Have a passion for making documentary films? Want to learn how to best lead a documentary life? Join award-winning commercial and documentary filmmaker, Chris G. Parkhurst, and special industry guests as they candidly share their filmmaking stories, insights, and experiences, for all to learn how to best lead and live their own documentary dream lives.
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Can you believe that it was over four years ago that we first began producing episodes of The Documentary Life?? Well, neither can we. But as they say, all good things must come to an end! It has been a great ride this here podcast over the past four years! Which is why this is not our typical end-of-the-season show, my #doclifer friend. Don't miss…
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Winning an Oscar for Your Documentary Film
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Imagine stepping up to the podium to accept your award for Best Documentary Feature for the film that you have put your heart, soul, blood sweat tears into. What would you say? Who would thank? Where would you even start? Well, Steven Bognar, of this year's American Factory knows precisely what this feels like. And he details the story of he and hi…
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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, …
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Reality Television and the Documentary Filmmaker
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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 …
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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…
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Race in the Documentary Filmmaking Community
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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…
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The Online Film Festival for the Documentary Filmmaker
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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 …
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Spirituality in Documentary Filmmaking with Mickey Lemle
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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 t…
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Personal Trauma in Documentary Film with Sasha Joseph Neulinger
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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 m…
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Doc Filmmaking in the Mountains with Eric Becker
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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…
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YouTube For the Documentary Filmmaker with David Hoffman
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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 o…
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Making the Sports Documentary with Gotham Chopra
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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 elevatin…
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Documentary Film and the Music Composer with Nainita Desai
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When it comes to documentary film - and really film, in general - one of the forgotten heroes is often the film's music composer. And yet, it's often the music that truly elevates a film from good to greatness, making the storyline and all of its visuals just a bit more rich, complex, and emotional. In today's episode I'll take a look at 5 Consider…
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Mental Health and the Documentary Filmmaker with Rebecca Day
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We doc filmmakers are no strangers to mental health. Whether by the very nature of being doc filmmakers or from the subjects of our documentaries, we're often dealing with levels of anxiety, stress, and/or depression on a daily basis. Still it's not something that we often openly talk about. That is, not until recently, as more and more doc filmmak…
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When it comes to being affected by the coronavirus, we doc filmmakers, of course, are no exception. Whether we work in tv broadcasting, run video productions, or are freelancers, we are all feeling the impact of the massive shutdowns happening due to Covid-19. So in today's episode I'd like to offer up some ways in which we might all stay positive …
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One of the most compelling, intense, and well done documentaries that I saw in all of 2019 wasn't even a feature length film. In fact, its run time was only 39 minutes. But it was 39 mins of riveting documentary that was financed and distributed by Netflix, and it came from ZCDC's Zachary Canepari and Drea Cooper. And Cooper sat down to discuss wit…
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Documentary Film Promotions & Marketing with Jon Reiss
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The playing field for distribution, promotions, and marketing for independent documentary filmmakers seems to be changing daily. But one thing that remains, is Jon Reiss, the veritable guru on all things film distro, promotions, and marketing. And for this week's episode he weighs in on this latest, including how social media marketing and ad place…
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First Time Doc Filmmaker Wins the Stanley Cup, with Joshua Riehl
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Joshua Riehl was a first time doc filmmaker when he decided to make a film about his passion for the Detroit Red Wings of the National Hockey League. So how exactly did he manage to pull this feat off, including getting actor Jeff Daniels and some of the world's most recognizable names in hockey to agree to be in his film? Trust me. I wanted to kno…
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Are you thinking of traveling for your doc any time soon? Awesome. You know how much we love to travel for our doc filmmaking. And Chris has got some super useful tips for your doc filmmaking travel adventures! And whether you're traveling abroad or just down the street for your next bit of filming, make sure you and your film gear are protected! O…
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Your Breakthrough Year and #Doclifer, Josh Davidsburg
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Shouldn't you be making 2020 your breakthrough year in documentary filmmaking? We all know how difficult, sometimes frustrating, it can be getting our doc films made. And how trying it can be living our doc lives. No one knows this better than I. Which is why in this episode I have decided to challenge you (and I!) to make 2020 a breakthrough year …
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Welcome to your Season Two BONUS episode! In which you'll find selections from five of some of my favorite conversations that I've had with documentary filmmakers over the past 120 episodes of the show. Below, you can click on the full episodes to listen to the conversations in their entirety. Have a safe, happy holidays and we'll see you in 2020, …
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Documenting Your Family with Irene Taylor Brodsky
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Filming the ones that we love and making documentaries about them can be a challenging, but ultimately very rewarding experience. It can be full of emotional pitfalls. It can bring families closer together . And no one knows this better than Academy Award-nominated and Emmy Award-winning director, Irene Taylor Brodsky. We'll speak with Irene on the…
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Editing For Documentary Filmmakers with Paddy Bird
