The Documentary Life

In the past, documentary cinematography has been in the shadow of narrative feature's, overlooked because of certain, perhaps unfair assumptions about the craft.

Well, that is no longer the case since the American Society of Cinematographers, as of this year, has an award for Outstanding Achievement in Non-Fiction Filmmaking.

And cinematographers, Fejmi Daut and Samir Ljuma, of the Academy Award nominated, Honeyland, were the recipients of that inaugural award. (Not to mention a host of other cinematography awards!)

And so we have today's episode which is entirely dedicated to the craft of documentary cinematography!

Topics Discussed

• host Chris G. Parkhurst talks about what makes a good documentary cinematographer and where we can find them
• what it's like working as a two person cinematography team
• how the shooting style changed dramatically midway into filming due to an unforeseen shift in story
• working without power in rural Macedonia
• achieving the perpetual golden hour look of Honeyland

FREE DOWNLOAD OF HONEYLAND CONVERSATION PART TWO

As mentioned in the show, there is much more to my conversation with cinematographers, Fejmi Daut and Samir Ljuma. Too much to put into a single show!

To listen to the second part of that conversation head over HERE for your free download!

Trailer for Honeyland

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B27ORUHlp6E

Finding the star of Honeyland

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dj9mT91fe64

Honeyland at DOCNYC

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lJo1dvoo67k

Music Vine

Thank you to music licensing platform, Music Vine for contributing the wonderful music that we’ve used in this week’s episode.

We’ve used many music licensing platforms over the years for commercials, corporate videos, and documentaries and these guys are definitely different.

Their music catalogue is truly fresh, diverse, full of character, their search engine is as straight forward and user friendly and their licensing fees? Unlike anywhere else we have come across.

If you need any music for your doc project, we can honestly recommend Music Vine.

And make sure to use our promo code to get an additional 15 percent off of any subscription!!

PROMO CODE: doclife15

Today's episode is only the beginning of the conversation. Now it's time to have your voice heard, #doclifer!

So where can you do this?

WHAT IS THE D-WORD

The D-Word began in 1996 as a series of online journal entries by filmmaker Doug Block depicting the joy and angst of making and selling his feature documentary, Home Page. In the words of Mr. Block, "it was meant to inform, inspire, humor and depress the hell out of working or aspiring documentary filmmakers, or anyone else interested in the filmmaking process, for that matter!"

We had Doug on the show way back in EPISODE #105, where he discussed those early days working as an independent documentary filmmaker. And how this would lead him to creating the first incarnation of The D-Word.

The D-Word has long-since evolved into a virtual community and is now the largest, longest-running one of its kind, currently numbering more than 19,000 members from 147 countries.

Its focus is now on hosting free discussions on documentary film and production and leading a documentary life. Sound familiar?

° Free Music Archive – Special Thank You to recording artist, Dlay who supplied music for this week’s episode of TDL. You too can download his music or other artists’ music by going to Free Music Archive today!

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!

It wasn't that long ago when reality television was a dirty word that incited some pretty strong feelings among the documentary filmmaking crowd. However, non fiction television has come a long way in the past few years.

Of course, don't take my word for it. Take it from fellow documentary filmmaker, Joe Litzinger, who is the executive producer of some of non fiction tv's most well known and respected (did I say respected?) shows.

Topics Discussed

• host Chris G. Parkhurst talks about how documentary filmmakers can use their abilities to advantage in other avenues of production
• why doc filmmakers are well suited for reality television
• how one procures work in the reality tv industry
• the advantages of shooting a documentary film over reality tv
• how reality television supports Joe Litzinger's documentary life

Trailer for Zulu Summer

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E-BcYvbbl-s

Trailer for Will Work for Views

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nx2Nt1cYA0E

Behind the Scenes for Life Below Zero

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tTBmwAhCd4c&list=PLh_0X_RDOHqHuDMD3ft0cZ7gqlF6kHhsE&index=14

Today's episode is only the beginning of the conversation. Now it's time to have your voice heard, #doclifer!

