How can you raise a quick $8k in 18 days for your documentary film?  Steph and I recently did this on our doc project, Elvis of Cambodia. We'd like to share a few things that worked well and one thing that we wished we'd done! How can you bring feature narrative scriptwriting principles to my documentary film? World-renowned documentary storytelling consultant, Karen Everett, of New Doc Editing, has some great ideas on this!   Topics Discussed tips for quickly raising $8k for...

How does one combine the expanse of one's artistic works and their personal journey with breast cancer into their first documentary film?  This is what was on my mind as I spoke with French sculptor, installation artist, anthropologist, cancer survivor and now documentary filmmaker, Prune Nourry.   Topics Discussed how Prune Nourry brought her approach to sculpting to doc filmmaking how when she was in the middle of filming another project decided to turn the camera on herself...

What if there was a viable way for the independent documentary filmmaker to build and sustain an audience to support your doc films for the duration of your career?  And what if there was a straight forward way that you, the doc filmmaker, could do it without having to break the bank on marketing and promotion costs for your films? Meet Nathan Barry, self-made entrepreneur, doc filmmaker, and founder & CEO of ConvertKit, one of the most used email marketing services by creatives around...

If you were subjected to daily bombardment from the air, you were entrenched in a make-shift hospital, and you'd just recently had a baby, would you still be able to pick up your camera and film events? Well, if you're Syrian doc filmmaker, Waad Al-Kateab, you would. And she did, while living in the basement of a hospital, with her husband and baby in the besieged city of Aleppo. Eventually, she would be forced to leave her homeland behind, and headed to England to meet up with fellow...

What if there was a pretty straightforward way for the independent documentary filmmaker to raise a quick infusion of funding for their documentary film... simply by holding a party? Well, there is. It's called the fundraising houseparty. And there is a science to it. And we've got film fundraising guru, Morrie Warshawski, back on the show to give you the step-by-step process to that science. You'll be holding parties and raising monies for your film in no time! And then we'll learn how to...

Ever noticed just how many barriers there seem to be to this documentary filmmaking thing?  Funding. Equipment. Live pitch presentations. Distribution platforms. You name it, everywhere you turn as a doc filmmaker, there seems to be something keeping you from actually doing the thing that matters most to you. But what if there was a way doc filmmakers could simplify things - strip away the unnecessary fat - and get to what really matters? Making documentary films. And then making more of...

So many of us doc filmmakers think that we'll never make any money from our films.  Or that we're incapable of raising money for them. And that's wrong. There is actually no reason that any of us should assume that those statements are true. This is all about our money mindset! You see, a lot of us aren't really wired to believe any other way. Or we've had an awkward - if not downright detrimental - relationship with money that most likely goes back from when we were quite young, when...

So many doc filmmakers are doing the one person crew documentary. For many, it's a necessary evil due to financial constraints of the doc filmmaker. But for some, like doco Claudio von Planta, it's the preferred way of shooting his films. And it also just so happens to be the reason that he's been hired on such recognizable documentary series as the successful Long Way Round. And now, with his brand new film, Chasing the Jet Stream -  a film that is included in the lineup of this year's...

How many times have you been approached by a friend or family member with another "great idea for a documentary", when they find out that you're a doc filmmaker?  Well, if you're anything like Miami doc filmmaker, Billy Corben - director behind such docs as Cocaine Cowboys, ESPN 30 for 30's The U, and now his latest, Screwball - it's practically an everyday experience. Which is why he's come up with a great three step for sussing out the viability of said great idea for a doc. Topics...

Ever wonder what it might be like to discover a treasure trove of archival footage that lay untouched for over thirty years for your documentary film? That's exactly what happened for veteran BBC and multi-award winning filmmaker, Alex Holmes on his latest film, Maiden, a documentary about 26 year old Tracy Edwards who set out to skipper the first-ever female crew during the Whitbread Round the World Race, a race that spans 33k miles and lasts for nine months.   Topics Discussed ...

