Free Video for “Thinking Outside the Doc Box” Event

I’m excited to share with you the video of a packed documentary seminar sponsored by the San Francisco Film Society last week. This seminar breaks the myth that funders, especially ITVS, are only seeking character-driven documentaries. But much more than giving filmmakers permission to “Think Outside the Doc Box”, the seminar also presented several innovative ideas to spark your thinking for your own documentary projects. Access the video, as well as other free resources, here:

https://newdocediting.com/documentaryinnovation/

No matter where you are in production on your film, it’s never too late to start thinking outside the documentary conventions. Strong, innovative ideas will catch the interest of funders, create a buzz for your film, and most importantly, cause your audiences to lean forward and pay attention.

For example, consider a standard documentary convention, such as the “talking head”. Imagine that you’re making a film about a famous dead person. Sure, you could get scholars who could comment on your subject’s life and personality. That’s the standard talking head approach. But what if you did something different? Something entirely out of the box, such as casting an actor to play your subject, and then interviewing the actor? According to Richard Saiz, a senior executive at ITVS, this is exactly the genius that delivered big funding and a prime-time broadcast slot on PBS to a biography about Emily Dickinson (Loaded Gun:  Life, Death and Dickinson).

The seminar presented many more ideas for approaching your topic with innovative cinematic, narrative, structural, and graphic innovations. If you are frustrated that your film does not seem to fall into the conventional television approach, or if you’re just looking for a fresher way to convey your material, you’ll thoroughly enjoy this “Thinking Outside the Doc Box” event. You can download the video of the seminar, as well as an “Innovation Worksheet”, at …

https://newdocediting.com/documentaryinnovation/

Also, if you would like to talk to me personally about innovative ideas for your project, please e-mail me at Karen@newdocediting.com for a free half-hour story consultation.