So where can you do this?

WHAT IS THE D-WORD

The D-Word began in 1996 as a series of online journal entries by filmmaker Doug Block depicting the joy and angst of making and selling his feature documentary, Home Page. In the words of Mr. Block, "it was meant to inform, inspire, humor and depress the hell out of working or aspiring documentary filmmakers, or anyone else interested in the filmmaking process, for that matter!"

We had Doug on the show way back in EPISODE #105, where he discussed those early days working as an independent documentary filmmaker. And how this would lead him to creating the first incarnation of The D-Word.

The D-Word has long-since evolved into a virtual community and is now the largest, longest-running one of its kind, currently numbering more than 19,000 members from 147 countries.

Its focus is now on hosting free discussions on documentary film and production and leading a documentary life. Sound familiar?

° Free Music Archive – Special Thank You to recording artist, Dlay who supplied music for this week’s episode of TDL. You too can download his music or other artists’ music by going to Free Music Archive today!

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!

Documentary filmmaking during this time of a pandemic is something that so many of us doc filmmakers are contemplating. Or doing. Or not doing.

Today's episode is filled with both a discussion on the ethics of documentary production during this time as well as best practices & safety protocol for those of us who are making our docs during this time.

Documentary filmmaker and TDL host, Chris G. Parkhurst, delves into this discussion with IDA's Carrie Lozano and award-winning documentary filmmaking, Heidi Ewing.

Topics Discussed

• Chris G. Parkhurst's tips for filming during this time of Covid
• the whats, whys, hows of IDA's The Ethics of Documentary Production in a Pandemic
• how Carrie Lozano's background in both journalism and documentary filmmaker has made her uniquely positioned to discuss filming during this time
• why award-winning documentary filmmaker, Heidi Ewing has chosen to film during this time
• how documentary filmmaking inherently is made up of a number of ethical decisions
• Ewing's best practices & safety protocol for doc filmmakers

Read for yourself IDA's The Ethics of Documentary Production in a Pandemic

Today's episode is only the beginning of the conversation. Now it's time to have your voice heard, #doclifer!

So where can you do this?

WHAT IS THE D-WORD

The D-Word began in 1996 as a series of online journal entries by filmmaker Doug Block depicting the joy and angst of making and selling his feature documentary, Home Page. In the words of Mr. Block, "it was meant to inform, inspire, humor and depress the hell out of working or aspiring documentary filmmakers, or anyone else interested in the filmmaking process, for that matter!"

We had Doug on the show way back in EPISODE #105, where he discussed those early days working as an independent documentary filmmaker. And how this would lead him to creating the first incarnation of The D-Word.

The D-Word has long-since evolved into a virtual community and is now the largest, longest-running one of its kind, currently numbering more than 19,000 members from 147 countries.

Its focus is now on hosting free discussions on documentary film and production and leading a documentary life. Sound familiar?

° Free Music Archive – Special Thank You to recording artist, Dlay who supplied music for this week’s episode of TDL. You too can download his music or other artists’ music by going to Free Music Archive today!

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!

Questions of race and who has the right to tell another person's or culture's or race's stories have recently been at the forefront of the documentary community's collective consciousness.

More than that, it's been the subject of recent debate and discussion, whether in industry-led panels, major publications, or social media.

Documentary filmmaker and TDL host, Chris G. Parkhurst, delves into this difficult, sometimes divisive discussion with two of documentary's own, Marjan Safinia and Grace Lee.

Topics Discussed

• how Safinia and Lee came to collaborate on PBS' And She Could Be Next
• overlook at discussions of race in the documentary community over the past few months
• who has the right to tell a story and why
• how people of color in the American documentary industry can have less access and resources than their white counterparts
• How minorities are looking to reclaim and change the way that their stories are being told

Teaser, And She Could Be Next

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qPgO1J-Y2DY

Today's episode is only the beginning of the conversation. Now it's time to have your voice heard, #doclifer!

So where can you do this?

