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Accelerator Lab and Funding Opportunities
June 19, 2018
There are several film funding opportunities on the horizon, and we’re here to help. First, Chicken and Egg Pictures is offering ten female producer/directors $35,000 each through their Accelerator Lab. The deadline is next Monday, June 25th, and you have to be working on your first or second feature doc. Next up, ITVS! The largest funding partner for indie docs in America launched their Open Call funding process yesterday. Deadline is July 31st. Note that these grants are very competitive. For example, about 2 percent of ITVS applicants receive funding. But there’s good news this year coming from the International…
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Inspirational Fundraising Coach
May 25, 2018
This email is an unabashed tribute to one of my dearest colleagues in the world of independent filmmaking. I first heard of Carole Dean ten years ago. From her home in Oxnard, California, she was teaching small groups of filmmakers to actualize their potential and raise money. Her classes would sell out. Intrigued, I read her book The Art of Film Funding (now also a podcast.) I realized Carole had a brilliant mind for business. So, I arranged to talk with her about some film ideas that were brewing. I was struck by how generous she was, not only with…
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New Developments in Storytelling
May 24, 2018
Since my teaching days at UC Berkeley, my innovative work in applying screenwriting principles to documentary film has evolved. Initially Hollywood gurus like Robert McKee (Story) and Syd Field (The Screenwriter’s Workbook) informed my process of tailoring the three-act structure to make documentaries more dramatic. But in a day when the big news from Cannes is that 82 women are calling for gender equality, I’m happy to report there are female fiction script consultants who are revolutionizing our understanding of story! These include Dara Marks (Inside Story), Kim Hudson (The Virgin’s Promise), and Carol S. Pearson (Persephone Rising). I love…
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FAQ About Editing Services
May 16, 2018
I frequently get asked about our editing services. So, I’ve compiled the top FAQ’s, starting with the most common: Can you please send me the names and clips of your editors? Eventually, yes. But first we’ll talk about your vision so I can determine which editor’s sensibility best fits your film. Then we’ll have a three-way conference call with the editor so you can feel out whether it’s a good match. Fit is so important to me that it comes before credentials. I’ll send resumes, clips, and testimonials after our three-way call so you can do your due diligence. What…
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The Kid’s Quest in Biographical Documentaries
May 15, 2018
What’s the best way to tell the story of a famous person? Sometimes, it’s through the kids. Offspring not only have great access to letters and memories, they are often driven to understand the identity of an illustrious, absent parent. If you make the conceit of your documentary a grown child’s investigation into the famous parent they never knew, you have a time-tested, legitimate arc. But this quest must be subsumed to the life arc of the famous parent. This approach worked well for the son of Louis Kahn in My Architect, the son of cinematographer Haskell Wexler in Tell…
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What Makes a Film Scene Bathetic?
May 10, 2018
Two days ago I sent out a newsletter about crying scenes with this misquote: “It really can just tip over into completely pathetic material.” But “pathetic” was a misspelling of “bathetic”. My apologies to Director Marcus Lindeen, whom I quoted from Filmmaker Magazine. And thanks to filmmaker Ben Flanigan, who prompted this distinction. He says that these days, “pathetic” usually means “so miserable as to be ridiculous.” By contrast, the dictionary defines “bathetic” as “producing an unintentional effect of anticlimax”. And it’s not only crying scenes that can lead to an unintended lapse in mood. Bathos can result when a…
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Should You Let Your Protagonist Cry?
May 8, 2018
Should you let your protagonist cry? Maybe. Once. That’s the advice I got from a PBS producer. I remember showing him a rough cut of my personal documentary about lesbian romantic relationships. As he finished his feedback, he said “And Karen, you get to cry once…maybe.” A bit embarrassed, I took his advice to heart once I realized that tears leveraged for drama can backfire. It’s like zooming in on an interviewee who is weeping. As viewers, we squirm at the intrusion. And for a personal documentary–when the risk of self-indulgence runs high–the squirm factor is squared. OK, so what…
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Tips for Editing A Documentary Trailer
May 1, 2018
Happy May! Two quick announcements before we get to editing trailers: First, Chicken and Egg Pictures’ Open Call for their 2019 Accelerator Lab is May 3rd. Second, we have two talented editors coming available mid-May. One cut an award-winning film for PBS, and the other edited a documentary that won the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance. Back to trailer tips! Let’s start by looking at an entertaining example. We recently cut a crowdfunding trailer for filmmaker Anne Taiz about the No Kill Movement. Check out the shot placement, pacing, cute animals, and use of music and sound bursts to create…
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Documentary Trends and Kind Encouragement
April 29, 2018
I love writing this newsletter about documentary trends. I also impart post-production advice, kindly encourage filmmakers, and occasionally offer our story consulting and editing services. If you appreciate this newsletter, please share this email with two fellow filmmakers. They can subscribe here and also get a free copy of my acclaimed book Documentary Editing (which sells for $27). In case you missed some recent newsletters that helped out other filmmakers, check out: Stages of Post-Production Guide Trend in Positive Documentaries Five Ways to Create an Inciting Incident Editing Film with Multiple Protagonists Overcoming Filmmaking Cynicism This just in, from a…
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Director Leverages Documentary Seminar
April 26, 2018
Recently I worked with an experienced, passionate director whose modest film budget paid for only two hours of story consulting. After our work, her gracious testimonial revealed how she had leveraged our time together—by taking my online documentary seminar first: “How Karen Everett helped shape 15 years of footage in two hours was astounding! So grateful to have found her. Can’t imagine doing a film without her now. She is absolutely worth it. Do yourself a favor, and take her online structuring classes first so you aren’t stuck on fundamentals and can really hone in and focus on your film…
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