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Documentary Editing Tip 10: Character Climax
February 26, 2015
One of the biggest problems documentary editors face is the absence of a climax scene. What if you don’t have the riveting footage with which to construct the film’s biggest emotional moment? Well, there’s hope. In my next two editing tips, I will show you techniques for constructing a climax scene for both a character-driven and an essay-style documentary—even if you didn’t capture a seemingly climactic moment on camera. Today, we’ll focus on character-driven documentaries. Check out my short video tutorial at: youtu.be As a reminder, our upcoming Inner Circle begins March 16th. Please email me for a free consultation…
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Sundance Prize + New Doc Program
February 25, 2015
When director Chad Gracia approached me about story consulting services late last year to help shape The Russian Woodpecker, I could see that his film’s story made it a strong contender to get into the Sundance Film Festival. We focused on making his story launch more dramatic, and I was thrilled to learn that his film won the World Cinema Grand Jury Prize. (See his testimonial below). I highly recommend The Russian Woodpecker. Stylistically innovative, it’s an excellent example of a three-act documentary structure, replete with a compelling first–act inciting incident and a stunning third–act climax scene. I’m also pleased…
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Film Award and Update
February 11, 2015
First, some good news. One of the films I worked on (as a story consultant) won top prize at the Sundance Film Festival last week! “The Russian Woodpecker” employs that same three-act narrative structure we will use to translate Barbara’s dramatic story in “American Visionary“. If you are interested, check out this “Variety” review at: “The Russian Woodpecker” I deeply appreciate your contributions! And in case you missed it, I want to update you about our progress on American Visionary: The Story of Barbara Marx Hubbard. Last year, I announced the ambitious goal of finishing the remarkable story of Barbara’s…
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Intentional Filmmaking Class
January 27, 2015
Now in its fourth year, Carole Dean’s Intentional Filmmaking Class helps filmmakers get funded. A new session begins February 16th. Taught by Carole Dean, author of the best-selling “The Art of Film Funding: Alternative Financing Concepts”, the class is a 5-month, online course that teaches filmmakers how to get the money they need to make their film. I took this course myself and raised more than $120,000 for my film. You’ll get a strong foundation in fundraising after 5 months of training. You’ll know who your market is and how to reach them. You will feel confident that you can…
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New Documentary Seminar Begins Tomorrow
January 25, 2015
I hope your weekend is going well. I’m excited that several motivated, passionate filmmakers have joined our new seminar, Structuring the Three Act Documentary. We begin on Monday, so register today if you want to learn how to inject dramatic forward motion into your documentary film: Structuring the Three Act Documentary
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Documentary Editing Tip #1: Soundbite Montage
January 22, 2015
If you’re going to Sundance, be sure to catch The Russian Woodpecker, a great example of the three-act structure. Our story consulting client Chad Gracia worked hard to create a riveting inciting incident, and it works beautifully. Learn more about how to structure a compelling quest at: Structuring the Three Act Documentary. Today I want to share one of my favorite tips from our new Documentary Editing Tips series. I’ve created a new 3-minute video to explain how to create a powerful soundbite montage. If you’ve shot too many interviews and don’t know how to use all those talking heads,…
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Documentary Editing Tip #9: Biographical Arc
January 19, 2015
First up: If you’re directing a character-driven documentary, you’ll want to take our new seminar: Structuring the Three Act Documentary, which begins in less than a week! In 2012, I began directing a documentary about an 82-year-old visionary and was immediately confronted with a daunting question: how do you define a narrative arc over the life span of an individual? Today’s Documentary Editing Tip reveals the answer. I created a short video to reveal techniques employed in biographies ranging from William Kunstler: Disturbing the Universe to Dorothea Lange: Grab a Hunk of Lightening: http://youtu.be/Z3FGZTyLfg8 If you can’t make it to…
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Last Day for Early Bird Registration
January 14, 2015
Today is the last day to register at the early bird price for our new seminar: Structuring the Three Act Documentary. Save $100 by registering within the next 24 hours at: Structuring the Three Act Documentary.
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Documentary Editing Tip #8: Transformation
January 12, 2015
I am thrilled that the Sundance Film Festival has selected to screen The Russian Woodpecker, the new documentary directed by our story consulting client Chad Gracia. Chad’s film is highly dramatic, a great case study for constructing a strong narrative drive. If you’re working to create a highly watchable film, you’ll want to check out our new seminar: Structuring the Three Act Documentary. More at the end of this email. Today’s Editing Tip will help you to depict a character’s transformation–by using what screenwriters call the Protagonist’s Statement of Transformation. It’s similar to the Protagonist’s Statement of Desire (see our…
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Documentary Editing Tip #7: Protagonist Desire
January 8, 2015
Over the holidays I watched a number of impressive, Academy-nominated documentaries that incorporate a three-act structure. My next several “Editing Tips” newsletters will showcase examples from these films, as well as invite you to join our upcoming seminar: Structuring the Three Act Documentary. Does your documentary lack a strong narrative drive? Today’s editing tip is called the Protagonist’s Statement of Desire…it’s a great technique for focusing your viewer’s attention on the narrative arc. The Protagonist’s Statement of Desire is generally a sentence or two in which the protagonist simply says what they want. This succinct declaration of the protagonist’s quest…
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