WHAT IS THE D-WORD

The D-Word began in 1996 as a series of online journal entries by filmmaker Doug Block depicting the joy and angst of making and selling his feature documentary, Home Page. In the words of Mr. Block, "it was meant to inform, inspire, humor and depress the hell out of working or aspiring documentary filmmakers, or anyone else interested in the filmmaking process, for that matter!"

We had Doug on the show way back in EPISODE #105, where he discussed those early days working as an independent documentary filmmaker. And how this would lead him to creating the first incarnation of The D-Word.

The D-Word has long-since evolved into a virtual community and is now the largest, longest-running one of its kind, currently numbering more than 19,000 members from 147 countries.

Its focus is now on hosting free discussions on documentary film and production and leading a documentary life. Sound familiar?

° Free Music Archive – Special Thank You to recording artist, Dlay who supplied music for this week’s episode of TDL. You too can download his music or other artists’ music by going to Free Music Archive today!

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!

Lyndon Stone is the founder and festival director of Melbourne Documentary Film Festival. Melody Gilbert is a documentary filmmaker well acquainted with the world of film festivals.

In light of Covid events, both the festival director and filmmaker, have had to pivot their approaches to documentary film festivals.

This is the kind of discussion we documentary filmmakers have been wanting to have ever since the pandemic greatly impacted our doc lives.

Topics Discussed

• how Lyndon Stone has incorporated a hybrid approach to this year's MDFF
• how the virtual festival can actually be a good thing for both the festival director as well as the documentary filmmaker
• why doco Melody Gilbert was initially hesitant to premiere her documentary feature at MSPIFF which
• how an online film festival might actually be very advantageous to the independent documentary filmmaker

Teaser for Silicone Soul

https://vimeo.com/350156250

Check out the full roster of this year's Melbourne Documentary Film Festival!

Music Vine

Thank you to music licensing platform, Music Vine for contributing the wonderful music that we’ve used in this week’s episode.

We’ve used many music licensing platforms over the years for commercials, corporate videos, and documentaries and these guys are definitely different.

Their music catalogue is truly fresh, diverse, full of character, their search engine is as straight forward and user friendly and their licensing fees? Unlike anywhere else we have come across.

If you need any music for your doc project, we can honestly recommend Music Vine.

And make sure to use our promo code to get an additional 15 percent off of any subscription!!

PROMO CODE: doclife15

° Free Music Archive – Special Thank You to recording artist, Dlay who supplied music for this week’s episode of TDL. You too can download his music or other artists’ music by going to Free Music Archive today!

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!

Mickey Lemle has made documentary films about some of the most brilliant individuals in the modern world.

From His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama to Ram Dass to Sir Laurens van der Post, Lemle has been rubbing shoulders with great minds who all have very spiritual & compassionate ways of living. Lemle has had the splendid fortune to be able to tell their stories.

Topics Discussed

• how Lemle’s time in Nepal in the Peace Corps informed him about Tibet and in turn led to his making his first documentary film
• how/why he treats doc filmmaking as personal exploration
• how to make one’s spiritual documentary accessible to a wider audience
• the power of a meditation practice to doc filmmakers
• tips for interviewing the most incredible minds of the world

Teaser for The Last Dalai Lama?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5v_Rpg_36ig

Teaser for Compassion in Exile

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uDXbAPx2kew

To check out Mickey Lemle's full roster of DOCUMENTARY FILMS.

Music Vine

Thank you to music licensing platform, Music Vine for contributing the wonderful music that we’ve used in this week’s episode.

We’ve used many music licensing platforms over the years for commercials, corporate videos, and documentaries and these guys are definitely different.

Their music catalogue is truly fresh, diverse, full of character, their search engine is as straight forward and user friendly and their licensing fees? Unlike anywhere else we have come across.

If you need any music for your doc project, we can honestly recommend Music Vine.

And make sure to use our promo code to get an additional 15 percent off of any subscription!!

PROMO CODE: doclife15

° Free Music Archive – Special Thank You to recording artist, Dlay who supplied music for this week’s episode of TDL. You too can download his music or other artists’ music by going to Free Music Archive today!

