategic move. Katie joined my most recent Inner Circle, which gave her five valuable resources:

1.  The four other filmmakers in the Inner Circle, and me.

2.  Peer support through monthly mastermind calls. She also got assigned an accountability partner.

3. Unlimited e-mail access to me. (I usually get  a long, thoughtful e-mail with distinctly defined queries after every retreat she takes.)

4. Three in-depth story consultations at a deep discount. (Katie had already had three consultations with me before joining, but the Inner Circle gave her three more story consultations at the price of two.)

5. Comprehensive online seminars that addressed her specific questions.

In the past few months, Katie has made significant progress on her documentary, identifying her central premise and making the bold decision to enliven her film with several character vignettes.

Adding a human element to her beautifully shot interviews with top thought leaders will enhance her film’s emotional appeal.

Did I mention she also built the film’s website, launched a newsletter and social media campaign, and courted several investors?

If you’re frustrated by a lack of purposeful progress on your documentary, join our upcoming Inner Circle and change your churning into big jumps forward.

“As I continue to blaze my way through the film,” says Katie, “the Inner Circle has been a godsend… one of the best investments to my project to date.”

I have a couple spots remaining in the Inner Circle, which begins October 15th. If you are interested but the $4000 cost is prohibitive, I’m offering full Inner Circle membership to two filmmakers at $2600. You’ll receive two rather than three one-on-one consultations. Please e-mail me if you are interested, and check out the Inner Circle at:

http://newdocediting.com/land/innercircle/

Have you lost sight of your film’s vision?

One of the biggest challenges to clear directorial vision, particularly after you’ve begun shooting, is getting bogged down in the day-to-day tasks and shot-by-shot minutia of your film.

So today I’m offering two resources that will help you rise above your film’s details.

First, whether you’re about to begin organizing your footage or can benefit from cleaning up your current messy bin organization, check out my free video tutorial on “Organizing Your Footage”.

This 34-minute complementary video reveals our industry’s best practices, derived from top editors. I’ll show you how to organize and label your project files, bins, and sequences in a professional manner.  These tips will make editing your film much more efficient:

http://newdocediting.com/training/organize_footage.mov

Second, if you’re interested in gaining a 50,000-foot view of your film, from which you can discern your film’s structural layout and stylistic approach, consider joining our new Inner Circle beginning in 9 days, on October 15th.

You’ll have the opportunity to gain perspective on your film’s central message and design your film’s structure through six months of Mastermind Calls and one-on-one story consulting. I’m extending the early-bird pricing a bit longer, so check it out today at:

http://newdocediting.com/land/innercircle/

Have you wondered what first impressions your documentary-in-progress is sending to prospective funders and eventually viewers?

If you’re curious about what others might really think, I invite you to let a world-class professional story editor be your film’s image consultant.

For the next few weeks, I’m offering 20 documentary filmmakers a complimentary mini-story consulting session.

Send me up to five minutes of your footage, and I will critique what’s working, what’s not, and how to improve your film.

If you are interested in this offer, I suggest you send me one of the following:

1. Your trailer or Kickstarter/IndieGoGo campaign (your film’s calling card)
2. The first five minutes of your film (the most difficult to craft and important to get right)
3. A one-page concept paper (no more than 1000 words)

Or, if you prefer, you can send me five minutes from any section of your documentary, even outtakes of uncut video.

(Just keep in mind that the above three mentioned items are critical in terms of forming your viewer’s first impression.)

Here’s how it works.

Email me today. (I’m only accepting 20 filmmakers.)

If you’re chosen, you’ll provide me with either a link to the video, or a medium resolution Quicktime file of up to five minutes of footage. (Or a Word document or webpage if I’m critiquing your written concept.)

I’ll critique up to five minutes of footage using my special “Viewer POV” software. This technology allows you to see both your cut–and me watching your cut–as I’m critiquing your footage.

We’ll then schedule a 15-minute phone consultation to discuss your footage.

We may discover the best way to hook your viewer, a central question that needs clarifying, or even a series of micro-edits that will sharpen your film’s style.

