Archives for documentary

Black Lives Matter &  Silence is Not An Option

What a week to begin a social media vacation! While I am not participating in the feed, I am listening, donating, and lending other virtual support. But in thinking about writing this newsletter this week, I was very conscious of two competing impulses – to not post, as the world doesn’t need the opinion of some white guy right now, but that I also couldn’t just skip the newsletter and be silent.



So instead, I want to refer to a few other voices, and places to collaborate with, and give support. My readers who are Black, or come from more diverse backgrounds can/will probably skip this, as they likely know everything from here on out. First, I recommend that you head over to IndieWire to read their interview with Stanley Nelson, the renowned filmmaker and co-founder of Firelight Media

. I’ve been lucky enough to know Stanley for a long time, and have always admired his artistry, his advocacy and his wisdom. In this interview, he speaks to the current crisis and protests, and perhaps his most important point is this:


“One of the things we believe strongly at our company, Firelight, is that people should tell their own stories. We really believe this is a time when filmmakers of color can have a chance to tell their stories. It’s incumbent on white filmmakers to help them do that, to move out of the way so that they can do that. Part of the hierarchy of race in our country is how many times white filmmakers have the access to power and money, the access to equipment. They could get out there and make a film about this that’s in some ways not entirely representative of where we are as a community. It’s really important that people tell their own stories.” – Stanley Nelson.

Amen. I work in two worlds – indie film and brand storytelling. In the indie film world, we’ve made strides in recent years, but there remain major issues around diversity and access. The branded content world is pretty much light years behind – meaning worse – than the indie world in addressing diversity. While there are exceptions, it’s a field that is not representative of the diversity of America or the world – in the people making decisions, the people being hired behind the camera, the stories being told, or the audiences being served. And while we need to address all aspects of diversity, inclusion & access, right now we need more Black voices, and they are particularly underrepresented in brand storytelling.

In thinking about this, I am also reminded of a recent op-ed by Kareem Abdul Jabbar in the LA Times, where he said: “So what you see when you see black protesters depends on whether you’re living in that burning building or watching it on TV with a bowl of corn chips in your lap waiting for “NCIS” to start. What I want to see is not a rush to judgment, but a rush to justice.” It also matters who is making that show, and who is advertising those corn chips, and as the media sector and brands start to navigate how to get involved in this space, and respond to it in a meaningful and respectful way, the entire sector would do well to hire more people of color for the myriad roles and for the stories being told.

While there are many people and organizations working on these issues, two organizations stand out to me as places to listen to, work with and support right now – the aforementioned Firelight Media and the Brown Girls Doc Mafia. While there are others, these are two nonprofits that specifically support filmmakers of color, and do a great job – in different ways. Firelight is a premier destination for non-fiction cinema by and about communities of color. Firelight produces documentary films, supports emerging filmmakers of color, and cultivates audiences for their work. Brown Girls Doc Mafia is an initiative advocating for over 3,300 women and non-binary people of color working in the documentary film industry around the world. 


Supporting these two groups can help ensure that these stories get told. You can donate to Firelight Media here.  Donate to Brown Girls Doc Mafia here. For those of you working in branded content, I also imagine both would also be great resources for brands who want to connect with someone for advice on the films to make, or the directors to hire, or the stories to tell. But before you do that, read the BGDM FAQ on how to be a better ally. Read the whole thing, but the last part sums it up: “Overall: Check your privilege, be genuine, be mindful, plan ahead, do the work, be outspoken for this community, be flexible, seek council, and hold yourself and others like you accountable!” I’m pinning this section to my reading list and plan to refer to it often.

I also recommend reading Beyond Empathy by Sonya Childress, a Senior Fellow at the Perspective Fund now, and former Director of Partnerships and Engagement at Firelight Media (where she posted this). It is essential reading. Here’s one edited excerpt:

“What we often miss in character-driven films designed to build empathy towards individuals is an understanding of the structures and narratives that shape our attitudes and behaviors towards entire communities.
And frankly, this political climate demands new narratives. (…)

The empathy frame also distracts us from more strategic uses of film: to validate and empower those who rarely see their experience on screen, to convene disconnected people and movements, and to build alliances and power. The power when we — the marginalized “others” — use film to speak to our own communities or across identity and issue silos to build common ground and strategize solutions. In this way, film still plays an important role in connecting groups who may see each other as different, but it does so with the baseline assumption that the film subjects are human, and do not need a film to assert that basic premise.
When film is used in this way the impact is categorically different, and we see that what lies beyond empathy is solidarity. The notion that our plight, and humanity, are intrinsically connected, and to create a better future I’ve got to get my hands dirty along with you.”
– Sonya Childress

Another important piece of this is how audiences connect with these films. This is done in myriad ways, but in recent years, one organization that has been doing an amazing job is the BlackStar Film Festival in Philadelphia. I’ve not yet been able to attend, but was on a recent panel with Maori Karmael Holmes, the ceo and artistic director. From that panel, I know she’s working hard to put together some version of their festival, which usually takes place July 30 – August 2nd. The organization also recently posted In Defense of Black Life: Ways to Get Involved and Take Care of Yourself, which has a lot of great links and resources. You can donate to BlackStar here.