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!

Sasha Joseph Neulinger endured some of the most traumatic events a child can experience. He is a survivor of childhood sexual abuse. And he has now turned those events into one of 2020's more extraordinary documentary films, Rewind.

Neulinger sits down with TDL to discuss his journey making Rewind and to offer some insight into how doc filmmakers might best deal with the depiction of personal trauma in their films.

In our first segment, Chris G. Parkhurst, gives us 5 Tips for Making the Personal Documentary.

Topics Discussed

• tips for making your personal documentary film
• why Neulinger set out to face his own demons by making this documentary film
• why making the personal documentary needs to be more for yourself than others
• approaching family members with your personal doc
• the journey of financing a film like Rewind

Teaser for Rewind

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dx0q7ETJRAI

Hey, #Doclifers! By now, you have probably heard the news that we are partners with The D-Word! If you are not already a member of this important online documentary community and resource, allow us to introduce you to them!

WHAT IS THE D-WORD

The D-Word began in 1996 as a series of online journal entries by filmmaker Doug Block depicting the joy and angst of making and selling his feature documentary, Home Page. In the words of Mr. Block, "it was meant to inform, inspire, humor and depress the hell out of working or aspiring documentary filmmakers, or anyone else interested in the filmmaking process, for that matter!"

We had Doug on the show way back in EPISODE #105, where he discussed those early days working as an independent documentary filmmaker. And how this would lead him to creating the first incarnation of The D-Word.

The D-Word has long-since evolved into a virtual community and is now the largest, longest-running one of its kind, currently numbering more than 19,000 members from 147 countries.

Its focus is now on hosting free discussions on documentary film and production and leading a documentary life. Sound familiar?

Music Vine

Thank you to music licensing platform, Music Vine for contributing the wonderful music that we’ve used in this week’s episode.

We’ve used many music licensing platforms over the years for commercials, corporate videos, and documentaries and these guys are definitely different.

Their music catalogue is truly fresh, diverse, full of character, their search engine is as straight forward and user friendly and their licensing fees? Unlike anywhere else we have come across.

If you need any music for your doc project, we can honestly recommend Music Vine.

And make sure to use our promo code to get an additional 15 percent off of any subscription!!

PROMO CODE: doclife15

° Free Music Archive – Special Thank You to recording artist, Dlay who supplied music for this week’s episode of TDL. You too can download his music or other artists’ music by going to Free Music Archive today!

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!

Eric Becker has been taking on extreme challenges since he can remember. If it's not racing bikes it's climbing mountains. If it's not climbing mountains, it's making doc films about people climbing mountains.

Tune into this week's episode where we celebrate International Everest Day by welcoming doc filmmaker and mountaineer, Eric Becker on to TDL!

In our first segment, Chris G. Parkhurst, gives us Reasons for Working on Multiple Documentary Projects at the same time!

Topics Discussed

• Reasons to work on multiple doc projects at the same time
• How doc filmmaker Eric Beckergot hooked into documentary as a way to travel the world
• Logistics of filming an actual mountaineering expedition
• How to get brand support for your doc films
• How to work with an otherwise reticent doc subject

Teaser for Return to Mt. Kennedy

https://vimeo.com/268848753

Music Vine

Thank you to music licensing platform, Music Vine for contributing the wonderful music that we’ve used in this week’s episode.

We’ve used many music licensing platforms over the years for commercials, corporate videos, and documentaries and these guys are definitely different.

Their music catalogue is truly fresh, diverse, full of character, their search engine is as straight forward and user friendly and their licensing fees? Unlike anywhere else we have come across.

If you need any music for your doc project, we can honestly recommend Music Vine.

And make sure to use our promo code to get an additional 15 percent off of any subscription!!

PROMO CODE: doclife15

° Free Music Archive – Special Thank You to recording artist, Dlay who supplied music for this week’s episode of TDL. You too can download his music or other artists’ music by going to Free Music Archive today!

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!

It's hard to refute the power and potential of the second biggest search engine in the world, YouTube. Especially for the independent doc filmmaker.

