Gratitude

You never know how much you appreciate someone until you get a scare that they might be seriously sick. I am grateful to everyone for their positive thoughts. They worked.

Money.

Link to doc grant application from NEH:
http://www.neh.gov/grants/guidelines/BridgingCultures_Film.html

FROM DOC MENTORS:

FUNDING AND OPPORTUNITIES - It's a great time of the year!

Roy W. Dean Grant LA
Film and Video grants - dedicated to supporting films that are unique
and make a contribution to society. These grants provide a vast array
of in-kind services for projects in production worth close to 100K. Deadline June 30th, 2010.

Sundance Documentary Fund
- supports both US and international documentary films that focus on
current human rights issues, freedom of expression, civil liberties and
exploring critical issues of our time. Four areas of funding are
offered - development, production, post-production and engagement and
impact. Deadline: postmarked July 7th, 2010.

Kroll Fund for Jewish Documentary Film - a
generous grant funding post-production in the amount of up to 50K for
original documentaries that explore the Jewish experience. Deadline July 27th, 2010.

NEH Funding Initiative - Bridging Cultures Through Film - supports
projects that examine international and transnational themes in the
humanities through documentary film. Projects must be analytical and
deeply grounded in humanities scholarship. Deadline July 28th, 2010.

ITVS Open Call
- ITVS's largest funding initiative, providing completion funds for
single non-fiction television programs on any subject, from any
viewpoint. For US filmmakers already in production. Deadline: August 6, 2010.

Pacific Pioneer Fund - for emerging filmmakers in CA, WA and OR, granting up to 10K. All subjects welcome. Deadline August 15, 2010.

The Fledgling Fund
- supports innovative media projects that can play a critical role in
social change. The grant's primary focus is community engagement and
outreach. The next application cycle opens August 23, 2010 and closes October 1, 2010.

Love.

First Amendment Claim: Relative Truth or "Crude" Consequences?

I'm not sure what to think about Berlinger's fight to suppress raw footage collected for his film Crude. Apparently, the Netflix online streaming version of Crude contained footage of Equadoran lawyers strategizing that the DVD version does not. Chevron's attorneys want to see all of that footage because they think it will help their case.

The journalist in me wants to defend his first amendment right to protect his "notes," which in the case of a documentarian, means raw footage. At the same time, I believe documentaries should reveal "truth." So, if the online version of the film shows the Ecuadoran lawyers making mistakes... and that's a more truthful version of the story than the DVD which does not contain the lawyer footage... what does that say about the manipulation of footage to create instead a less accurate "version" of the truth?

My sympathy, of course, is with the indigenous people of Ecuador who have clearly been screwed by Chevron. Further, the court's decision to force Berlinger to release his raw footage takes us down the slippery slope that could ultimately harm the protected sources of any journalist.

I guess I wish Berlinger had been more careful. Find the premise of your documentary, select the material that supports your premise, then stick with it. What bothers me most is one version of the truth online, and another on DVD. I'm afraid this damages the credibilty of his argument. I wonder what Michael Rabiger would say.

The downside of technology

This article about multi-tasking is worth reading all the way to the end without any interruptions from your cell phone, Facebook or email.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/07/technology/07brain.html

Doc Consultants

I've noticed quite a few "documentary consulting companies" popping up in links to sites I browse. Here's one of the latest: http://newdocediting.com/land/ultimate_documentary_guide/

People should just read Michael Rabiger's book. It only costs $50.

Documentaries by subject

This is a great link for those looking for other docs already done on their topic: http://documentaries.about.com/od/populardocsubjects/u/PopularSubjects.htm

Documentary Articles

Here is a good site for articles about docs with some links at the bottom for trailers and doc distribution companies. This comes from Mark Freeman, head of the documentary working group for the University Film and Video Association.

http://documentaries.about.com/od/documentarydirectors/a/

Free Docs Online

I've entered YCC in Amsterdam's International Documentary Film Festival, which is in November. While exploring their Web site I discovered they have an online TV Channel with free docs like this one about Haiti:

http://www.idfa.nl/industry/idfa-tv/films/worldwide/film.aspx?id=8846a4f9-fdcb-4c03-9fb4-139f002231d7

Spring Success

Whew! It has been a busy spring! I've had a blast screening The Young Composers Challenge at the Florida Film Festival and picking up the "best long form doc" award at BEA. Now the wait continues to see what other festivals may accept the film. I'm especially interested in a new festival in Park City, Utah that features "films about music." We shall see. I've also entered the film in another academic competition. The University Film and Video Association will have its national conference at Champlain College in Vermont in August.

I've also finished a new short film with my Honors Documentary Workshop class. Dr. Robert Cassanello from the History Department is the co-director and producer of this film about the only married couple slain together for their work in civil rights. Aaron Hose did a masterful job in editing the film, and you can watch it on his Vimeo site: http://vimeo.com/11268452 This film screened at the Harry and Harriette Moore Festival in Mims, Florida back in mid April. We will be submitting this to the Global Peace Film Festival. I was pleased that UCF President John Hitt watched the film online and sent me a nice note about it.

This summer I intend to get to work on a new short, The Circle Closes and finish my feature, Wally's Way to the Moon. I'll also be taking my Foundations of Story large lecture course up on the Web so that it will be offered fully online this coming fall. Looks like a busy summer!

