Oh dear. I’m a terrible blogger. I went back to England for a while over the holidays and fell off the map. Sorry everyone. I just had this very un-American need to go underground for a while and re-charge my failing batteries. AJ Schnack who is definitely NOT a terrible blogger recently wrote a post about all the documentary bloggers who fell silent this year. I have to agree with Agnes Varnum (who is also NOT a terrible blogger) that…
This is the second and final part of a 2 part post on non-theatrical distribution by Rachel Gordon, a freelance marketing/distribution consultant specializing in the niche and educational usage of documentary films. Something to be aware of that many filmmakers don’t consciously think about when starting to get their work out is that it will take some time for your film to “hit” a place in the non-theatrical market – often up to a whole year. You can’t count on…
I’ve been thinking a lot recently about the quote below from C.P. Scott’s A Hundred Years essay, written in 1921. Scott was Editor of the Manchester Guardian (now just The Guardian) for an extraordinary 57 years from 1872 until 1929 and he wrote A Hundred Years to celebrate the centenary of the paper: Comment is free, but facts are sacred. “Propaganda”, so called, by this means is hateful. The voice of opponents no less than that of friends has a…
Hi everyone, I’m Patrick and this is my first time posting on Shooting People. Two weeks ago I was approached by James Mullighan to blog about a self-distribution project I’m running at Met Film. Some of you might know the Met Film School, it turns out we’re actually a group of three companies, Met Film Post, Met Film Production and the Met Film School and we develop, produce and post-produce a variety of feature films and television programs… Bet you…
Well, yes of course it does. But this is a sticky, tricky issue that the independent film community is going to have to grapple with as new sources of funding become available and new partnerships are sought. I just finished writing an article for MovieScope Magazine in the UK about the possibilities for outreach around documentaries, focusing on the productive partnerships that Third Sector funding (NGOs, charities, social enterprises, voluntary organizations etc.) can help foster. However a couple of recent…
We are continuing to improve our WATCH FILM tools on Shooting People with lots of exciting new developments to help our members upload and share their work. We have just introduced an embed tool and to show you how lovely it is here is the trailer for We Are Together made by Shooters Paul Taylor and Teddy Leifer, a wonderful documentary about a group of AIDS orphans from South Africa who form a choir. UPDATE: We’re working on this RIGHT…
After last year’s late-to-the-party love affair with This American Life (which still continues I should add – I would never jilt Ira Glass!), my 2008 paramour is Re:Sound, a radio show presented by the Third Coast Festival on Chicago Public Radio. It’s a collection of radio stories from around the world, stories that “you can’t hear anywhere else, unless you live everywhere else.” I’ve been listening to the podcasts and have discovered some real treasures, fantastic stories, mainly documentary, about…
I have been so caught up with work that I have completely failed to go to any of the screenings at the MoMA Documentary Fortnight. This weekend you can see some of the films that Joan Churchill has been involved with. Churchill is probably best known for her work with Nick Broomfield but she has an impressive body of work behind her as a cinematographer for other noteworthy directors, from Peter Watkins’ extraordinary Punishment Park to Gimme Shelter and the…
Making Your Media Matter is a conference taking place in Washington, DC February 7-8, 2008 for established and aspiring filmmakers, non-profit communications leaders, funders and students looking to learn and share cutting-edge practices for creating media that matters. Join filmmakers, distributors, outreach specialists and an impressive cast of media pioneers for a rich day of panels, discussions, networking and keynote speakers on the latest tools and trends in creating and distributing social issue media. And check out podcasts…
The Documentary Filmmakers Group in the UK have a new website called DFGdocs which includes lots of information about training they offer; a directory of British documentaries, directors and production companies; and a resources section containing articles, downloadable contracts and a list of other documentary/film organizations.
