While I wasn’t responsible for programming Doc-A-Thon, DOC NYC‘s panel series, this year, I can’t recommend it highly enough. Each day is focused on a different part of the filmmaking process, and includes four masterclasses or special discussions with leading documentary filmmakers and industry representatives, all taking place between 10:30am-5:00pm at the IFC Center, beginning next Monday, November 18.
Monday’s Day 1 begins with the essentials of production:
Shoot Your Doc Panel Descriptions:
Masterclass: Cinematography:
10:30-11:40am
Vital contributors to shaping the tone and style of a film, documentary cinematographers have to be ready to adapt to unforeseen developments at a moment’s notice. Cinematographers Richard Rowley (DIRTY WARS) and Kirsten Johnson (HERE ONE DAY, THIS FILM IS NOT YET RATED) share their secrets of shooting under any and all circumstances. Moderated by Hugo Perez.
Masterclass: Producing:
12:00-1:10pm
Every doc maker wants to have a strong producer but what does a producer truly do from the production phase through post? What is the role of a producer during festivals and distribution? Producers Jeff Dupre (HALF THE SKY), Sandi DuBowski (AMICHAI FILM PROJECT, A JIHAD FOR LOVE), and Julie Goldman (GIDEON’S ARMY) enlighten us on their role as the anchor in a film’s development. Moderated by Hugo Perez.
Filming Outside Your Turf: Case Studies on DEATH METAL ANGOLA, DEEPSOUTH AND DETROPIA:
2-3:10pm
DEATH METAL ANGOLA (DOC NYC 2013), DEEPSOUTH (released 2013) and DETROPIA (released 2012) all deal with communities facing stark problems and being tested for their resilience. The filmmakers discuss how they established a network of contacts on the ground to tell these stories. This discussion explores how filmmakers can interact with policy makers to inform storytelling and to reach wider audiences. Moderated by journalist Tom Roston, who writes the Doc Soup blog on the POV/PBS website.
Cara Mertes in Conversation:
3:30-4:40pm
Cara Mertes recently joined the Ford Foundation as the director of its JustFilms program, a $50 million initiative at the forefront of social justice filmmaking. She previously served as the director of the Sundance Institute Documentary Fund and as executive producer of PBS’s POV documentary series. In this conversation, she’ll share her perspective on grant funding for documentaries and offer insights to the JustFilms program.
Why You Should Attend:
Doc-A-Thon is programmed with filmmakers in mind – these are no simple general information sessions, but instead offer practical knowledge from working professionals for emerging and established documentary filmmakers alike, to help them get their films made, and made better.
More Info:
To purchase tickets, follow the links from the panel pages by clicking on the individual titles above, or consider purchasing a DOC NYC Insider Pass, which grants access to all weekday films, panels, and events up through 5pm.
what (not) to doc 