Thank you Chris Ramsey

Here is a link from Chris Ramsey's blog that I want to share:
http://www.indiewire.com/article/good_advice_documentary_dos_and_donts_from_a_vet_programmer/

Chris, thanks for finding this treasure and sharing it with us!

Student documentaries

I keep thinking that things will calm down, slow down, I'll be less stressed and overwhelmed. This never seems to happen. It feels like every term it just gets worse.

Then, there are the days when I get to watch my students' films. I don't know how it happens (because I believe it has very little to do with me) but every spring at this time I start to see their films take shape and I am amazed... amazed at the courage, the skill, the depth and the hard work that the documentary students put into their films. They are the ones that make all of this crazy running around and going to meetings and everything else worth it. Just those 2-3 hours each week I get to spend with them in class talking about their films. They are my sanity.

Cool tripod trick

Last night my van broke down on the way back from Mims. I had it towed to the Firestone place in Sanford, but in all the darkness and confusion of shifting gear from one car to another, lost track of my camera tripod plate.

I discovered this as I set up for an important interview today, but luckily, my friend Aaron Hose was there (he's documenting the Honors student project for his TV program, "Gallery.") Aaron took his own tripod and lined it up with mine. We balanced the front of the camera on one tripod and the back end of the camera on the other tripod. It worked beautifully. Of course we were limited in the framing of the interview, but once we got it all set up, balanced, etc. the shot looked great.

THANK YOU AARON, for teaching me something new and being just damned determined to find a way to get something done with what we had. That... to me... is what film making is really all about.

New film I'm working on

Dr. Robert Cassanello (history) and I are teaching a pilot honors class this spring in which we make an historical documentary as a service learning project. We chose the Harry T. and Harriett V. Cultural Complex in Mims because we believe this special place has great potential... and the folks leading it are so nice. We've been out shooting with the students on Saturdays since early January and we've amassed about 25 tapes of interviews. We still need to shoot more b-roll, but I think we can start putting this together now. We have a shoot today in Sanford with an elderly man who was a boy when Harry and Harriett were rushed to the Colored Hospital there. He taught literature at Bethune Cookman College until retiring. We'll have him read the Langston Hughes poem "The Ballad of Harry T. Moore" and talk about what he remembers about hearing the Moores had been murdered.

Audio by Keith Lay

One of the judges for the Young Composers Challenge, Keith Lay, is doing the final audio post work right now on the documentary. I'm very excited about this because Keith is both an audio technician and a composer. I want to make sure the musical sequences are mixed well. I know that Keith is "centering" the audio as well. I think this means that instead of the sound coming out of the left or right speaker it will be balanced between the two.

It has taken a few years to meet all of the people that can help me do this film thing. I am very fortunate to be friends with people that have special skills to help me. I'm realizing that no good film is made on an island. It's a truly collaborative art.

Is this guerrilla marketing?

This week I've launched my new Web site lisamillsfilms.com It is not entirely complete but I'll have to just keep working on it little by little. I need to find a way to stash my film EPKs on the site so festival programmers can download stills, trailers, etc. If anybody has any ideas on how to do this, please let me know.

Also, there is a Facebook page for the Young Composers Challenge (you can become a fan) and we have five new clips and a trailer posted there. If you want to access them through YouTube, go to the search box and type "ucfmills."

We welcome all feedback.

My composer friends

I guess my favorite thing about making documentaries is the new friends I make. Last night I had the privilege of talking to three of the composers I met while shooting The Young Composers Challenge. I went to the "String Romance" Focus Series concert by the OPO Chamber Orchestra to shoot Keith Lay's piece "On the Playground, Concerto for Violin and Strings." I just wanted to shoot an archival video for him to have. He's been so warm and supportive of my work, and right now he's perfecting the audio for the film. I could tell it was a special night for Keith and for his wife, Joy. They were the superstars of the event. The piece was beautiful. I especially liked the second movement.

On the way in to set up I ran into Catie Weddle and Sue Bigsby, who were likely there because Catie's harp teacher Rosalind Beck was performing a solo piece. That was gorgeous, too. It was great to see those two lovely ladies... mother and daughter out for a night of music. I gave them the "secret" information about the documentary and they seemed very enthusiastic about it.

After I finished shooting Keith's piece, Dr. Stella Sung invited me to sit with her for the remainder of the concert. Stella is a very warm person and I love to watch her work the crowd at these OPO events. She gives everyone who speaks to her warm wishes and takes the time to pay attention to her "fans." They really appreciate that.

I would have to say that these people... Keith Lay, Stella Sung, Catie Weddle... and of course Chris Wilkins and David Schillhammer with the OPO... and Carl Rendek, the orchestra manager... deserve a lot of credit. They are passionate about what they do and that shows in the quality of their work. They are also very friendly and warm, making everyone feel welcome. It is always uplifting to spend time with them.

Voices

I've been enjoying the music programming on my Internet radio since I got it on Christmas day, but when I got home tonight the first thing I did was search for a radio station still on the air in Haiti. I spent about 10 minutes listening to two deejays there taking calls from earthquake victims. I couldn't understand anything anyone said, as it was all in Creole. But I heard screams, sobbing, shouting, pain. It was one of the most compelling things I've ever heard and it made me feel terribly sad.