Our Blog
Blog
Blog
Accelerated Editing on Blog Talk Radio
August 20, 2019
Tune in tomorrow to BlogTalkRadio to learn the benefits of accelerated editing for feature documentaries. I’ll be interviewed by Carole Dean, author of The Art of Film Funding. We’ll discuss: The pros (and cons) of accelerated post-productionHow a director’s mental health and mindset shifts during the editHow to fundraise for post-production Tune in WED, August 21, 2019 at 9 a.m. PST to BlogTalkRadio.
Read More...
Writer Available for Fall Film Grants
August 15, 2019
‘Tis soon the season for a slew of film grant deadlines, beginning with the Sundance Documentary Fund, which closes October 20th. I have a new, talented writer on board, and we’d love to help you prepare your application. We’ll describe your synopsis, style, and treatment in the language of funders. Please email me if you are interested. Other Fall grant deadlines include: HotDocs Ted Rogers Fund, applications open Sept 4 – Nov 13 Roy W. Dean Film Grant, October 31 Fledgling Fund, Fall deadline TBA soon Ford Foundation JustFilms, accepts letters of inquiry year-round
Read More...
Successful Rough Cut Screening, Part 1
July 31, 2019
This two-part guide will explain how to conduct a successful rough cut screening with your nerves intact. Who to Invite There are three types of people you should show your rough cut to: 1) experts on the topic who serve as your advisors; 2) seasoned documentary professionals, and 3) people representative of your film’s target audience. Each audience should be handled differently. This guide is geared more toward showing your film to a group of everyday people who will likely want to see your film when it’s released. But let me first say a word about the first two groups.…
Read More...Lessons For Making A Personal Documentary
July 17, 2019
Personal documentaries can be powerful, and especially meaningful to the filmmakers themselves. But there are often four big hurdles to overcome. The first challenge directors face is gaining perspective because the material is, understandably, close to home. If that’s you, it helps to refer to yourself in the third person when conceiving the film. When talking with colleagues, you might even use the terms “Filmmaker John (fill in your name)” vs. “Character John” to help keep perspective. Second, directors frequently have trouble seeing their own story arc. This is different than the material being too close to home. I’ve learned…
Read More...
Film Conversations To Reveal Character
July 11, 2019
Recently I taught graduate students at Doc Nomads (an innovative European film program). The assignment was to make a short doc focusing on a connection. Filming one person is easy, but filming two people engaging with one another, while requiring more set-up, is an excellent way to reveal character and advance the plot. For example, one student was making a film about a shy man who was also blind. He wanted to learn to scuba dive. I recommended the filmmaker focus on the connection between the protagonist and his scuba coach. This turned out to be more fruitful than filming…
Read More...
2 Editors w/ Storytelling Expertise
July 9, 2019
We are nearly done editing a couple docs with strong narrative arcs. You can see recent work here. And… I have two talented editors available soon! Both are deeply experienced in storytelling. Please email me if you are interested.
Read More...
Documentary Seminar Sale
July 5, 2019
Happy Independence Day to our American readers! To celebrate, I’m offering 50-70% off on our documentary seminars for the next 24 hours. Learn how to structure character-driven and other types of documentary films with dramatic devices that keep viewers engaged!
Read More...
Are Positive Docs A Passing Fad?
July 3, 2019
Happy early July 4th to American readers! Six months ago, Variety and Filmmaker Magazine named 2018 the year of “uplifting documentaries”, citing such box office hits as RBG, The Price of Free and Won’t You Be My Neighbor? But are so-called “positive documentaries” just a passing fad? I’d argue that with the debut of “hopepunk”, the trend in hopeful docs shows no sign of fading. What’s hopepunk? Emerging from the literary scene, hopepunk is the latest storytelling template that centers around the “concept of hope itself, with all the implications of love, kindness, and faith in humanity it encompasses,” according…
Read More...
DocNomads Explore Hope
June 27, 2019
A bit jet-lagged, I’ve just returned from teaching at the innovative, graduate film program DocNomads. This was my sixth year in Budapest instructing ambitious, emerging filmmakers from around the world. One of their assignments was to make an 8-10 minute documentary on the theme of hope. My job was to help with story structure, but I couldn’t help explaining why I thought hope was such a terrific focus. I began with a word of caution, based on 18 years of teaching at the #1-ranked documentary program in America (UC Berkeley). “You’re all graduate students schooled in the post-modern art of…
Read More...
Experienced Editor Available
June 24, 2019
We’re finishing up a feature documentary here, and I have a deeply experienced editor available soon. You can learn more about our Accelerated Post approach here. Please email me if you are interested in learning more!
Read More...