The Documentary Filmmaker's Roadmap: A Practical Guide to Planning, Production and Distribution, 1st Edition

The Documentary Filmmaker’s Roadmap is a concise and practical guide to making a feature-length documentary film—from funding to production to distribution, exhibition and marketing. Using her award-winning film Musicwood—a New York Times Critics’ Pick—as a case study, director Maxine Trump guides the reader through the complex lifecycle of the documentary Film. Her interviews with lawyers, funders, distributors, TV executives and festival programmers provide a behind-the-scenes look that will assist readers on their own filmmaking journey. Written from the perspective of a successful documentary filmmaker, the book covers mistakes made and lessons learned, a discussion on the documentary genre, crowdfunding, pre-production through post, test screenings, the festival circuit distribution, legal pitfalls, fair use and more. Perfect for documentary filmmaking students and aspiring filmmakers alike, this book emphasizes the skills needed to succeed in a competitive production market. An appendix includes useful web links for further study, a list of films for recommended viewing and sample release forms. This concise guide is ideal for the classroom or as a quick reference out in the field, at a budget meeting or in the editing room. --By Maxine Trump Routledge 244 pages | 16 B/W Illus Paperback: 9781138070882   Table of Contents Introduction 1. Research: Choosing Your Story Archive or Third-Party Materials 2. Pre-Production Inspiration / Early Analysis and Prep Equipment 3. How to Choose Documentary Genres The Essay Film 4. Budget Filmmakers’ Costs Production Insurance and Legal Finishing Costs Example Budgets 5. Production Releases The Look of the Production Crew Filming BTS Interviews Tracking the Details Editing While Filming 6. Funding Person Rewards Non-Profits and Other Communities Our Goal 7. Social Media and Print Assets Social Media Key Art Website Trailer 8. Crowdfunding Think of Your Strategy and What Crowdfunding Can Do for You Lead Time Outreach/Reaching People Making Strangers Your Funders and Your Audience Then and Now Pre-Launch Team Motivate Yourself as Well as Your Team Why Kickstarter over Other Platforms Press Key Art – Postcards/Kickstarter Video/Kickstarter Page Crowdfunding Homepage Video Rewards and Funding Level Metrics Content to Share Facebook Groups Launch Going Live First-Week Shares During the Campaign Emails Test Screenings Crowdfunding Platform Updates Social Media Your Twitter Influencers Further Rewards Cross-Promoting Content Thanks Last Few Days Results What Would I Have Done Differently Think Outside the Green Blob Well Done 9. The Edit Story Beats and Structure Voice Over Good Narration Say it Less, Say it Better, Say it in the Best Possible Way to Advance Your Story Music and Sound Finishing and Assembly 10. Case Study - Cartel Land Edit 11. Copyright Law, Third-Party Material, Archive Music Third-Party Materials Public Domain Fair Use Privacy Releases When a Release Isn’t Possible Editors and Omissions Insurance Journalism Hidden Cameras, Phone Calls and Door Stepping Satirical Works Trespassing Recreations 12. Brain Trusts, Test Screenings, and Outreach 13. In Conversation with: Fork Films Funder; Women Make Movies Distributor; DOC NYC Festival; PBS POV Television Strand Exhibitor Funder: Fork Films DOC NYC Festival Women Make Movies Distributor TV Network – PBS and POV America Reframed on The World Channel Independent Lens or POV or Both? Funders/Sponsorship/Advocacy, Etc. Shorts Digital Platform – POV Digital 14. Festivals Applying/Premiering Premier Night Distributors at Film Festivals The Festival Circuit Press at Festivals 25 Tips for the First-Time Feature Director on the Festival Circuit 15. Distribution (or Selling and Income) National International Our Deal Semi-Theatrical/Non-Theatrical Distribution Educational 16. Theatrical Theatres in our Theatrical Run 17. Press and Marketing Theatrical Marketing and Press Reviewers Blogs Overall 18. TV and Streaming Digital Streaming US TV Networks US TV Network Opportunities European TV Networks BBC Storyville 19. In Conclusion Special Thanks Appendix Useful Links Film Festival Short List 100 Documentary Films Release Forms Reviews "Imagine that someone who has already successfully navigated challenges you are about to face gives you a magic playbook: a thorough, focused, and generous guide you can consult at every forking of the road. For documentarians, Maxine Trump’s The Documentary Filmmaker’s Roadmap is that playbook." —Bruce Sheridan, Chair, CILECT North America; Documentary Director (Spellbound: The Split End Story; Perfectly Frank) and Producer (Head Games; Our Blood Is Wine) "I wish I had had this book at the beginning of my career. It tells you all the questions you need to be asking in every step of your filmmaking process and helps you answer them, too." —Liz Nord, Documentary Filmmaker; Editor-in-Chief of No Film School