We might find that a certain shot or interview is casting doubt on your film’s production value.

Or we might conclude you’ve got a kick-ass Kickstarter campaign, giving you some peace of mind so you can put your much needed efforts elsewhere.

When we’re done collaborating, I’ll send you a Quicktime file of my critique.

One final note.  DO NOT worry about impressing me! I know your cut is not perfect… yet. I’m a kind, constructive critic; and I will help you.

Please email me today at karen@newdocediting.com if you are interested in this offer.

I’ll accept the first 20 filmmakers, and I’ll give preference to those who are considering joining my next Inner Circle that begins October 15^th… so let me know if you’re interested in this 6-month coaching program.

Learn more about the Inner Circle at:

http://newdocediting.com/land/innercircle/

I look forward to critiquing your footage!

I hope you’re having a good week!  First, a quick reminder that tomorrow is the last day to receive early-bird pricing for our next Inner Circle, which begins October 15^th. Learn more at: http://newdocediting.com/land/innercircle/

Now onto the main question…how decisive are you feeling about your documentary’s structure?

Without a clear vision, your film is unlikely to get funded. And even if you manage to screen a completed documentary, viewers will squirm and then surrender in confusion if they can’t discern where you’re going–or at least have confidence that you know where you’re going!

Here are four steps for locking in your film’s structure. As I describe these steps, I’ll use examples from filmmakers who participated in our three most recent Inner Circle programs, and then invite you to check out the new Inner Circle that is beginning in two weeks, on October 15th.

The first step is to choose one of the proven contemporary “meta-structures” used by successful documentary filmmakers. (If you’re not sure what these templates are, see my home study course “The Ultimate Guide to Structuring Your Documentary” at http://newdocediting.com/land/ultimate_documentary_guide).

You’ll want to customize this meta-structure to suit your film’s vision. For example, if you choose the classic three-act structure, you might decide to also weave in an essay that is structured around a central thesis. Our former Inner Circle member Greg Boozell chose this route for his historical documentary about progressive labor unions, “Who Killed Joe Sigler?”

Second, develop shot lists and interview questions that will provide the building blocks needed in the editing room. If, like our Inner Circle members Jill Orshel and Scott Ryan, your main character has embarked on a clearly defined quest, then you’ll want to identify the obstacles likely to arise in pursuit of the protagonist’s goal. Strategize how to capture these challenging situations on camera. Your film’s dramatic through-line depends on it.

Third, edit an assembly cut that includes a little footage from every scene and interview that you shot. From this clunky overview cut, discern which themes, characters and experts can be cut. Ask, for example, which voices duplicate other voices? Which lines of thought support my film’s thesis statement and which don’t (and can be cut)?

When our Inner Circle members Ronit Bezalel and Brenda Schumacher viewed their footage from this 50,000 foot view, they realized that their vision would be better served through an essay-style film than a character-driven film, so they wisely shifted gears. In addition, we collaborated to brainstorm graphics that would buttress the documentary’s intricate structure.

Fourth, in the highly creative rough-cut stage, experiment with and lock in the heavy structural lifting. For example, if you have a journey film, as does our former Inner Circle member Michael Beckelhimer, you’ll organize and finalize the steps along your protagonist’s geographical trek.

If your film involves character transformation, as does our Inner Circle member Kaoru Wang’s documentary “The Killer App”, then you’ll craft that transformation through structural devices such as the midpoint and a protagonist’s statement of transformation.

Finally, you’ve arrived at fine cut stage! Now it’s time for fun, finessing the details.

Locking in your documentary’s structure can take several months, but the process moves much faster with consistent editorial consultations and brainstorming sessions.

Accordingly, I’ve built these strategy checkpoints into our 6-month Inner Circle program. You’ll receive monthly Mastermind coaching calls, an accountability partner, three in-depth story consultations from me, and more.

Our upcoming Inner Circle begins October 15, 2011. I’m offering five filmmakers the opportunity to collaborate with like-minded peers and a professional story consultant to develop and finalize their documentary’s structure.

