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NETA Documentary Winners Prepare TV Cutdown
March 22, 2022
Happy Spring! Last month several filmmakers whose films we helped edit emailed me excitedly. Each of their films had been accepted by NETA (National Educational Telecommunications Association): The Lodge, We Said No! No!, The Coop Wars and Baba Babee Skazala! As NETA recipients, they will all have their films packaged into acceptable PBS lengths, promoted to target audiences, and then made available on American Public Television stations. El Susto will be released digitally on April 5, 2002. Watch it on Amazon Prime, along with another documentary we helped shape, Citizen Ashe, about the life and work of Arthur Ashe. Converting…
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“I Shall Not Be Removed” is back
March 8, 2022
Last week the director of UC Berkeley’s documentary program, where I taught editing for 18 years, asked me for a streaming link to my first post-graduate feature. I had to admit I didn’t have one. I Shall Not Be Removed: The Life of Marlon Riggs premiered on PBS in 1996, shortly after this Black, gay filmmaker died of AIDS at 37. Recently acquired by the Criterion Collection for their prestigious DVD collection, this biography of my beloved mentor hasn’t been available to stream lately. So big thanks this week to my distributor California Newsreel for providing this $2.99 rental link!…
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Film Reveals Ukrainian Resilience
March 3, 2022
Have you wondered recently where the Ukrainian spirit of resilience comes from? Look no further than Baba Babee Skazala (Grandmother Told Grandmother). Watch this documentary for two reasons. First, to understand its war-torn history (which I didn’t know about when we began editing the film). During WWII, Ukraine was crushed by Nazi Germany on the West and the Soviets on the East. “I could see trucks loaded with people, crying, because they were sent to Siberia,” says aging Maria Figlus, who left Ukraine at age 18. Many Ukrainian citizens became known as DP’s, or Displaced Persons. But the displacement oddly…
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Webinar Tomorrow: Raise Film Funds Through Conferences
January 19, 2022
The word is spreading! Filmmakers are far more likely to raise funding through conferences than through typical film grants. How? Tomorrow (1/20) I’ll co-host an interactive webinar called Conferences: your Fundraising Secret Weapon. In this free webinar, my co-host Keith Ochwat will show you how to find associations that want to screen a 15-20 minute version of your documentary at their conference. Then I’ll share four methods to edit your feature doc (or raw footage) into a compelling conference cut! Join us or get the recording by registering here.
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Screen Your Documentary at a Conference?
January 14, 2022
I met filmmaker Keith Ochwat long before he began his successful platform for filmmakers, Show&Tell. Even then, I was impressed with his ability to make money from his own documentaries. Now he’s guiding other filmmakers to do the same. Please join us on January 20th for an interactive webinar: Conferences: your Fundraising Secret Weapon. We’ll discuss where to find conferences that will pay to screen your film, how long a conference doc should be, and how to edit the perfect conference cut—from a feature or from scratch! Register here to participate live and/or receive the recording. This webinar is free.
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Link to Film Funding Trailer Webinar
December 1, 2021
I’ve received several requests to view the Film Funding Trailer Webinar that I did with Carole Dean last week. You can view the entire seminar here. Scroll down to Part 3; my tutorial begins at 6:30. Participant Helen Hunt emailed Carole, “It’s the first time I’ve experienced a demonstration in ‘real time’ of a trailer editor actually editing a trailer.” Also, see chapters 23 and 24 in my free e-book Documentary Editing for information on editing other lengths of your feature documentary: a Sample Reel for grants, a Community Screening version, or an “hour” for television.
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Thanksgiving Seminar Sale Extended
November 28, 2021
I’m extending our Thanksgiving sale seminar of “The Ultimate Guide to Structuring Your Documentary” for another 24 hours. Initially selling for $297, our most popular and comprehensive seminar reveals how to structure any style of documentary. Now you can buy it for $50 during our Black Friday Seminar Sale! Purchase here. You’ll also receive for free my seminar on “Editing the Character Driven Documentary” (formerly $197). In the unlikely event that your expectations aren’t met, I will immediately give you a full refund, no questions asked. Just email me within one year of purchasing for a complete refund!
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Black Friday – Documentary Seminar Sale
November 26, 2021
To celebrate Thanksgiving and Native American Heritage Day, I’m offering a Black Friday sale on two of my popular documentary seminars. Click here to buy The Ultimate Guide to Structuring Your Documentary (formerly sold for $297.97) for $50. With your purchase, I’m also including my second seminar “Editing the Character Driven Documentary” for free. Here’s what Emmy-Award-winning director Paige Bierma had to say about The Ultimate Guide to Structuring Your Documentary: “This class was invaluable for bringing into crystal clear focus the three-act structure as it applies to documentary filmmaking.”
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Trailer Editing Webinar is Tomorrow!
November 17, 2021
Thank you to the many filmmakers who sent me their fundraising trailers! I’ve picked one to critique in tomorrow’s free webinar “Editing Your Film Funding Trailer”. Join me with experts Carole Dean and Breianne Pryse to discuss how to structure a riveting trailer. We’ll also explain best lengths, projected costs, and what materials to give your trailer editor. If you can’t make it live on Thursday, November 18th at 10 a.m. PT, no worries! Register anyway to receive access the webinar recording. Live participants will be able to ask questions. To prepare for this webinar, please download for free my…
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Editing Your Film Funding Trailer
November 9, 2021
I’m excited to announce a free webinar next Thursday: “Editing Your Film Funding Trailer”. My brilliant colleague Carole Dean and I will discuss how to create an eye-catching trailer that can raise money for your film. I will also critique a fundraising trailer, pointing out what’s working and what’s not. If you would like to be considered for this critique, please send me your fundraising trailer (up to 4 minutes). You can register here. If you can’t make it live on Thursday, November 18th at 10 a.m. PT, register anyway so you can access the recording. We will take your…
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