Just a quick reminder that I’m scheduled to lead a workshop for Raindance New York this coming Monday, November 15: Does Your Trailer Work? More info, including a link on how to sign up, in this previous post.
Category Archives: Film
Workshop Reminder: Does Your Trailer Work?
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations
On DVD: ZOMBIE GIRL: THE MOVIE
On DVD today, November 9: ZOMBIE GIRL: THE MOVIE
Austin-based filmmakers Justin Johnson, Aaron Marshall, and Erik Mauck collaborated on this documentary portrait, which premiered at Slamdance last year and fittingly won the Spirit of Slamdance Award. The film has had a nice festival run, and is now out on DVD, partnered with the narrative feature whose production the doc charts, PATHOGEN.
The titular figure in the doc is not a member of the walking dead, but Emily Hagins, a twelve-year-old filmmaker who sets out to make her own zombie film, recruiting family members, friends, and classmates to help. Despite limited experience and a fairly limited budget (though helped by a young filmmaker’s grant), Hagin’s DIY spirit lets her balance curfews with long shoots to get the job done, culminating in a successful hometown premiere screening. While we don’t see enough of her film, PATHOGEN, to really tell how good it is, that’s not really the point of ZOMBIE GIRL – the filmmakers have very successfully captured Emily as a character, and the infectious fun of her process of filmmaking.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Releases
Dear Documentary Filmmakers: Definitions
Dear Documentary Filmmakers: You’re not a high school debater- don’t start your film with a dictionary definition – trite.
This is a pet peeve, I’ll admit, but it shows up so often I’m sure it’s a pet peeve for a lot of programmers and probably for a fair amount of viewers.
My memories of high school speech and debate competitions almost all include a fast-talking kid beginning by saying something like “Skepticism. Merriam-Webster defines ‘skepticism’ as…” On the doc side, I have seen far too many films opening in a similar manner, often with a card literally offering a dictionary entry of the film’s title or of some key concept or theme, such as “pe•dant•ic: 1: of, relating to, or being a pedant; 2: narrowly, stodgily, and often ostentatiously learned; 3: unimaginative, pedestrian.”
Filed under Dear Documentary Filmmakers, Documentary, Film
On Cable: A FIGHTING CHANCE
Coming to ESPN2 this Monday, November 8: A FIGHTING CHANCE
Takashi Doscher and Alex Shofner’s documentary on Kyle Maynard had its world premiere this summer as part of SnagFilms’ SummerFest, and now makes its cable broadcast debut.
The film focuses on the charismatic Maynard, who was born without arms and legs, and his controversial attempt to compete in an official Mixed Martial Arts match against an able-bodied opponent. A FIGHTING CHANCE succeeds in making viewers who might normally not have any interest in MMA engage with the inspirational protagonist, who is also a motivational speaker and works with wounded military veterans.
Read my interview with the directors here.
Note: The film will also be shown on ESPN Classic on Veterans Day, November 11 and on Christmas, December 25.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Releases
In Theatres (& Special Screening): COOL IT
Coming to theatres next Friday, November 12: COOL IT
Ondi Timoner, the director of Sundance award winners DIG! and WE LIVE IN PUBLIC debuted her newest doc at Toronto. Roadside Attractions brings the climate change film, focused on controversial author Bjorn Lomborg, to theatres next week. A couple of days before that, NYC’s 92Y Tribeca will be hosting a special screening next Wednesday, November 10, with a discussion and Q&A moderated by me.
I wrote about the film in the first part of my Toronto round-up here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
In Theatres: DISCO AND ATOMIC WAR
Coming to theatres next Friday, November 12: DISCO AND ATOMIC WAR
Jaak Kilmi’s sardonic story of growing up under Communism had its international premiere at Telluride last year and went on to have a successful festival run before heading to a theatrical release via Icarus Films next week.
In a very engaging and humorous fashion, Kilmi reveals that the Iron Curtain was brought down in large part by reruns of DALLAS and KNIGHT RIDER, illegally (and craftily) intercepted in Estonia from nearby Finnish TV broadcasts. Behind closed doors, families consumed Western media, more powerful than any propaganda that the USSR could feed them through their own boring TV programming. The result is a fresh and playful look at life during the Cold War.
Note: I briefly wrote about the film when it was part of SnagFilm’s SummerFest, including a link to an interview I conducted with the director for indieWIRE. See the earlier post here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Releases
Special Screening: WAR DON DON
Coming to NYC’s Stranger Than Fiction next Tuesday, November 9: WAR DON DON
I wrote about Rebecca Richman Cohen’s SXSW award-winning film earlier here.
If you’re in the NYC area, go to STF for a chance to see the film on the big screen.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations
Dear Documentary Filmmakers: Competitions
Dear Documentary Filmmakers: Competition docs are now their own genre- to stand out they must transcend their own conventions.
I have a confession to make – I take more than my fair share of guilty pleasure in numerous competition-based reality TV shows (TOP CHEF, PROJECT RUNWAY, THE AMAZING RACE, BIG BROTHER, etc etc) – they’re a fun, simple escape from thinking about the larger issues that I’m so often confronted with in many of the films that I watch. Of course, I appreciate lighter or non-issue-driven documentaries as well, but one thing that tends to strike me when I see competition-oriented docs is that they too easily fall into the conventions of reality TV. Maybe it’s a personal thing for me, based on my admitted escapist use of reality TV, but this results in a certain lack of full engagement with or appreciation for these kinds of documentaries.
Filed under Dear Documentary Filmmakers, Documentary, Film
Workshop: Does Your Trailer Work?
On Monday, November 15, together with Trevite Willis, I’ll be leading a workshop for Raindance New York assessing the promotional and fundraising trailers of documentary and narrative filmmakers.
Trevite and I will be reviewing trailers submitted by pre-enrolled class participants in advance and offering our feedback during the class, engaging in a discussion about what aspects did (and didn’t) work and how the trailers can better be developed to represent your goals. Constructive criticism will be sought from other attendees to help strengthen your trailer for promotional or fundraising purposes. We’ll also evaluate trailers received the night of the class, but to guarantee a more involved review, you are encouraged to pre-register by Sunday, November 7th.
Sign up now for Does Your Trailer Work?
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations
Dear Documentary Filmmakers: Pop Songs
Dear Documentary Filmmakers: Using a barrage of low-res stills to illustrate pop songs you don’t have the rights to = bad.
The use of music in film is a huge topic – far too huge for a single blog post or for a non-expert like me – but, having encountered the above scenario a few times, it bears some consideration.
There are perfectly valid reasons for why you may want to use recognizable, popular songs in your film, just as there are equally good reasons to forego that route to instead have an original score. I’m not going to argue here why you should take one approach or another, but I will focus on the former and some of the missteps I’ve occasionally observed.
Filed under Dear Documentary Filmmakers, Documentary, Film
