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New Documentary Storytelling Seminar
January 5, 2015
I hope your holidays were restorative. I want to help you ground whatever New Year’s resolutions you’ve made about your documentary by offering a new storytelling seminar. Beginning January 26th, Structuring the Three Act Documentary will give you the theoretical grounding that helped several of my clients last year win awards, including two Emmy nominations. You will want to take this three-week virtual seminar if you are currently shooting a character-driven documentary. You will learn how to creatively direct scenes, such as an inciting incident or third-act climax, that will shape a powerful narrative arc. You’ll also want to take…
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Where Filmmakers Should Spend Their Money
November 1, 2014
I hope you’re having a good weekend. First off, I’m offering the one remaining spot in our upcoming Inner Circle for $2600 (rather than $3979). You will receive two story consultations rather then three. Email me immediately if you are interested because this final, discounted spot will go quickly: Karen@kareneverett.com I am offering this option because I understand how many filmmakers are caught in the Catch-22 situation of needing money to create trailers and needing a trailer to generate funding. After two decades in the independent documentary world, I’ve come to believe that the #1 place to spend your money…
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Editing Tip #6: Narration for Biographies
October 31, 2014
Are you editing a biography? If so, consider a cutting-edge narration technique that helped The Most Dangerous Man in America get nominated for an Academy Award. This film about Daniel Ellsberg, the man who exposed the Pentagon Papers, conveys terrific dramatic appeal because Ellsberg narrates the documentary himself. Directors Judith Ehrlich and Rick Goldsmith scripted the first-person narration and then asked Ellsberg to record it. The results are breathtakingly intimate and dramatic. What do you do if your film’s subject is dead? That was the challenge facing the directors of Awake: The Life of Yogananda, an unconventional and gripping biography…
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Inner Circle Early Bird Deadline
October 28, 2014
Tomorrow is the deadline for registering for the upcoming Inner Circle. I’m excited to help six filmmakers! Save by registering today at: New Doc Inner Circle 8.0
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Tribeca Seeks Character-Driven Documentaries
October 27, 2014
The Tribeca Film Institute’s Documentary Fund has a unique call that may be a good fit for many of you. They are seeking “exceptional character-driven…projects that sit outside of the social issue landscape.” To help you prepare for their Nov. 5th deadline, I am giving away the first two modules of my popular seminar “Editing the Character-Driven Documentary” (normally $197). Whether or not you are applying to Tribeca, or even making a character-driven documentary, your film will benefit from learning: 1) how to craft a powerful film open, and 2) how to sustain dramatic tension during Act Two. You can…
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Editing Tip #5: Intercutting Story Arcs
October 25, 2014
I made a mistake in editing my PBS documentary I Shall Not Be Removed: The Life of Marlon Riggs. I told the story of this controversial black gay filmmaker chronologically. Story-wise, it worked. But stylistically, the first half of the film plodded along with talking heads, archival footage, and photographs. Visually, it was lifeless. The second half, which followed Marlon’s contemporary quest, powered along with observational footage of my protagonist creating soul-searching art at a furious pace, to outstrip the toll AIDS was taking on his life. For my next biography, about an 85-year old woman who believes the future…
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Free Flight to SF Filmmaker Retreat
October 23, 2014
I am offering six qualified filmmakers who join our upcoming story consulting program a free plane ticket to attend our one-day Filmmaker’s Retreat in San Francisco. In our newly revamped, three-month Inner Circle program, we’ll not only workshop your film in a supportive environment! You’ll benefit from one-on-one story consulting to find your film’s structure, weekly tutorials, and accountability partners. We begin Nov. 5, 2015. Learn more at: New Doc Inner Circle 8.0 Our recent Inner Circle graduate Judy Kohin offers this testimonial regarding their work in the Inner Circle on Uranium Drive-In (Directed by Suzan Beraza), which went on…
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Editing Tip #4: Establish Storytelling Grammar
October 20, 2014
Here’s an editing tip that will ensure that your documentary conveys a cohesive artistic style. I call it “establishing your film’s storytelling grammar.” Within the first 5-7 minutes of your film, give the viewer a sneak preview of all your unique storytelling devices. These include any visual, auditory or editing techniques that convey your film’s signature style. For example, if your film includes animation or a special graphic treatment, debut it within the first seven minutes. Or if you are using jump cuts as part of your editing style, reveal the first jump cut at the start of your film…
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Free Critique of Footage
October 17, 2014
Deadlines for some major film grants are coming up soon (Tribeca, ITVS), so I am offering a free critique of an excerpt from your documentary to the first five filmmakers to get back to me. Here’s how it works: First, email me a link to your cut (or fundraising trailer): karen@newdocediting.com I will review up to five minutes of footage, so tell me which section you want me to critique. Second, we will schedule a free 20-minute phone consultation to discuss what’s working and how you might improve your documentary. To further help you prepare for fundraising and post-production, I…
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New Inner Circle for Filmmakers
October 15, 2014
Last year I was sitting on the beach feeling lonely. Since retiring from teaching at the graduate documentary program at UC Berkeley, I missed the support and thrill of intellectual camaraderie. I was in the process of making my sixth documentary. I longed for a filmmaking community with whom to collaborate on a weekly basis, not just an evening workshop. Where could I go to get help with the dozens of decisions I needed to make, from raising funds to hiring an animator to judging if my narration was working? I decided then and there to create the filmmaking group…
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