These are just three great organizations to work with and support (IFP just started a list). I know there are many others I should be mentioning, and/or others I don’t know about, but these are three that I respect, plan to donate to, and hope to learn from in the coming months and years ahead. I’m still learning, and figuring out ways to use my platform and voice to help, and get out of the way and just donate when I can’t. (FWIW, I am not just now writing about this (that’s just a recent example), but I must do it more). I hope my other white readers will do more of this too, and will think hard about how they can use their positions to take action and join the cause.

Photo: National Memorial for Peace and Justice. Credit: Me.

Last, not long after writing this, Warner Brothers made Just Mercy available for free across all platforms in June. The film is about Bryan Stevenson and his work at the Equal Justice Initiative (EJI), which has done ground-breaking work on criminal justice reform, racial justice and public education. They also founded the Legacy Museum and National Memorial for Peace and Social Justice in Montgomery, Alabama. My wife and I visited this last year, along with other Civil Rights Memorials in the South, and it was one of the most powerful experiences of my life, and I’ve felt since that it should be mandatory viewing for every American, especially every white American from the South (attendance rates are higher from outside the area). Watch the film, but put the Memorial/Museum on your attendance list for the future. It should open later in June, and you can socially distance easily at the Memorial. You can donate to EJI here.

Other News:

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Reimagining Film Fests Panel

After I published my recent piece on film festivals (which also ran in IndieWire), I started having a discussion with Rebecca Green of the Dear Producer newsletter about many things, including what the film fest of the future might look like. She invited me to a panel she’s hosting on the subject – this Friday at 2pm ET – and you can register for it here. I’ll be joining a few people I think are among the smartest in the biz – Karin Chien, Marilyn Ness and Rebecca (moderating) to imagine what it would look like to re-imagine festivals in a way that helps everyone – the festivals, filmmakers and audiences.

One of the ways I’ve been thinking about this panel is – if festivals didn’t exist at all, what would we create from scratch? I think that helps frame the discussion in a different manner than usual. It’s also a question I asked in a post back in 2013 – and that I return to often- “The question should be, what do filmmakers need most now? And is what they need something that a festival can help with, or do we need to start something different to solve this need? If filmmakers got together in the same spirit that led them to create film co-ops and festivals (and filmmaker organizations, and magazines, and…) then what would they make together today?” Of course, festivals also must serve audiences, and they’re all trying to survive a global pandemic. But the hope is by asking what would be build that would be most helpful for filmmakers (all of whom are coming with different needs, too, btw), then maybe we can add these ideas to what gets built out of this crisis. It is one of many different conversations being had right now – I’ve been on two other zoom panels about it this week alone, and know of two more (at least), but it’s one I hope will be interesting. 

Join us for the discussion on Friday.

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Some Facts from the Streaming Wars

Via StreamingObserver

A few tidbits from the streaming wars, just this week:

  • It is now estimated that the major streamers – Netflix, Apple+, Disney+, Hulu, Amazon Prime, HBO Max – will spend more than $30 Billion on content in 2020. This doesn’t even include Peacock, CBS All Access or the numerous other platforms. 
  • And in the fight for eyeballs to watch that content, they’re pouring billions into advertising, making up for the decline in advertising from other sectors (see below);
  • But less of that money is going into films, as more of it goes into episodic (tv) shows, originals and licensing of major library titles. Netflix’s film library has now dropped 40% since 2014, according to StreamingObserver. in 2014, Netflix had around 6,500 movies, and now it’s got 3,849. 
  • Yet even with that drop, Netflix dominated the “indie” Gotham Awards – winning more than half the awards given this week.
  • One could lament this fact, but let’s face it – one of those awards was for When They See Us, by Ava DuVernay (who was also honored), and while Netflix and other SVODs may be lessening their support for indie film overall, they are leading the way with diversity. This is no small matter. 
  • And let’s face it – Netflix is also a data company. If there was a compelling case for investing in buying more films – especially indie/arthouse films – they would be doing it. The data is showing them that too few people watch these films. The StreamingObserver article above makes it seem like film is losing out due to original content spend, but it’s losing out because that’s what people want.
  • Meanwhile, 3853 feature films were submitted to Sundance this year. Yes, that’s 4 more than Netflix offers. Let that sink in for awhile.
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It’s time for Branded Content to Break the Rules

I wrote another guest post this week for BrandStorytelling – check out the full article there, but here’s a teaser:

As more brands move into long form branded content – meaning feature length documentary or narrative films around 90 minutes – brands increasingly have the same plan – to premiere at Sundance or another top festival and then “get onto Netflix”. These are worthy goals to be sure, and I’ve sold multiple brand client films to Netflix and other distributors. But this is just one strategy for distribution, and I keep hoping more brands will wake up to the reality that maybe they don’t need to follow “the rules” and go down this path to distribute their films. Perhaps it could be better to break the rules of the old-school film world and forge their own paths.