Since our recently ended Inner Circle sold out, please e-mail me today if you are interested.  Our early bird pricing ends tomorrow, September 30th. Learn more at http://newdocediting.com/land/innercircle/

What separates great documentaries from mediocre ones? A good story, certainly, or at least a well-designed structure.

But equally important, since film is a visual medium, your documentary’s signature style, or “look”, can make or break its appeal.

If you’re like most filmmakers, you’ve probably already adopted some standard stylistic choices including interviews, vérité footage, and possibly title cards.

But how can you improve upon a signature style that will not only make your film stand out for funders, but reinforce your film’s message for viewers?

In my Inner Circle, I recently worked with a filmmaker to brainstorm an animation design that will reinforce the film’s structure. The structure examines one by one various groups of people and how they benefited from a public housing experiment. (You’ll find a similar structural design, complemented by a graphic style, in Chris Paine’s “Who Killed the Electric Car?”)

Look closely at an episode of the successful “Eyes on the Prize” series, and you’ll notice that every interview features a bit of greenery in the frame’s composition. Why? To accent the setting of the civil rights movement, the lush green South.

Consider the direct-camera address used in two vastly different documentaries, Errol Morris’s “Fog of War” and Rhonda Byrne’s “The Secret”. Although the films differ widely in sensibility, they both rely on direct-camera address to bridge the distance between public figures and private, everyday viewers. This was a conscious stylistic decision.

Designing your film’s stylistic palette requires focused concentration and brainstorming sessions with your creative team.  Be patient. A signature style often takes several months to develop.

In my 6-month Inner Circle program, filmmakers develop a strategic structure, stylistic look, and sometimes soundscape, for their works-in-progress.

While not all filmmakers choose to collaborate on a stylistic strategy, the results can set your film apart.

Our story consulting client Tiffany Shlain is one of the best collaborative directors I’ve ever met. In her recent Sundance hit “Connected” (www.facebook.com/connectedthefilm)  Shlain favored found footage, which reframes the past, and high-end futuristic animation, to imagine the potential of technology.

In the hopes of sparking your imagination, here are more examples of conscious stylistic devices.

Imagine last year’s Oscar-winning film “The Cove” without the nighttime photography and the fixed, wide-angle, hidden camera shots.

Can you envision a Werner Herzog film without its rhapsodic soliloquies?

How would such theatrical features as “Man on Wire” or “Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room” fared at the box office without elaborately directed reenactments?

When considering stylistic choices, choose strategies that support your film’s message. For example, in “Sing Faster”, director Jon Else use time lapse photography and two-way radio “wild sound” to convey the stagehand’s extraordinary, labor intensive undertaking in building an epic eight hour opera production.

“Chicago Ten” used groundbreaking, realistic rotoscoping animation to portray a famous 1969 court case, for which no footage existed, only transcripts.

“American Teen” used a different style of whimsical animation to convey the fantasy life of adolescents.

Finally, don’t forget your audio design. Strive to make it unique. MTV’s Lauren Lazin conceived of “Tupac: Resurrection” as relying solely on the voice of the famous rapper himself, which showcased his poetic language.

What message do you want to stress through your film’s stylistic choices?

As you ponder this question, consider joining our next Inner Circle, beginning October 15. We’ll incubate not only your film’s story structure, but also your film’s unique stylistic look and sound.

If you’re in preproduction or shooting, we’ll develop a unique cinematic strategy to evoke your film’s central message.

If you’re already in postproduction, we can experiment with pickup shoots, graphics, and editing style to find your film’s signature look.

Then we’ll workshop your ideas through your accountability partner, six monthly mastermind calls, and three in-depth consultations with me.

E-mail me today if you are interested. The early bird pricing ends September 30. And I’m only accepting five filmmakers. To learn more go to:

http://newdocediting.com/land/innercircle/

Today’s editing tip is a simple one, of which far too many filmmakers and editors are unaware, leaving viewers like me befuddled.

