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The Future of Filmmaking is Integral
September 11, 2013
I’ve recently fallen in love with Ken Wilber, the thought leader of Integral Theory, and I got to thinking, what would “integral filmmaking” look like? Integral documentary films would be less about blaming the bad guy and more about investigating solutions that are just now emerging. Without getting too nerdy about Wilber’s take on spiral dynamics theory…think about filmmaking sensibilities in terms of stages of human development. A modernist film (orange, if you’re familiar with the color-coded spiral dynamics model) would champion progress with a capital “P”. A post-modern documentary (green) would promote egalitarianism and critique the excesses of modernity,…
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Free Critique of Film Footage
September 9, 2013
I’m offering ten fortunate filmmakers a free critique of their footage. Want to throw your hat in the ring? Here’s how it works: If chosen for this complimentary mini-story consulting session, you’ll send me up to five minutes of your footage, and I will critique what’s working, what’s not, and how to improve your film. If you are selected for this offer, I will ask you to send me one of the following: 1. Your trailer or your Kickstarter/IndieGoGo campaign (your film’s calling card). 2. The first five minutes of your film (the most difficult to craft and important to…
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Four Interview Tips and New Story Circle
September 5, 2013
Recently I had a rather unpleasant interviewing experience. My interviewee was nervous, and his way of coping was to object to nearly every question I posed. Worse, I had allowed the subject of my film, Barbara Marx Hubbard, to sit in on the interview. She observed his antagonism and my frustrated attempts to engage him. Before I reveal the lesson in this story, as well as four tips for interviewing documentary subjects, first an important announcement! I am offering six committed filmmakers an opportunity to join our New Doc Inner Circle 7.0. Learn more about how this popular story consulting…
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Three Templates for Creating a Great Film Pitch, Part 2
September 2, 2013
Still trying to create your film’s elevator pitch? More tips in a moment! First, I’m pleased to announce I’ve opened registration for our New Doc Inner Circle 7.0. This popular 3-month story consulting program begins September 30th, 2013. For more about joining this supportive group of filmmakers, go to: newdocediting.com/land/innercircle Now…I’ve developed some simple techniques to help you nail your documentary’s elevator pitch that have helped hundreds of filmmakers. If you can’t write out an engaging elevator pitch within 10 minutes after reading this short e-mail, then I suggest you spend time further developing your film’s structure. Here are three…
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Six Tips to Creating a Great Film Pitch, Part 1
August 25, 2013
I am thrilled to be at Burning Man practicing my film’s new elevator pitch! Since there are no elevators here, it’s my playa pitch. Have you been working on your film for sometime without creating your pitch? I confess that I have, and last week I nailed it. Why is nailing your elevator pitch so important? Because over the course of making your documentary, you will get asked hundreds of times, “What’s your film about?” And every time you answer that question, you have an opportunity to hone your film’s concept and tone for future viewers. If you can’t connect…
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Last Day to Register
August 17, 2013
Have you ever suffered the isolation of being a “solo-preneur”? Filmmakers often feel lonely, particularly during pre-production and post-production. In my next seminar, you’ll have the opportunity to meet like-minded filmmakers and join “The New Documentary Movement”. In addition to storytelling tutorials, you can ask questions that pertain to your project and increase your bond with other filmmakers. Don’t worry if you need to miss a live class; you can email questions in advance and listen to the recording later. We begin our first class tomorrow, Monday, August 19th. Register at: The Three Act Documentary
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Three Innovations and Screening Guide
August 14, 2013
Yesterday I spent a glorious morning hiking the hills above the IONS campus (Institute for Noetic Sciences) contemplating how to make my next documentary seminar the best ever. But first…I want to give you this wonderful free guide, “How to Hold a Successful Documentary Screening”, at: https://newdocediting.com/client-resources/documentary_fil_rough_cut_screening Born out of deep soul searching and a love for creativity, here are two reasons why “Structuring the Three Act Documentary” (beginning on August 19th) is the best seminar you can take to craft a compelling documentary. (I’ll share the final innovation in my next email.) First, is your doc such a downer…
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Early Bird Registration Ends Today
August 8, 2013
Today is the last day to register at the early bird savings price for Structuring the Three Act Documentary. You can save $100 by registering today for this 5-week, information-packed seminar, which begins August 19th: https://newdocediting.com/products/structuring-the-three-act-documentary
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Structuring the Topic Driven Documentary
August 6, 2013
I hope you had a good weekend. Before I share information on how to structure a topic-driven documentary, please note that the early-bird registration for my new seminar “Structuring the Three-Act Documentary” ends in two days. Our last seminar sold out: https://newdocediting.com/products/structuring-the-three-act-documentary Topic-driven documentaries are often structured around ideas, rather than a character on a quest. Most of Michael Moore’s documentaries are good examples; they feature characters but are structured like an essay. These essay-style films tend to be organized in three “parts”, which I distinguish from the three “acts” of a character-driven film. There are several three-part templates popular…
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Focus Your Inciting Incident
August 1, 2013
Last week I had the extraordinary opportunity to interview more than 45 thought leaders for my PBS-targeted documentary about Barbara Marx Hubbard. During these interviews, I was reminded of a storytelling principle that will help focus your film’s Inciting Incident. As you may know, this important catalyst event sets off your protagonist’s quest. You can further define that quest through what I call the Protagonist’s Statement of Desire. This is a line or two in which the protagonist (or a related character, or the narrator) states what he or she is wanting. It’s a way of focusing your viewer on…
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