The Documentary Life

If there ever was a Bible for documentary filmmaking, for my money, it would have to be Michael Rabiger‘s Directing the Documentary. The shear volume of books, online courses, podcasts, and How-to Youtube videos that are out there for the indie filmmaker who producers narrative film is probably in the cajillions. However, the amount of material available for the indie filmmaker who is producing documentary work, pales in comparison. Which is what makes Rabiger’s Directing the Documentary all the more important and impressive.

This book literally has everything you could ever want in a book about documentary filmmaking: all phases of documentary filmmaking, the history of the documentary cinema, vocations associated with documentary, the various ways of storytelling, fundraising… you name it, it’s there. And it’s all delivered in a fun, practical, at-times philosophical approach that is quite unique to Rabiger’s vision. We were honoured to have a discussion with Michael Rabiger on this weeks podcast.

• His early career in documentary with the BBC
• How he ended up relocating to America in order to continue working in the industry
• Tips and suggestions for documentary filmmakers on story ideas
• What’s new in the 6th edition of Directing the Documentary

In this episode I provide you will a list of documentary film books that I believe to be essential, or certainly potentially highly beneficial.

Directing the Documentary

by Michael Rabiger

What more can I say about this book? It is THE BIBLE OF DOC FILMMAKERS. Do not wait. Do not pass go. Do not collect your $200. Instead use a part of what would have been your $200 and BUY THIS BOOK NOW. You’ll be able to make your money back… and hopefully more than $200 later on! (Okay, I know, I’m going a bit overboard here, but seriously, this book..!)

In the Blink of an Eye by Walter Murch

This is kind of The Bible of film editing. Am I using the phrase ‘The Bible’ maybe a little too much? Okay, how about The Koran? Or how about the Bhagavad Gita?? Seriously, this straight-forward, no nonsense approach to film editing is the best. Walter Murch IS THE BEST.

The Conversations: Walter Murch and the Art of Editing by Michael Ondaatje

Expand upon your In the Blink of an Eye love but moving to this beautiful work of art. Lots of photos, diagrams, philosophical ramblings a la The Murch, etc. I give this one away as gifts to colleagues. Oh, and Walter Murch IS THE BEST.

Shaking the Money Tree by Morrie Warshawski

We had Morrie on the programme way back in episode #15 . Morrie is the guru of documentary film funding. His foundations-based approach to getting your mission statement, your core values, and your vision statement are the keys to your film funding success. It’s all broken down nicely in Morrie’s book.

The Total Money Makeover

by Dave Ramsey

I know, I know. I’m praising the likes of the D.R. I get it, I’d probably be turned off to this suggestion as well. Like, why on earth would a podcast about doc filmmaking and doc living be talking about the D.R.? Well, finances, that is why. And you need to get right with it. Especially if you’re going to be living a doc life and especially since you’re going to be asking people for money!

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Film marketing & promotions, crowdfunding, and theatrical distribution are topics that, at some point in time, all independent doc filmmakers will need to know about. So if you’re looking to start arming yourself with some knowledge that’s going to potentially culminate in a successful release and maybe even in theatrical distribution then this is the show for you. Among other things we give you 5 tips for crowdfunding.

Two filmmakers who know this journey as well as anyone and are currently having spectacular success with their independent documentary film is Leah Warshawski & Todd Soliday. Their current film, Big Sonia, has not only won over twelve film festival awards, played theatrically in a number of cities, but just this past week set a new record for the all-time highest grossing film to ever play the Glenwood Arts Theatre in Kansas City.

• Crowdfunding strategies outside of the Kickstarter & Indiegogo platforms
• How to run a successful promotions campaign for your theatrical screenings
• How a company like Film Sprout can propel your film to outreach and screenings
• How to film particularly sensitive scenes

Watch the trailer for Big Sonia

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xe1Mq_en-XY

Film Sprout

A boutique distribution firm that helps social-issue filmmakers create

robust community and campus screening initiatives for their documentaries. This was a service that Leah & Todd used for their doc, Big Sonia. They spoke glowingly of the work that Film Sprout did in getting Sonia out into the world!

