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New Inner Circle Begins April 30th
April 4, 2012
I’m excited to announce that my new Inner Circle 6.0 program begins April 30th! The Inner Circle has become an extremely popular program, helping dozens of filmmakers achieve their vision. Last night, I held a special joint Mastermind Call with Inner Circles 4.0 (now ending) and 5.0 (ongoing). I was so happy to hear about their progress. With the group’s advice and support, one member had gotten an interview with an important government official that he’d been trying to get for years. Several other members of my recently ending Inner Circle 4.0 emailed me after the call to say how…
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Cut Until It Bleeds
March 22, 2012
I’m headed to Hawaii to meet with an Inner Circle client and to have some fun! Meanwhile, I wanted to leave you with one of my popular blogs last year, which will help you in editing your documentary. Here it is: I recently heard a PBS producer use the phrase “cut until it bleeds” to refer to the often painful post-production process. If you’re editing a documentary, chances are you’ve already begun cutting out some treasured sound bites and scenes. Good for you. In my opinion, ninety percent of documentaries that make it to a film festival could use another…
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Talented Documentary Editor Available
March 14, 2012
We currently have a talented editor available. Just yesterday he finished a riveting feature-length documentary being looked at by HBO. If you foresee needing an editor, please contact me. Choosing the right editor is an important, albeit time-consuming process. The stakes are high and you can spend a lot of effort vetting potential candidates. The good news is that I’ve already done a great deal of your due diligence for you. I’ve screened dozens of applicants and then trained a few talented editors in my story-telling expertise. Here’s why you might want to work with a New Doc Editing editor:…
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Best Documentary Links
March 2, 2012
Here are the corrected links from yesterday’s newsletter. Thanks for your patience! To listen to the inspiring NPR interview with the “Undefeated” directors who won Best Documentary Oscar, go to: http://www.npr.org/2012/02/15/146948697/undefeated-a-tale-of-football-teams-struggles To get my popular online seminar “Editing the Character-Driven Documentary” for half-price, go to: https://newdocediting.com/land/editingdocumentaryecourse/ Your price is $97, saving $100 of the normal $197 price. The sale ends in 48 hours.
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Why Character Driven Documentary Won Oscar
March 1, 2012
I wasn’t surprised when “Undefeated” won Sunday’s Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature. Although I haven’t seen this character-driven documentary yet, I heard the directors talk on NPR about how they persisted in gaining enough trust to build a narrative arc over time. Check out the inspiring NPR West report (link below). You’ll hear excerpts from the documentary, as well as what it took for directors Dan Lindsay and T.J. Martin to film 500 hours, including a great climax scene, during the nine months they embedded in Memphis: http://www.wbur.org/npr/147216621/underdog-football-team-shines-in-undefeated Quick correction: Last week, I mentioned attending a wonderful story conference…
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Telling The Great Transition Story
February 21, 2012
The landscape of documentary filmmaking is shifting. For four decades, the bulk of American documentaries have focused on social issue films that documented societal problems. We needed these films. They include “Fahrenheit 9/11”, “The Corporation” and “Inside Job”. But now a new type of documentary is emerging. What is it? The emerging stories confront some of the same issues — environmental destruction, social injustice, and economic ruin — with hopeful ideas rather than doomsday scenarios. According to Duane Elgin, one of the most inspiring speakers at the recent StoryCon2 Conference in LA, “great transition stories” are emerging in both narrative…
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Choosing a Documentary Title
February 15, 2012
I hope you had a Happy Valentine’s Day! Before I share some tips about how to choose a good title, a quick announcement. We currently have two talented and experienced editors available. Our editors are trained by me and will help you structure a highly compelling documentary. In addition, you’ll receive free story consulting from me. Please email me today to learn more. Now…are you trying to choose a great title for your documentary? One that is intriguing and easy to remember? Often filmmakers choose titles that are too generic to be easily recalled. Here are some tips for creating…
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Eckhart Tolle on Transformational Documentaries at GATE
February 7, 2012
I feel excited and “on purpose” as I write this newsletter, just hours after attending the amazing StoryCon conference about making transformational films. And I was delighted to meet up with many of you in Los Angeles! Sponsored by the Global Alliance for Transformational Entertainment (GATE), the StoryCon conference was packed with Hollywood creatives who confirmed what I’ve been writing about for two years: a groundswell of transformational films is jelling into what I called the “new documentary movement”. What are transformational films? The kind that can bring tears of joy to your eyes, which is what happened to me…
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Documentary Film Concept Quiz
January 25, 2012
Even veteran filmmakers (including my ideal story consulting clients) can benefit from taking my Documentary Concept Quiz. But first, a quick announcement. My Inner Cirlce has sold out. I am considering beginning a new Inner Circle and there are a few spots left. This 6-month program for documentary filmmakers begins January 31, 2012. Email me today to learn more. Or click on this link now: newdocediting.com/land/innercircle Back to the quiz…here are seven questions to ask about your core concept for your documentary-in-progress. Take this quiz to see if your concept paper and treatment need to be tweaked (or revamped) to…
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Profitable Docs and One Percent Myth
January 23, 2012
A few years ago I heard a statistic on the useful Doculink forum for documentary filmmakers that chilled my bones. The statistic claimed that only one percent of documentary films are commercially successful. For awhile, I believed it. Now I’m beginning to question that statistic. Where did it come from? Does anyone know? And how accurate is it today, a few short years later, when distribution consultants like Marc Rosenbush and Stacey Parks are helping filmmakers devise innovative roll-out plans to sell your film? And when more filmmakers are selling their films online, keeping all the profit? Before I blow…
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