Sheffield DocFest Podcast

Molly Dineen, one of Britain’s most acclaimed documentary filmmakers, is known for her intimate and probing portraits of British individuals and institutions – ranging from her debut film, Home from the Hill (1987), which made a star of its protagonist Colonel Hilary Hook to the BAFTA-winning Lie of the Land (2007), which explores the harsh realities of life as a British farmer. In this session, Molly will share over 20 years of experience in making documentaries; discussing, among other things, how her style and approach have developed and explaining why she’s not a ‘fly-on-the-wall’.

The director’s role is becoming more fragmented in some factual programmes. Programmes are increasingly made to conform to strict pre-set formats with less room for distinct and innovative authors’ voices, with filming and post-production split between individual directors and edit producers. What impact does this have on the quality of programmes and the careers and skills of directors? Directors UK hosts this session on the problems directors face and the future of the director’s role.

Off screen, Britain’s institutions – from the NHS to the police - are increasingly facing a crisis of trust. Many have responded by inviting camera crews in to offer a closer insight into their inner workings resulting in hit shows such as Keeping Britain Alive, Britain Behind Bars and Coppers. Do such collaborations offer an important corrective to a cynical mistrust in institutions, or is there always a trade-off to be made by ‘embedded’ journalists for such access? Are they just free PR for a finely controlled ‘good news’ narrative, or a genuine commitment to transparency?

Interviews are a major weapon in the filmmaker's armoury. But how, when and where should they be deployed, how do you prepare, and how can you get to what you really want - the truth? In this session, four of the best filmmakers in the business - Bart Layton, Vanessa Engle, Olly Lambert and Richard Macer - give expert insight into the skill of interviewing. Drawing on clips of their own work - as well as others they admire - the session will give an insight into the secrets behind how some of the best interviews in documentaries have been bagged. To do so the tables will be turned on our four panellists, giving us a chance to see them in action - live on stage. In this session they will be both interviewer AND interviewee. Each will interview another filmmaker before swapping seats and sitting in the hot seat themselves. The subject matter: how to conduct an interview, of course. But will they get to the truth?
Ever found yourself in the back of a cab hurriedly writing down questions on the way to the master interview? Ever sat in an edit and wished you'd ask the killer question which now seems so obvious? Listen and learn from the masters and these things will surely never happen again - or your money back.*

*not really.

How much do filmmakers really get paid? Where does the money go? Who gets it? By examining the financial models for filmmaking in both North America and Europe, the panel will reveal just how films get financed and who gets the money. What are the differences between territories and who benefits the most. The panelists will reveal the real budgets, cost reports and financing deals on their projects in order to understand what works, and how we can all work together to improve the transparency and effectiveness of the documentary funding system globally, so that filmmakers are paid fairly.

To celebrate ten years of the classic, award-winning genealogy series Who Do You Think You Are?, the show’s creator and Executive Producer, Alex Graham, will be joined on stage by a Director and a Producer from the show, and Larry Lamb, who has undergone the Who Do You Think You Are? experience.

Join legendary film editor Walter Much in this fascinating masterclass covering his body of work, including his new feature documentary Particle Fever, which is screening at this year's Doc/Fest. Universally acknowledged as a master of picture editing and sound design, Murch has worked with, among others, director Francis Ford Coppola on such cinematic milestones as The Conversation, The Godfather I, II and III, and Apocalypse Now. From the point of view of someone who started working in theatrical features when computers were completely absent, to now 45 years later when they are omnipresent, Murch will explore the constants that nonetheless remain after the "bones" of celluloid and sprockets have dissolved away, and examine the salient technical, artistic, and philosophical differences between the post-production of a theatrical scripted film and a feature-length documentary.