Women You Should Fund

A rewards-based crowdfunding platform that Todd & Leah were very happy with while working together during their crowdfund campaign. They may be a nice fit for your own campaign!

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The International Documentary Association (IDA) has been nurturing, guiding, and contributing to the projects and lives of documentary filmmakers since its inception in 1982. In the organisation’s words

However, for many of us doc filmmakers who are not really connected to IDA, it can seem like a daunting or even elite organisation if we don’t feel like we have access to its many tools & resources or we don’t live in Los Angles, California (where they are headquartered). But I am here to tell you that it’s all a common misconception, this idea that IDA is for the really big name doc filmmakers or only for those who are working in the industry. In fact, that’s kind of the opposite of who IDA is or who they are for.

But don’t take it from me. Take it from the man himself: Simon Kilmurry, the current executive director of IDA.

• Why IDA is for you, #DocLifer
• All that a membership to IDA will get you and why you should really consider becoming an IDA member
• What newer programs like Doc U online or the Docu Club screenings are
• IDA fiscal sponsorship and grants
• How IDA’s mission is meant to be for all doc filmmakers, not just NY or LA docos

° DocuClub

A work-in-progress screening series.

° Doc U Online

Visit IDA’s signature filmmaker development program

° Getting Real Conference

Consider heading out to Los Angeles for this biennial conference on documentary media. This three-day conference will attract over 800 participants and is the only gathering of its kind in North America. The 2018 edition will take place September 25-27, 2018 in Los Angeles, California.

You can read and/or download the Center for Media & Social Impact Dangerous Documentaries document here.

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The music documentary has a long history as well as a special place in my heart when it comes to documentary films. A couple of my favourite docs of the past few years have fallen into this category. I love geeking out on the programmes about how bands made their most famous albums. The first conversation with an industry guest that we ever had on the show was with John Pirozzi and his music documentary, Don’t Think Ive Forgotten. My wife, Steph, and I are in the middle of making our own music documentary, Elvis of Cambodia. So it shouldn’t really come as a surprise that I’m a big proponent of the music doc, since it’s basically the crossroads of two of my biggest passions: film and music.

What may surprise you is the number of sub-categories that fall into the music documentary genre. Docs about the making-of albums, docs about the music or musician, docs about a musician’s following, docs about specific instruments, docs about the history of a type of music, etc. The list goes on.

Ian McFarland, a musician and director of commercials, music videos, and documentary films, recently is making some big noise – it played Doc NYC and a slew of other name festivals – with his latest music documentary, The Godfathers of Hardcore , a film about two boyhood friends who would go on to lead one of New York’s most recognizable hardcore bands, Agnostic Front. It’s a candid conversation that happens to be one of my faves in a long time (I know, surprise, surprise, I get to talk about music and film!). There is a lot here, especially for aspiring or current music doc makers.

• How documentary filmmaking is not just a creative endeavour, it’s a lifestyle
• How to approach a known band with your doc idea
• A rather unique approach to filming interviews without using a camera

Keep in touch with Ian and his film:

Film Website

Facebook @thegodfathersofhardcore

Instagram: @thegodfathersofhardcoremovie

Twitter: @godfathersofhc

Ian’s Website

° Watch Ian McFarland’s film trailer – The Godfathers of Hardcore

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mJCqQQbq9Fc

° Watch the trailer for one of the best music documentaries of recent years, Searching for Sugarman

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tDw7OqVBT-w

° Watch trailer for music documentary, The Devil and Daniel Johnston

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJZOe65eA4Y

° Watch trailer for music Documentary, Anvil! The Story of Anvil

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=2&v=ZHupiYvm8zo

° Watch teaser for our own music documentary (currently in production) Elvis of Cambodia

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=GAqkmUKoEMY

° Watch in its entirety short documentary, Heavy Metal Parking Lot

https://vimeo.com/152843738

Watch the Gram Parsons documentary, Gram Parsons: Fallen Angel, in its entirety.