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One of the most popular topics on The Documentary Life deals with post production. More specifically, editing your documentary film. And not surprisingly one of the most popular guests on the program is industry expert, Paddy Bird. Because of this we've decided to make this week's episode an extra special one devoted to... you guessed it, editing. …
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Filming Behind Bars with Lynn Novick and Sarah Botstein
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Two veterans of Ken Burns films, Lynn Novick and Sarah Botstein, have recently completed work on their documentary film, four-part PBS series, College Behind Bars. And I had the pleasure of speaking with the both of them about some of their experiences working on Ken Burns’ films as well as what it was like going off on their own for their most rec…
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How to Raise $8k Quickly and Bring Scriptwriting Principles to Your Documentary Film
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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…
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Sculpture, Breast Cancer, and Documentary Film with Prune Nourry
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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 approac…
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Email Marketing for the Documentary Filmmaker
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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…
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Documentary Filmmaking Abroad with Edward Watts & Waad Al-Kateab
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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…
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The Fundraising Houseparty For the Documentary Filmmaker
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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 yo…
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Lean Team Documentary Filmmaking with Rustin Thompson
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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 filmmake…
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The Doc Filmmaker’s Money Mindset & Blue Collar Filmmaking
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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…
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Melbourne Documentary and Chasing the Jet Stream
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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 th…
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Make Great Documentaries From Where You Are with Billy Corben
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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 …
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Maiden and Archival Storytelling with Alex Holmes
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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-…
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Meta Filmmaking and Framing John DeLorean
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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 fict…
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Making a Documentary Series in China with Dominic Johnson-Hill
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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 …
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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-m…
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Crowdfunding Your Documentary Film with John Trigonis
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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 …
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Doc Filmmaking, Festivals, and Podcasting with Thom Powers
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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 …
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On the FRONTLINE with Doc Filmmakers, James Jones and Olivier Sarbil
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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 …
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The First Female Director with Pamela B. Green
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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 id…
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100 – Happy Thanksgiving Finale From The Documentary Life
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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 podcast. And I am joined by my better half, the producer for the show, Stephanie Vincenti. And we have a lot of gratitude for what we have achieved with The Documentary Life. We also have so much t…
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99 – Outdoor Adventure Films with Peter Mortimer
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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 recognizable outdoor adventure images on the planet, as well as founded The Reel Rock Tour, the biggest and longest-running festival of outdoor adventure films in the world. Sender…
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98 – Working with Werner Herzog and Les Blank with Maureen Gosling
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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. That film is Les Blank’s Burden of Dreams, starring Werner Herzog. And as we near our finale episode for Season One of the show, I thought it might be a great time to have someone like Maureen on to the show…
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97 – Understanding Doc Society with Maxyne Franklin
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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 their art. Whether with their flagship program, Good Pitch, their Impact Award, the Impact Field Guide, or the number of grants that they offer, Doc Society has truly become…
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96 – Short Your Way to a Feature with Jon Kasbe
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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 short documentary films, you may not know of this filmmaker’s work. But he’s most certainly someone that you will soon know, quite possibly with his first feature doc, When Lambs Become Lions, a film about two K…
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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 on TDL back on the eve of the Academy Awards for his doc, Abacus: Small Enough to Jail. Not surprisingly, Steve had some great insight into the industry and into doc filmmaking, as a whol…
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94 – Documentary Film Distribution with Jon Reiss
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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 Outside the Box Office joined us for this week’s episode of TDL. And it was one of the most engaging, honest looks at film distribution out there! Topics Discussed a hybrid ap…
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93 – The Full-time Doc Filmmaker, with Mat Hames
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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 he and his wife’s company, Alpheus Media, or through Rooster Teeth’s RT Docs, Hames has been making documentary films non-stop for well over a decade now. Of course, along with persistence and hard w…
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92 – How to Fund Your Film: The Individual Donor
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An often overlooked aspect of film funding is the individual donor. Which is kind of surprising, given that statistics tend to show that 50 percent (and sometimes more) make up the overall funding for doc filmmakers. Amidst, all of the dialogue and concentration on other, sometimes more obvious, avenues of fundraising like crowdfunding, grant fundi…
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