When filmmakers Don Argott and Sheena M. Joyce met, it was a match in doc filmmaking heaven. Their first documentary film, The Art of the Steal, was a Netflix hit that would lead them to their next doc projects, and ultimately to their lives as full-time documentary filmmakers.  Their current film, Framing John DeLorean, blurs the lines between fiction and non-fiction narrative, using name actors like Alec Baldwin and Josh Charles, meta filmmaking, and incorporating actual behind-the-scenes...

Entrepreneur, Dominic Johnson-Hill, has just spent the last year traveling China and presenting for the documentary series, Seasons of China. But the journey to becoming one of China's most recognizable tv presenters was a unique one, and certainly not without its challenges. When Dominic Johnson-Hill traveled the world in the early 90s, China was just supposed to be a stop along the way.  But then he ran out of money. So he learned the language, started a market research business, then...

Doug Block has made a living out of the personal documentary style, including films like Home Page, 51 Birch Street, and The Kids Grow Up. He is also the pioneer behind one of the largest online documentary filmmaking communities, The D-word, which has just recently had its twentieth anniversary. Topics Discussed how the one-person crew is tailor-made for documentary the importance of being in service of story over technical filmmaking achievements how Doug Block never intended to...

Few people know the crowdfunding game like John Trigonis.  He is considered to be one of the leading experts in the game.  And with good reason, since he has been leading some of the most impressive crowdfunding campaigns for film companies and independent filmmakers over the past decade, worked for Indiegogo, and authored the veritable bible on the subject, Crowdfunding For Filmmakers: The Way to a Successful Film Campaign.   Topics Discussed How John and his friend's early interest...

Thom Powers has been more in touch with documentary filmmaking and filmmakers than most anyone I know. Which makes sense, since he made docs for about a decade, programs for two of the most prestigious film festivals (TIFF and DOCNYC), and is now the host of the podcast, Pure Nonfiction . Please join us as we have a candid conversation with one of the industry's more recognisable voices.  A conversation, one doc filmmaker to another.  One podcaster to another.   Topics Discussed ...

Doc filmmaking duo, James Jones and Olivier Sarbil, have been making their doc living on the frontline of some of the world's most dangerous areas.  But they didn't necessarily always intend it to be this way. Join us for a powerful and engaging conversation with two filmmakers who are making some of the most important film work today.   Their latest doc, the FRONTLINE film, On the President's Orders, is a searing look at President Rodrigo Duterte’s deadly campaign against drug dealers...

We're back! Season 2 of the TDL podcast has officially begun... Pamela B. Green has made her first documentary feature, Be Natural: The Untold Story of Alice Guy Blache.  And it is about one of the true pioneers of cinema, Alice Guy Blache.  You've probably not heard of her.  You're not alone.  Even film scholars and most of Hollywood's finest have no idea who she was.  And Pamela is set on rectifying that situation.   Topics Discussed the need for true resilience for a doc...

Happy Thanksgiving Finale From The Documentary Life It is the week of giving thanks, as we celebrate Thanksgiving here in the U.S.  Coincidentally, it is episode #100, our last episode of Season One of the...

Outdoor Adventure Films with Peter Mortimer Peter Mortimer has been climbing and making outdoor adventure films for the past twenty years through his company, Sender Films.  His company has put out some of the most...

Editing for Werner Herzog and Les Blank with Maureen Gosling Maureen Gosling is not only the editor of my favourite documentary film of all time, but quite possibly my favourite film of all time. Period. ...

Understanding Doc Society with Maxyne Franklin Doc Society (formerly BritDoc) is a non-profit that has been working directly with documentary filmmakers since its inception in 2005, to make the most impact in the world with...

Short Your Way to a Feature with Jon Kasbe Jon Kasbe may not be a name that you are familiar with… yet. Unless you are intricately connected to film festivals or an avid follower of...

America to Steve James Steve James is one of the most recognizable names in documentary.  Many of us #doclifers have been inspired by his films and the way in which he makes them.  He was...

Documentary Film Distribution with Jon Reiss No one knows documentary film distribution in quite the way that film distro wizard, Jon Reiss does.  The founder of Hybrid Cinema and author of film distribution Bible, Think...

The Full-time Doc Filmmaker, with Mat Hames Mat Hames is one of the few, fortunate ones in our doc world that makes his entire living doing his passion of documentary film. Whether it is through...