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Webinar: How to Find Your Film’s Audience
March 1, 2017
I’m delighted to invite you to a free webinar on Wednesday, March 8th at 10am PST on how to identify your film’s niche audience and build a network of fans. During the webinar, I’ll partner with Filmmaker.MBA instructors Christopher Rufo and Keith Ochwat to walk you through the steps of creating a network of passionate fans and evangelists for your film—from conducting research to building partnerships within your niche. Also, my former story consulting client Christopher and his partner Keith will show you how they earned $1.5 million with their last film, Age of Champions, through direct distribution to their…
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Documentary Seminar on Multiple Protagonists
February 25, 2017
I hope you’re enjoying your weekend! Today I’m giving away module #10 of my 12-part series The Ultimate Guide to Structuring Your Documentary. Download it for free here: newdocediting.com/ultimateguide/9week9b9s.mov You’ll learn strategies for structuring a documentary with multiple protagonists and storylines. You’ll also learn how to blend character-driven and topic-based films. See all my online documentary seminars at: newdocediting.com/products
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Overcoming Cynicism in Documentary Filmmaking
February 23, 2017
A few months ago I read a thread on Doculink about how making documentaries can lead to cynicism. One filmmaker felt the herculean effort to fund, make, and distribute a doc was, in hindsight, simply not worth it. Others argued that a labor of love pays off in the end. I understand how artistic idealism can lead to despair, especially when making a doc drags on for years. Without funding and a clear narrative approach, what’s the point? Not to mention the cost. And yet, every month I hear from filmmakers that we’ve worked with who tell me their success…
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Structuring Your Documentary In Three Acts
February 7, 2017
Happy Wednesday! Today I’m giving away the best tutorial you’ll find on applying the Three Act Structure to documentary films: newdocediting.com/editing_course1/M4DocumentaryArc We’ve all heard of the three-act structure, and screenwriters have it down to a science. But often I find that documentary filmmakers arbitrarily divide their film into three parts, and label each part an act. Actually, each act looks very different. According to screenwriters, Act One (about 25% of film) launches your protagonist’s quest. Act Two (60%) shows your protagonist facing challenges on that quest. And in Act Three (15%), we learn if they actually achieve their goal in…
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Vetting Documentary Editors
February 4, 2017
If you’re going to be hiring an editor soon, you may be happy to know that I’ve done a lot of the vetting for you. I’ve reviewed scores of resumes and chosen the best candidates to train in our unique post-production system. We’re excited to be bringing a few more select documentary projects to completion this year. If you’re interested in exploring a collaboration with one of our talented editors, please contact me for a free consultation. We make a special effort to understand your vision for the film. You can learn more about our approach here: newdocediting.com/accelerated-post-program I also…
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Savings on Film Funding Class with Carole Dean
January 24, 2017
Need help getting your documentary funded? Film funding experts Carole Dean and Tom Malloy are returning with their successful Intentional Filmmaking Mastermind Class to show you how to get it done. Carole is the author of “The Art of Film Funding, 2nd Edition: Alternative Financing Concepts” as well as founder of From the Heart Productions. She helped me raise more than $100,000 for my own documentary, and she’s a powerhouse with a big heart. Tom is a successful producer who has raised over $20 million for his own films. Helping you create a funding plan, the 4 month class also…
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Five Ways to Create an Inciting Incident
January 16, 2017
What’s your film’s inciting incident? This is an important question. What’s the catalyst moment that sends your protagonist on a quest, thereby grabbing your viewer’s attention in the first act? To help you answer this question, I’m giving away module #1 of my live seminar, shot at the San Francisco Film Society: newdocediting.com/editing_course1 Here are some examples of an inciting incident: In Doug Block’s acclaimed personal documentary, 51 Birch Street, his mother’s unexpected death and his father’s swift remarriage leads the director on a quest to explore his assumptions about his parents’ “good marriage”. In Murderball, a tough match of…
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Logging Documentary Footage Quickly
January 15, 2017
Today I’m going to explain a radical new way to log your footage quickly. Let’s say you have 200 hours of footage and you want to cull your best 30 hours to hand over to an editor. (Disclaimer: this logging system is not recommended if you have funds to hire an editor to watch all your footage.) First, we’re going to jettison the traditional, time-consuming method of logging footage from A – Z, so let go of your perfectionist mindset. Second, try to get all your important interviews transcribed. Transcripts help editors cut more quickly. Third, with transcripts in hand,…
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Online Course on DIY Distribution
January 11, 2017
A few years ago, I consulted with documentary filmmakers Christopher Rufo and Keith Ochwat. After successfully premiering at AFI Docs, Chris and Keith thought their documentary Age of Champions about the Senior Olympics was going to get some attention from distributors. They ended up receiving measly offers and decided to self-distribute. Over the course of two years they ended up organizing over 3,000 screenings and grossed over $1.5 million in online sales. Chris and Keith have since launched the Filmmaker.MBA, an online community and course teaching documentary filmmakers how to find an audience, distribute their work, and build long-term careers. The course includes video lessons, case…
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Editing With An Indian Engineer
January 8, 2017
I’ve wanted to go to India for years. Here’s the story of how I’ll be traveling in style in just two weeks to promote a stellar documentary we edited. Last fall I met Mandar Apte, a former Shell engineer who managed their social innovation program. Deeply pained by the ongoing violence in the U.S., this Indian engineer decided to direct a documentary to promote non-violence. But when Mandar first told me he needed to edit his documentary From India With Love within four weeks, I replied that was “impossible”. He agreed to cull his best footage in advance, and we were able…
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