All eyes are on the documentary Stories We Tell, released in two theaters in New York City this past weekend. The film, directed by actor-director Sarah Polley, centers on the mysteries surrounding her mother, who passed away when Polley was 11. Though the film examines her family’s past, calling it a family album would be like calling Citizen Kane a movie about sledding. Polley unravels the story of her mother, and her own parentage, like the layers of an onion. Yes, it’ll make you cry, as it’s masterful work, using interviews with family and recreations like we’ve rarely seen. Its greatest genius, though, is in the editing; audiences are carried through the film’s many twists and turns effortlessly.

And it’s not just me saying this. Stories We Tell has as much buzz as any documentary in the past few years. All weekend, my Twitter feed had a consistent deluge of supportive tweets, enjoining people to see it. The film was featured in weekend editions of newspapers and the critics almost universally raved. Rotten Tomatoes gave Stories We Tell a 94% approval rating.

Documentary critics, myself included, go on and on about this Golden Age of documentaries we live in, remarking how docs are taking cinematic storytelling to a whole new level. Stories We Tell is a prime example of that trend. The film distinguishes itself from documentary hits that can draw audiences who want to watch cute kids, fuzzy animals, Justin Bieber or other clever gimmicks. But the question remains: Will audiences show up?

This weekend was promising. Stories We Tell opened with $31,000 in two theaters. There was a bump of 172% from Friday to Saturday, largely considered an indication of strong word-of-mouth. To give you some sense of the numbers, a $10,000 per screen average for an independent film can be considered a success, while $20,000 is a true winner. Beating its chest, Roadside Attractions, the film’s distributor, pointed out to Indiewire that last year’s big hit, Searching for Sugar Man, opened with about $9,000 per screen.

But if they’re chasing Sugar Man, they might be in for a headache. Sugar Man is a different animal; it’s a feel-good doc with a very conventional beat. Stories We Tell is a cerebral art film. It makes you feel, but more than that, it makes you think. I don’t see it ever catching up with Sugar Man, which ended up with a $3.6 million.

That doesn’t mean it can’t be a box office success. Stories We Tell is expanding to 20 screens in seven markets around the country next weekend. It has all of the wind behind its sails. And then, if the stars are aligned, it should get a second wind from an Oscar race.

The little I know of Polley, I doubt she could care less about chasing the almighty dollar with this movie. She made a great film which will touch audiences in ways few docs (and even fewer home movies) could ever hope to.

My concern is how Stories We Tell might be an industry example of how even when everything goes right, you’re still not going to make a significant amount of money on a documentary. Alas, they probably already know that. It’s just those of us who want to see docs cross over to the mainstream—even the art house mainstream— that need to come back down to earth.

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A.J. Schnack with directors Chris Hegedus and D.A. Pennebaker at the special 20th Anniversary screening of The War Room at Hot Docs in Toronto, Canada. (Credit: Adriano Trapani/ Hot Docs)

Call it, “film festival high;” that early morning sense of excitement when you wake and not know what the day will bring, while attending a festival. Toronto’s Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival, which just concluded this weekend had so many films, so many intriguing people (be they filmmakers or subjects of the films), and so much to do, that I was high as a kite, as they say, each morning. I had it good at Hot Docs, and here are seven reasons why:

World Premieres
The docs that first showed at this year’s festival were an eclectic, admirable mix: steeped in doc history (Caucus; on the GOP campaign trail, was a love letter to 1960′s Primary), cerebral yet compelling (The Unbelievers; about evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins and theoretical physicist Lawrence Krauss) or highly provocative (Unclaimed; about a man in Vietnam who claims to be a POW. See my story about it in The New York Times).

The International Flavor
I met a woman who claimed to “run documentaries” in her small European country. And I actually believe her. You can’t turn without meeting someone who runs a festival or a grant-giving entity from some overseas nation. And they’re all state-funded so there’s no stress or desperation in their eyes as they sip wine, toss bocce balls and discourse on documentaries. The films themselves are equally sourced from disparate places around the world. Accents run thick during Q & A’s, and as we Americans lean in to hear better, we get a well-needed reality check that there’s so much more in the doc world than what’s in our backyard.

It’s the Curation, Stupid
Each film festival is only as good as its films. I’ve already indicated how many great films were showing at Hot Docs this year, among them; 12 O’Clock Boys, Big Men, Kill Team, These Birds Walk, The Machine Which Makes Everything Disappear, and on and on. But there’s more than just cherry picking great films; you have to get the right balance. For example, pairing screenings of Caucus with a special showing of 1993’s Clinton campaign doc, The War Room (with directors D.A. Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus in attendance), was particularly brilliant.