Here at TDL we have long talked about the importance of you, the doc filmmaker, in fully embracing and becoming your best entrepreneurial self. The importance of building your own brand. Raising your own funding. Building audiences for all of your work. Selling yourself and your work. YouTube is a great platform for you to be doing this.

In our first segment, Chris G. Parkhurst, gives us 5 Tips For Becoming a Documentary Filmmaking Entrepreneur.

This segment is followed by a discussion with one of the champions of YouTube for the doc filmmaker, David Hoffman, a doc filmmaking veteran of the industry for over 50+ years, who is now making his living via YT!

Topics Discussed

• how 50+ year doc filmmaking veteran, David Hoffman, came to embrace YouTube
• how much Hoffman makes per day with YouTube
• how YouTube is changing the landscape of documentary filmmaking
• why doc filmmakers need to also embrace the power of the platform
• best practices for your YouTube channel

From David Hoffman to Each of My Subscribers

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B6iESFlwWlc

What Happens When You Lose Everything, David Hoffman on TEDTalks

Nine days before TED2008, filmmaker David Hoffman lost almost everything he owned in a fire that destroyed his home, office and 30 years of passionate collecting. He looks back at a life that's been wiped clean in an instant -- and looks forward.

https://www.ted.com/talks/david_hoffman_what_happens_when_you_lose_everything?language=en

Why You Should Support David Hoffman

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=uJWZWrrF8sQ&feature=emb_logo

Check out David's PATREON PAGE to help support him!

Music Vine

Thank you to music licensing platform, Music Vine for contributing the wonderful music that we’ve used in this week’s episode.

We’ve used many music licensing platforms over the years for commercials, corporate videos, and documentaries and these guys are definitely different.

Their music catalogue is truly fresh, diverse, full of character, their search engine is as straight forward and user friendly and their licensing fees? Unlike anywhere else we have come across.

If you need any music for your doc project, we can honestly recommend Music Vine.

And make sure to use our promo code to get an additional 15 percent off of any subscription!!

PROMO CODE: doclife15

° Free Music Archive – Special Thank You to recording artist, Dlay who supplied music for this week’s episode of TDL. You too can download his music or other artists’ music by going to Free Music Archive today!

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!

Sports documentaries have really come into their own as a documentary genre. The truth is that the built-in drama and sometimes off-the-field shenanigans make for some really compelling stories. Entities like ESPN's 30 For 30 series, HBO Sports, Netflix and Hulu's ventures into sports docuseries, all have been making these films and really elevating the stature of the sports documentary.

And so has filmmaker, Gotham Chopra. With his business venture, Religion of Sports, Gotham has been embracing the sports documentary in a way that has really been separating himself from the pack.

And we were fortunate enough to be able to sit down with Gotham and have a one-on-one chat about why sports docs are so popular and best practices for the doc filmmaker to be making them!

Topics Discussed

• how Gotham Chopra came to documentary via early journalism assignments
• How ESPN’s 30 for 30 series legitimized sports as documentary subject
• Why sports makes for such compelling stories
• How to gain access to higher profile sports personalities
• The importance of separating your project from all of the types of content that are already out there

Watch the Religion of Sports' The Great Brady Heist in its entirety!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I29ZMIOZwX0

Music Vine

Thank you to music licensing platform, Music Vine for contributing the wonderful music that we’ve used in this week’s episode.

We’ve used many music licensing platforms over the years for commercials, corporate videos, and documentaries and these guys are definitely different.

Their music catalogue is truly fresh, diverse, full of character, their search engine is as straight forward and user friendly and their licensing fees? Unlike anywhere else we have come across.

If you need any music for your doc project, we can honestly recommend Music Vine.

And make sure to use our promo code to get an additional 15 percent off of any subscription!!

PROMO CODE: doclife15

° Free Music Archive – Special Thank You to recording artist, Dlay who supplied music for this week’s episode of TDL. You too can download his music or other artists’ music by going to Free Music Archive today!

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!