Scott Link, and his current project If My Judges Are Ready? Check out more information about #DocLifer Scott’s film by visiting his website. We found Scott because he’s been so active on the TDL Community Group on facebook. You should consider joining too! It’s an amazingly supportive and informative community that is growing every day… and therefore needs YOU, fellow #DocLifer!

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The short form documentary aka micro documentary has been one of the emerging forms of filmmaking over the past decade. The demand and acceptance for this type of content has been so great that even major commercial brands are now hiring doc filmmakers to produce micro docs to be used on social media and Youtube channels.

Doc filmmakers are out there each and every day – often times armed with nothing more than their iPhone and a unique idea – and they’re telling stories that are a little easier on the budget and time commitment, and are easily disseminated to the world via the internet.

Preeti Mankar Deb works for Micro-Documentaries, one of the pre-eminent companies that have been at the forefront of the non fiction short form genre for a while now. Preeti has a great story to tell about her humble beginnings as a journalist in her home country in India, and how this led her to discover a passion a bit more fulfilling to her: documentary film.

• Popularity in the short form doc genre
• Advantages as well as challenges with making micro docs
• Where one can get funding for their micro doc
• How a company like Micro-Documentaries can inform us to make our own better micro docs

Definitely check out this brilliant article on the popularity of micro documentary filmmaking. Great tips for making your own micro doc as well as a great explanation of how people are now consuming content online:

Don’t Blink: A New Age of Micro-Documentary Filmmaking is Dawning

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For the documentary filmmaker, obtaining a grant to do one’s film can sometimes feel akin to the quest for the Holy Grail. And so sitting down to actually construct a well-crafted documentary grant proposal can sometimes feel too overwhelming or intimidating a task. Which is why this episode is for you, #DocLifer!

We’ve started off TDL 3.0 with a bang, tackling a subject that is often talked about but little is actually known about: the mysterious world of the documentary film proposal.

Understandably so, many #DocLifers have reached out to us, requesting a show on this topic… which is why we’ve patiently been waiting for schedules to align to have a conversation with one of the industry’s leading documentary grant proposal writers around, Joanna Rabiger.

• The importance of the grant proposal teaser or 10 min cut
• Why not to write your proposal like a university thesis
• The people awarding the grants are often doc filmmakers themselves
• How using cinematic language on paper is key

The Documentary Core Application Project

The D.C.A.P. is where Joanna highly recommends beginning your documentary grant proposal writing, as many funding organisations either use this core template or something close to it!

In our conversation with Joanna, she stresses the importance of a good trailer or 10 min cut for your grant proposal. One of the books she mentions is by renowned filmmaker and writer, Fernanda Rossi, and her book, Trailer Mechanics: How to Make Your Documentary Fundraising Demo .

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As 2017 draws to a close, it feels like a good time to look back in honor and reflection on the year that was here at TDL, and to then look forward to what will be in 2018.

As we did last year, we took some choice clips from our shared conversation with a doc industry guest segments and fashioned them into a TDL Highlights episode.

I had a lot of fun putting this wrap-up together and hope that you’ll enjoy listening to this look-back on 2017 as well! And I also hope that you’ll be excited about what’s to come in 2018.

Here is a list and direct links to episodes that were used for our Highlights episode:

Peter Broderick

Nate Thayer

Lourdes Portillo

Daniel Raim

Melbourne Documentary Film Festival Special Pt. 1

Jen Brea

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Whether by necessity or aesthetic choice, we doc filmmakers often shoot our projects with minimal crew and gear, sometimes even opting to go entirely solo. There are, of course, advantages and disadvantages to such an approach. We’ll take a look at 5 Advantages to Shooting Solo as a Doc Filmmaker.

In our shared conversation, we’ll talk with filmmaker Jack Ballo, who has recently been making waves with his latest doc, Brothers, a film that he shot entirely with his iPhone!