Toronto in the Spring Time
I used to say, “nothing is better than Toronto in the late summer,” but it turns out this town is pretty special in the early spring as well. I was totally enthralled by the new TIFF Bell Lightbox theater, with five state-of-the-art screening rooms that provide what’s probably the most comfortable seating with the best sight lines in the western world, and the new jagged, modern addition to the Royal Ontario Museum, which also hosted Hot Docs screenings. It’s been seven years since I’ve been to Toronto, so to see both of these architectural triumphs, both of which help serve the filmmaking community was very exciting. I’ve always loved the food, the night life, and the people of this town, but I was especially happy to meet the proprietor of Dumpling Queen, an awesome hole-in-the-wall Chinese restaurant on Yonge street. They’ve got the best veggie dumplings this side of Mott Street.

The Doc Shop
This might be becoming the new standard at festivals, but it’s the first time I’ve been able to appreciate it. Two dark rooms filled with 40 or so computer screens might seem like anathema to the festival-going experience, so let me explain myself. Hot Docs set up a library of most of the 205 films that showed at the festival so that industry and press people could watch what ever they wanted on the computer screens equipped with headphones. Festival schedules are so difficult to maintain, that it’s essential to give viewers a way to make up what we miss. And, the truth is, so many documentaries are now seen by audiences (and critics) on small screens, that it’s not exactly a disservice to the experience of watching the film.

Sheer number of films
This may be a backhanded compliment, but I was terrorized a number of times by what I was not doing at the festival. Which is why the above-mentioned Doc Shop was so invaluable. No one could watch all 205 films during the festival, but not getting to see it all is a great problem to have. Of the ten films I said I most wanted to see at the festival, I literally saw just two. Two! But I was still so impressed with what I did end up seeing, which brings me to…

Surprises
I had more happy accidents in a four-day period than I thought possible. The first night, I stumbled into a party for The Unbelievers at my hotel, where I met Richard Dawkins whose awesome intellect almost blew me into a corner. But, fueled by beer and olives, I was able to have a conversation with the man. Another day, I stumbled into an early morning panel where I heard Lucky Director Laura Checkoway reveal the gem that Albert Maysles once told her, “All you need to do is love,” which I found quite stirring. The next day, with a hole in my schedule, I stumbled into Menstrual Man, a film title I can’t entirely say with a straight face which is the very reason I should have been seeing it (as the director told me, afterwards). This film is about a man in India who makes it his mission to get poor, rural Indian women to use sanitary pads. It was my greatest discovery at the festival; it sounds small, but it’s really quite miraculous. Shot on site with incredibly compelling characters including the main subject, Arunachalam Muruganantham, and some of the women he works with, Menstrual Man is an engaging, funny, heart-breaking story of the power of what one ordinary man can achieve. It’s an attack on those of us who worship sophistication and intellect (see me fawning over Dawkins, above), as well as a concise appreciation of a micro-economic model. With slick insight and analysis, and well-produced graphics, the film recalls The Corporation. But, at the same time, it’s a gritty, third world verite doc. In other words, it’s a hybrid unlike any other, and it should not be missed.

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In the thick of the Hot Docs film festival in Toronto, I’m just coming off a panel on documentary criticism in which we discussed the need to forward documentary literacy, meaning more considered, critical and nuanced writing and understanding of documentary film.

I can’t promise all that but it only makes sense for me to try to do so with the first documentary I saw after the panel. My unfortunate test case: Caucus, which had its world premiere last night.

When I first heard about Caucus, about the Republican campaign trail in Iowa way, way back in 2012, I wasn’t interested. Isn’t this movie coming too soon? Don’t we need more time before we can look back at the Republican primary in Iowa? How is it at all relevant to today?

But, as I was watching the film, I realized my hesitation was itself a good reason to see it. Caucus is a huge jolt to the senses as it forces us to be in neither smack in the middle of the 24-hour daily news cycle nor in the sobering-it’s-been-a-long-time-now-let’s-look-back frame of mind.

Caucus dares us to care about what happened just a year or so ago. In a way, it feels like that election thing never happened; as if we all knew all along that Obama would defeat Romney to become our president.