But first, two quick announcements.  I’m beginning a new Inner Circle on October 15th, one month from today. If you’re interested in finding out more about this transformative six-month mastermind program, limited to five qualified filmmakers, e-mail me or click here for early bird pricing registration. You’ll save $400 if you register soon:

http://newdocediting.com/land/innercircle/

Second, if your documentary features strong characters, join our free tele-seminar “Editing Character Transformation in Your Documentary” on September 20, 2011, 5-5:30 pm PST. If you can’t make the date, we’ll send you the recording, but you need to register at:

http://newdocediting.com/crafting-character-transformation-teleseminar/

Now… back to today’s editing tip about the best way to present text on screen. As I said, even seasoned filmmakers miss the mark.

Case in point.

Last week my girlfriend and I watched Lynn Hershman’s Sundance hit, W.A.R. (!Women Art Revolution – A Secret History), now playing in select theaters. Hershman, an acclaimed veteran filmmaker, directed a historical documentary that reveals the untold history of the feminist art movement.

One of the most interesting parts of the saga was the emergence in 1985 of the so-called Guerrilla Girls, an activist group that made fun of the sexist art establishment, partly through clever posters.

In the film, Hershman cuts to several of these clever posters, but unfortunately I was unable to finish reading the humorous text.

Why?

Because the voiceover that I was hearing interfered with my attempts to read the funny lines.

My brain couldn’t simultaneously process both complex language tasks (reading and listening). Nor can most viewers.

So here are three rules of thumb for editing a textual document (or simply text on screen) that you want your viewer to actually read:

1. When editing textual material, keep your audio track free of dialogue for several seconds (no narration or voiceover). Instead, use music, sound effects and/or ambient sound while the document is on-screen. The exception is if there are only 1 to 4 words to read. Most viewers can process 1 to 4 words simultaneously with voiceover. If you have to use narration, then write it so that the words closely mirror the words that appear on screen.

2. Leave the documents or text on screen long enough to either read out loud once, or read silently twice. That way, even slow readers will have enough time to finish reading.

3. Make sure key words are highlighted and are large enough to read.

If you don’t care if your viewer reads the text on screen, know this: your viewer will try to. Unless the text is so small that it’s a real strain to read, most viewers naturally begin reading text on screen, which unfortunately draws their attention away from the voiceover you want them to hear.

The good news is that combining textual documents with music and/or other ambient sound gives your film breathing room. Which it can probably use.

I hope you found this editing tip helpful. If you’d like a more professional editing tips, register for our free tele-seminar to learn the four critical steps of crafting character transformation:

http://newdocediting.com/crafting-character-transformation-teleseminar/

Also…please e-mail me right away if you’re interested in our upcoming Inner Circle, a six-month program beginning October 15^th.  You’ll receive professional story consulting for your film, as well as heartfelt peer support. Both are needed in the sometimes lonely world of independent film making. To receive the early bird discount, register at:

http://newdocediting.com/land/innercircle/

As you may know, I teach a popular weekend seminar for the San Francisco Film Society called “Directing the Character Driven Documentary”.  What you may not know is this information-packed seminar is available as a home study course.

I’m offering a special promotion if you are interested in buying the online version of the seminar. Why the promo? Because after teaching this class two weekends ago, I’m reminded how valuable the content is for documentary filmmakers who are trying to figure out how to tell their story.  I watched my students strengthen and frequently transform their film concepts.

You might want to check out the online version of the seminar, called “Editing the Character Driven Documentary”, for several reasons:

• First, if your film features a main character, and you want to learn how to structure a story in a way that keeps your viewer engaged;

• Second, if you want to understand what scenes you need to shoot and questions to ask during your interviews, so you have the building blocks of both character transformation and a dramatic arc;

• Finally, even if you are making a topic-driven film—a film structured around ideas rather than a character’s quest—this class will show you how to create mini, one-act character vignettes, to bring emotion to an otherwise intellectual film.

This seminar is my pride and joy.  In creating it, I spent two years researching how the top documentary directors and editors shape their non-fiction footage into a fictional art form (the classic three-act structure).  The resulting course is so creative and innovative that three times a year, when I teach this course live, I get glowing testimonials from student filmmakers. You can read some below.

