Getting Around the Creative Roadblock
Last weekend I taught a seminar on “Structuring the Character Driven Documentary”. My twelve students, who had each paid about $200 to attend, were exuberant on day one with all that they were learning about how to apply the three-act structure to documentary films.
But by day two, many of them had hit a roadblock. They were realizing that their film ideas did not stand up to the requirements of dramatic storytelling. In other words, many didn’t have a real story. Now what?
Although this dip in student confidence happens every time I teach this class, I found myself having to think on my feet rather quickly. “I’ve made five documentaries that have played in more than 150 film festivals,” I told my students, “and with each of them, I hit a low point during the making of the film.” The creative “dark night of the soul” when one despairs if one has a film at all is a stage that they should expect, I told them.
I pointed out that a good story is not easy to find. But now that they know what it takes to tell a riveting character-driven documentary, they can find it with more investigation into their characters’ lives. We then brainstormed possible scenes for two student films.
One of the student filmmakers, his face transformed with elation by the end of the class, thanked me profusely. The other student, Naomi Ture, later emailed me about the experience:
“I want to thank you for the invaluable insights you provided us during the class! Your precise methodology, teaching style and generosity exceeded all my expectations…After a year of struggling with the story, I feel that my sails are headed in the right direction again.”
If you want to feel like your film is headed in the right direction, I invite you to check out the online version of my weekend seminar. Filmed live at the San Francisco Film Society, “Editing the Character Driven Documentary” will show you how to craft a riveting film that will keep your audience engaged.
Like the hundreds of documentary filmmakers who have taken the live course, you’ll learn precisely the kind of scenes that each of the three acts requires–and how to order these scenes to create suspense.
You can get the first of six video tutorials for only $1. As with all my online seminars, “Editing the Character Driven Documentary” comes with a money-back guarantee.
I can’t stress how helpful this material is. I know of no other resource that explains how documentary filmmakers can craft their footage into an engaging narrative arc with the same precision that screenwriters use. I am honored to be able to shed light on this endeavor and help filmmakers achieve their vision.
Check it out at: https://newdocediting.com/land/editingdocumentaryecourse/
On a different topic…to clarify my previous posting on Oprah’s involvement with documentaries, her new network OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network is creating a Documentary Film Club to spotlight cinematic documentaries that inspire and entertain. They acquire finished films, but are also producing several original documentaries. There is not a fund, but the OWN Documentary Film Club is sure to bring more exposure to the genre. A network spokesperson provided me with an overview of the initiative.
She said that “OWN’s Documentary Film Club aims to engage audiences in the same manner that Oprah’s Book Club significantly changed the reading habits of the country.” Talk show host Rosie O’Donnell is a collaborator for the OWN Documentary Film Club. selecting key films and hosting specials that inspire deeper conversations.
