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What a Story Is Not
April 28, 2010
I teach at a journalism school (at UC Berkeley), and our graduate students use the term “story” about as loosely as many documentary film makers do. For example, one of my TV news students might say, “I’ve got a great story. It’s about a new trend in social media.” Likewise, I’ve heard many documentary filmmakers say something to the effect of, “I can’t figure out the story,” when what they really mean is, that they can’t figure out their film’s structure. Screenwriters use the term “story” to mean something very specific. Documentary filmmakers who want to get funding for their…
Read More...Tips for Interview Questions
April 27, 2010
I recently sent out an e-mail asking for suggestions for an exciting new program I’m working on, which I’ll be announcing very soon, to help filmmakers structure engaging documentaries. I’m getting some great responses! If you have ideas for topics you would like to see covered in this unique structural guide, and in particular, problems you are facing in crafting your film, please let me know. Here’s a sneak preview of one of the strategies I’ll be sharing in the new program. Often filmmakers end up in the edit room without the right material they need to structure a film.…
Read More...Fascinating ITVS Survey for Documentary Filmmakers
April 22, 2010
The data from ITVS’s 2009 Digital Survey is in, and the results are fascinating. If you’re wondering how to write your distribution plan for your documentary film, take heed. While “television is still king,” and DVD sales are down, the Internet is driving revenues at an unprecedented pace, according to the survey. What does this mean for you? While there are a proliferation of distribution options, you should definitely look into Internet sales as a chief source of recouping your investment and even making a profit. While today a mere 1% of documentary films actually turn a profit, according to…
Read More...“Sweetgrass” Lulls Without Real Documentary Story
April 21, 2010
With all due respect to the directors of “Sweetgrass”, I walked out of the theater because I found this newly-released documentary so boring. To be fair, this beautifully shot documentary about sheep ranching has garnered many positive reviews, and it was still getting a good turnout after a two-week run at the Roxie Cinema in San Francisco. I really wanted to like the film, especially because for once I had nothing to do on a Sunday afternoon. The problem really was with the film’s genre. “Sweetgrass” is a classic portrait documentary, an in-depth look at a particular place, the majestic…
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Documentary Survey
April 20, 2010
Last Fall I sent out a one-question survey asking thousands of filmmakers, including the hundreds with whom I’ve corresponded in my work as a story consultant, what their number-one question was about how to structure their documentary film. The results from our community of independent filmmakers were fascinating-and confirmed a project that I’ve been working on for months to assist filmmakers in structuring their films. I’m now putting the finishing touches on it, and I’d like your help. While the project is still under wraps, I can tell you that this three-month guide to documentary storytelling can easily shave eight…
Read More...Editing an “Inciting Sequence” For Your Documentary
April 16, 2010
We are currently editing a personal documentary about a man, let’s call him John, who finds out the secret behind his adoption. John discovered the secret at age 18, and this discovery would seem to be the film’s obvious inciting incident, right? However, since our protagonist did not really take action on this stunning revelation until his mid-30’s, this documentary requires a different approach to the inciting incident. Our challenge has been to locate the event or decision that launches John’s investigation into the events surrounding his adoption at birth. Like many quests in real life, there was no sole…
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Secret Memo Reveals Editing Lore
April 15, 2010
An extraordinary memo from the executive producer of a CBS drama recently surfaced on the web. David Mamet, head of the now canceled show “The Unit” pens an extremely insightful memo to his writing staff. You can find it at: http://www.movieline.com/2010/03/david-mamets-memo-to-the-writers-of-the-unit.php. Referring to the business staff as “blue suited penguins,” Mamet underscores the essential keys to writing an engaging drama. Among other essentials, he says that every scene must address these three questions: Who wants what? What happens if she doesn’t get it? Why now? As a documentary filmmaker, you may think you know how to compose a three-act structure.…
Read More...Roy G. Dean Fund Ripe For Visionary Filmmakers
April 13, 2010
One of my heroes in the documentary film community is Carole Dean. You may have heard of her through her grant program, the Roy W. Dean Fund, which offers grants to films that might not otherwise get made. I urge you to apply for her upcoming grant cycles (more info below) because you will not only invite funding your documentary with a hefty grant, but you are guaranteed a valuable free consultation with Carol just for applying. If you are applying, let me give you a big tip. Carole funds filmmakers who project a passion and sense of certainty that…
Read More...Six Ways to Open Your Documentary Film
April 8, 2010
Editing an opening to your documentary film can easily be the most difficult scene to craft. The opening scene must immediately hook the viewer and then quickly lead to some sense of what the film is about. How do you do this? I recently came across a great newsletter from a San Francisco-based business, DV Workshops. They suggest six killer ways to open your documentary film in a way that will grip viewers straight out of the gate. Check it out at http://www.dvworkshops.com/newsletters/Sixways1.html You can also learn more about how to craft a great documentary open at https://newdocediting.com/land/editingdocumentaryecourse/.
Read More...“Container” Approach Is Emerging Trend in Documentary Filmmaking
April 6, 2010
I was fascinated by recent article in The Independent about the making of a documentary that recently premiered at Silverdocs, Long Distance Love. Directed by two Swedish filmmakers, the film is about a young Muslim couple and their quest to find work in Moscow. What’s interesting about this film is the directors’ approach to creating situations in which the subjects talk openly about what they’re going through. Although the film contains many vérité moments, it gets its emotional juice from the directors controlled staging of critical conversations. “As the filmmakers maintained more control, creating very specific circumstances for the subjects…
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