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Black Friday FILMMAKING Sale
November 26, 2019
Happy Thanksgiving to my American readers! I’d also like to express appreciation for my international readers with a two-for-one sale on my filmmaking seminars. Buy Editing the Character-Driven Documentary here and get The Ultimate Guide to Structuring Your Documentary for free (valued at $97.97). If you live outside the U.S., please email me for special instructions on how to purchase. Thank you! Here’s what one Emmy-Award-winning director had to say about Editing the Character-Driven Documentary: “This class was invaluable for bringing into crystal clear focus how to bring a 3-act structure to a documentary film. Karen is inspiring and the…
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Tribute to My Mentor + Editor for SXSW Deadline
September 9, 2019
First up, I’m delighted to announce a Sept 26th tribute to my beloved late mentor Marlon Riggs, a groundbreaking and controversial gay, black filmmaker. The Berkeley Art Museum & Pacific Film Archive will screen I Shall Not Be Removed: The Life of Marlon Riggs (1996), which was my first documentary out of film school. It played on public television soon after Marlon died of AIDS. And on another note…here are some upcoming film festival late submission deadlines: SXSW is October 17th, and True/False Film Fest is November 5th. If you miss those, the AFI deadline is March 29th, 2020! If…
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Beloved Colleague Offers Film Fundraising Class
September 5, 2019
First up: you may still be able to register to meet film industry execs at IFP. Billed as a “must attend event” for financiers and producers, it takes place Sept 15-19 in New York. Also, check out Carole Dean’s Intentional Filmmaking Class to show you how to get the money you need to make your documentary. I’ve attended IFP and taken Carole’s class, and for my money, Carole’s class delivers. Carole is a beloved colleague who helped me raise more than $110,000 for my own latest doc. She is the author of “The Art of Film Funding, 2nd Edition: Alternative…
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Best Practices for Logging Footage + Editing Quickly
August 29, 2019
Last week I was interviewed by film fundraising guru Carole Dean. We’ve gotten close through the years, which made this hour-long BlogTalkRadio episode especially dynamic. We discussed best practices for logging footage quickly, fast-track editing, essential questions to ask during interviews, and fundraising mindset. We kicked off with my take on where the indie doc world is heading. Listen in here!
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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.
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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
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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…
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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…
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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.
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