You can purchase this class for $50 off the normal price of $197.97. You’ll receive the seminar in six video modules delivered to your email box. It’s about 6 hours of content (filmed during the live seminar). You can download it to your desktop, or your iPhone or mobile device, and listen while you’re driving, walking or working out.

As an added bonus, you’ll receive for free my newest online seminar, “The Story Doctoring Kit”. Including four hours of video trainings, this do-it-yourself story consulting guide normally sells for $97. See my website’s product page for a full description.

“The Story Doctoring Kit” allows you to be your film’s own story consultant during rough cut stage. You’ll be able to isolate trouble spots and select from an array of solutions to common problems, like boring sequences, lackluster video, meandering scenes, slow beginnings, confusing narration, etc.

As with all my products, today’s special offer comes with a money-back guarantee.  Purchase “Editing the Character-Driven Documentary” for $50 off… and get “The Story Doctoring Kit” for free. This offer is good for two weeks.

To get the discount, click on the link below and enter the word “character” in the shopping cart’s coupon code and “apply”:

http://newdocediting.com/land/editingdocumentaryecourse/

As promised, here are some testimonials from recent students:

This class was thick with excellent information. I liked the variation of materials–hand-outs, clips, lecture and discussion–which made the experience engaging and stimulating. – Jo Nemoyten

I loved this class. It was very helpful and met my expectations. I especially liked that the information was repeated through story-focusing exercises. - Anjali deBellefroid

This class was filled with easily assimilated information and would even be interesting to somebody who hasn’t studied film yet. The discussions between Karen and the students were particularly helpful. – Roberta Walker

We filmmakers aren’t strangers to the concept of using humor as “comic relief”.  Editing a funny scene after a particularly difficult scene allows the viewer a moment of respite, to regain their bearings.

For example, In Rick Trank’s documentary “I Have Never Forgotten You”, about the life and legacy of the famed Nazi hunter and humanitarian Simon Wiesenthal, Rick provided much needed comic relief by using Simon’s quirkiness as well as his fondness for joke-telling to relieve the trauma of scenes about the Holocaust.

Many other celebrated documentary filmmakers, including Michael Moore and Morgan Spurlock, have mastered the art of comic relief.

But what about using humor in an entirely different way, not to relieve pain, but to invite learning? I recently came across this concept from the producers of the hybrid documentary “What the Bleep Do We Know!?”

A box office hit that caught critics by surprise, this interesting film explores the notion of changing reality with one’s mind.  It creatively blends a talking-head documentary with an artfully rendered narrative.  And the producers consciously used humor in an innovative way:  to increase the brain’s “neuroplasticity”, i.e., ability to learn.

Banking on research that laughter and surprise increases the brain’s ability to form new neural connections, the filmmakers crafted a funny scene prior to a sequence that they knew would challenge many viewers’ ideas about the mind.  I remember watching this funny, animated wedding scene with my girlfriend in a Landmark movie theater. We laughed so hard our mouths hurt.

If you’ve seen the film, you’ll recall that directly after this humorous wedding scene, the heroine, Amanda, played by actress Marlee Matlin, experiences an attack of low-self-esteem and then an epiphany of self-love.

“The (wedding) party was intended to give the audience a good laugh and a break from all the serious intellectual information,” says William Arntz, co-author of the book “What the Bleep Do You Know!?: Discovering the Endless Possibilities for Altering Your Everyday Reality”.  “Swimming in neuroplasticity, the audience then rewires the brain to accept all that information, clearing the slates, so that it’s easier to accept Marlee’s experience as their own.”

It’s an interesting idea.  Laughing opens your mind to learning and accepting new, out-of-the-box ideas.  How can you use humor, not only as a relief from a difficult scene, but to prepare you audience for an unusually challenging concept? Look for opportunities to place a humorous scene just prior to a radical idea, and then test your structural experiment at rough cut screenings.

For a free guide on how to hold a successful Rough Cut Screening, go to:

http://newdocediting.com/client-resources/documentary_fil_rough_cut_screening/