This might seem counterintuitive, but if part of the goal of premiering at Sundance/SXSW and then landing on Netflix is to show prestige and break through the noise, you might be picking the most crowded path of all.

Read the Full Post here. And in case you’re wondering – yes, this applies to indie filmmakers as well, but brands are better capitalized to take control of their distribution. And no, I’m not saying you shouldn’t keep in mind the realities of the marketplace, or best practices, but I am saying that a lot of those aren’t working anymore, and we can explore new models, especially if you are a brand with a loyal following and marketing know-how.

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Getting Real about Brands and Impact Films

This week, I wrote an Op-Ed article for the BrandStorytelling website and newsletter on the topic – Getting Real about Brands and Impact Films. This is the first of a series of articles I’ll be writing for them, and I wanted to start with a topic I think is super important for brands, but that also applies to filmmakers – that you can’t just make a social impact film, you have to do the impact work (or hire someone to help). Here’s the intro paragraph, and a link to the full article:

As more brands move into making content, especially long and short form film, many are starting to make films intended to have social impact. While films and media made for impact aren’t right for every brand, they increasingly make sense for brands wanting to share their values with consumers who consistently say they want brands to take a stand. But while many brands are making impact entertainment, too few are actually doing what it takes to have an impact, and need to start thinking harder about what impact means – before audiences (consumers) begin to see this as more cynical “purpose-washing” and brands meaning to truly have an impact have difficulty rising above all of this noise.

Read the Full Article over at BrandStorytelling

What I’m Reading: Film

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Arts/Film Ethics, the State of AI & Film, the Doc Market and more news

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Cleveland Rocks – or how to Run a Film Fest; and news on streaming, Branded Content and more

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Sub-Genre News, Sept 13: NY Indie Guy Retrospective, Camden Film Fest & More

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We need Better Metrics; Net Neutrality is Dead; and other news

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En El Septimo Dia, U-2, Mind Control and More

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The Doc I want to See: Michelle Wolf Thoughts

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Subgenre news: open letter to Joe Beyer/Traverse City

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Breaking the “rules” to win an Oscar for Short Docs

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Distribution & Discovery Ideas

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Transmedia Activism and Docs at the NYFF

NYFF

Looks like I’ll be joining a panel at the New York Film Fest this Saturday night at 7pm to speak about transmedia activism and documentary films. If you are in town and interested in the subject, please stop by and say hello (while asking a question in the Q&A perhaps). The event is in the Elinor Bunin Munroe Film Center Amphitheater at 144 West 65th St, which is a good space for this type of event (seriously, it’s great for a conversation).

Here’s the description from the festival (more panelists TBA):

Session 2 of “Beyond the Screen: The Immersive Media Forum.”

Through the last century documentaries have played a pivotal role informing the public on issues of social and global justice and have served as calls to action, mobilizing citizens and leaders.  As filmmakers and advocacy groups meet on the fluid platforms of the web, a new form of activism has emerged, dubbed “Transmedia Activism.” This panel will discuss this emergence, and the role traditional documentaries and web savvy advocacy groups will play moving forward.

Beyond the Screen: The Immersive Storytelling Forum
Contemporary technologies have always had a profound effect on the way we tell stories.  Just as the printing press paved the way for the novel and television gave us the sitcom, so to the computer is changing the face of entertainment.  This is by no means a new idea – critics, creators, and audiences have been talking about the fact that the digital age is altering the traditional role of the storyteller and audience for some time.  What we hope to do at the Beyond The Screen is to move the conversation along, if only by asking one very simple question: “How?”

It’s a new age for telling stories and with it comes a new set of rules, a new critical vocabulary, as well as new models for doing business.  From video games with ever more realistic graphics and complex narratives to immersive worlds built atop our own that permit audiences to physically explore story in three living dimensions, a change is taking place.  Audiences are transitioning from simple consumers of entertainment into dynamic participants in their media of choice.  Beyond the Screen is a series of panels, presentations, and special events that seeks to draw together the makers driving these changes – the writers, producers, story architects, and designers in the fields of transmedia and video games – for a discussion of the state of the art as well as an exploration of the roll film has played in effected these emerging modes of storytelling…and how these emerging fields have effected the relatively new art of film.  Designed to be accessible to both active producers of transmedia and those just discovering the form (or forms as the case may be) for the first time, BEYOND THE SCREEN aims to change the way you think about storytelling – from how story is told to who is telling it.

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