• how shooting a film with an iPhone was initially an exercise that turned into something bigger
• why shooting with your iPhone allows the filmmaker to concentrate on the filming, instead of their gear
• how shooting with an iPhone almost makes the filmmaker invisible to his/her subjects
• why Jack may never go back to using his “professional” gear ever again

You can check out trailers to two of Jack Ballo’s films, including his feature-length doc, Destiny’s Bridge and his latest iPhone doc, Brothers. And when you’re finished there, feel free to head on over to Jack’s DIY Documentary blog. Lots of posts about Do It Yourself Documentary Filmmaking!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WaWnFdy6-aA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQ9xbregii8

Hot off the presses.. Be one of the first people ever to own your own #DocLifer t-shirt!

We’re sure you want to look as stylish and attractive as this young man, right!?

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The fiscal sponsorship is one of the more critical aspects of a doc filmmaker’s success when seeking funds for their film. And we take a look at 5 things that can help you decide who might be a good fit as your fiscal sponsor. We discuss:

• definition of a fiscal sponsorship
• why the fiscal sponsorship is critical to your fundraising
• 5 specific things to look for in a fiscal sponsor

Podcast Conversation

Just as the fiscal sponsor is important to the doc filmmaker seeking funding for their film, the aspects of promotions, marketing, and distribution is the key to one’s success with their film’s release. Rebekah Louisa Smith founded The Film Festival Doctor, a company that helps the filmmaker design and then implement a full promotional and distribution strategy for their films. We discuss:

• advice for getting into film festivals
• importance of a proper social media strategy
• what are the distribution platforms we should be paying attention to

As mentioned in the episode, we want to provide a small-ish list of some of the more known organizations that offer fiscal sponsorships and here they are:

Bay Area Video Coalition

Center for Independent Documentary

Docs in Progress

Fractured Atlas

From the Heart Productions

Independent Arts and Media

International Documentary Association

Kartemquin Films

San Francisco Film Society

Women in Film and Video

Hot off the presses.. Be one of the first people ever to own your own #DocLifer t-shirt!

We’re sure you want to look as stylish and attractive as this young man, right!?

Head over to our online store and grab yours now.

If you have found value in this podcast please leave a review so it can become more visible to others. Simply click the link and then click on the Ratings and Reviews tab to make your entry. Thank you for your support!

Do you consider yourself a documentary filmmaker or is that a term that you are hesitant to give yourself?

Is there something that is holding you back from your first documentary film?

Perhaps what’s keeping you from being a doc filmmaker, or making your doc film, or living your doc life, is something called imposter syndrome.

Imposter syndrome is a concept that basically describes the inability of an individual to internalize one’s accomplishments as well as having a persistent fear of being exposed as a fraud. And I’m convinced that so many of us doc filmmakers experience this at some point in time in our own doc lives. Which is what we’ll take a look at in our opening segment of today’s podcast.

• Definition of imposter syndrome and how it applies to us #doclifers
• Why you are already a filmmaker qualified to make a documentary
• How you can overcome the fear that you are under-qualified to make your doc film

In our shared conversation, I sat down with Academy Award and Emmy Award-nominated doc filmmaker, Lourdes Portillo. On the eve of her being awarded the prestigious International Documentary Association (IDA)’s Career Achievement Award, we have a frank and open conversation about the state of documentary: what it has meant for her in her life as well as what it might mean for future doc filmmakers and..

• how she became an Oscar-nominated documentary filmmaker with her first film without ever having any prior filmmaking experience
• how aspiring filmmakers today make the mistake of concentrating on all of the shiny and latest camera gear and forget the most important element to a documentary: story
• advice for writing your first grants for your first projects
• what it means to be awarded an IDA Career Achievement Award

Trailer for Lourdes Portillo’s brilliant personal documentary The Devil Never Sleeps (as discussed in the episode)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nA_jAVoY2qY

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