But that’s just not the case. The film shows, what feels like, every corn dog, speech and verbal joust that the Republican candidates experience. We catch all the behind the scenes banter in what must be an homage to Primary, the classic first step in Direct Cinema filmmaking, in which doc titans D.A. Pennebaker, Richard Drew, Richard Leacock and Albert Maysles followed the Wisconsin primary back in 1960. That was the launch of the fly-on-the-wall filmmaking, and it must have felt radical back then.

There’ve been other films in the campaign trail genre, like A Perfect Candidate, and War Room, but Caucus has less allegiance to them than Primary because, well, its approach to the subject is basically, let it roll.

What I’m saying is that the movie is nearly two hours long and I think it’s about a half an hour too long. The film is relentless in its coverage of moment after moment. It keeps showing what it’s been showing—candidates engaged in uncomfortable chatter, hustling here and hustling there, intercut with dreamy music. Is director A.J. Schnack trying to simulate the tedium of being on the campaign trail?

No, in addition to playing the Primary card too hard, I think he expects more from his audience. The genius is supposed to be in the details. He wants us to be patient, to not look at our watches, and to feel the pace of what really happened, and to appreciate how human these people are. At a film festival, where everything is happening at once, that was too much to expect of this viewer.

Now, if you have the patience, there’s much to be appreciated and learned from Caucus. You see all the little steps, like Michelle Bachmann showing up 3 and a half minutes late to a function, that inched the electorate from one candidate to another. You see these people as more than puppets.

And, on a very different note, and revealing my personal political inclinations, you hear what these candidates and their followers said, and you realize America didn’t vote for them. These are the ideas and candidates that America rejected, and these deeply passionate people in Iowa and other parts of the country are still dealing with the wounds of their defeat. God knows what would happen if they have to go up against Hillary in the next election.

And that’s the greatest virtue of Caucus: it makes us aware of the reality we live in right now. It’s easy to ignore what lies beneath the surface, but Caucus shows the true present by revealing our recent past.

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Programs from the Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival in Toronto, Canada.

It’s not just a coincidence that the decline of the film critic happened at the same time as the rise of the documentary. I bring this up as I prepare for a trip to the Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival in Toronto, where I’ll be taking part in a panel on film criticism tomorrow (Tuesday at 1:30; come on down!).

I’ve mulled the issue of documentary criticism and how reviewers are too nice to them before. Frankly, the issue doesn’t get old for me, nor it seems for many of those of us who care about such things. There have been similar panels at True/False and the Tribeca Film Festival this year. I’ll admit, we who write and think about documentaries constantly may be small in number, but we don’t lack for passion.

And this is what’s bothering some of us: if documentaries are such a brilliantly evocative way to tell the truth through cinematic storytelling, then all documentaries should not be treated the same. There should be a hierarchy. Some are better than others. Nor should they be judged on a curve, given a pass, as it were, that fiction narratives don’t get.

But there’s another problem that’s been less considered: I think we’re beginning to suffer from an overload of documentaries. Call it, doc glut. And someone’s got to help separate the wheat from the chaff.

So, let’s loop back to that first proposition: that film criticism has imploded at the same time that documentaries have exploded. Pauline Kael and other such critics no longer rule the day. A film’s life can no longer be determined by the strike of a typewriter key. Of course, this notion has always been exaggerated, but the question is that as more credence is given to a Tweet by a 16-year-old fanboy than a well-considered review by an old guy sitting behind a desk, do the documentaries stand to lose or gain?

Honestly, it’s difficult to say. But it’s clear to me that the rise of the documentary is very much a part of the same technological-cultural phenomenon as the decline of the all-powerful critic. It’s all part of the digital age we live in.

It’s worth mentioning, I think, that no one better personifies these shifting plates than the recently passed Roger Ebert. As a critic, one who held as much power as anyone, spanning from the old world of criticism to the current one, Ebert also just so happened to be one of the great documentary advocates of our time.

He’s the guy who picked Errol Morris out of crowd, showering praise on his oddity, Gates of Heaven. He also helped put Hoop Dreams on the map, pumping it up with praise, and heralding what became the dawn of the current age of great documentaries. He called Hoop Dreams the best film of the 1990s.

Ebert was seeing things that other critics weren’t.

While he called the 1976 Maysles film, Grey Gardens, “haunting,” “fascinating,” and “mysterious,” giving it four stars, Vincent Canby, of The New York Times, called it “impassive. Also a little cruel.”

The film, which many of us now consider one of the greatest documentaries of all time, was a bomb when it was released. Chad Curtis, of Vogue, called it “exploitative, tasteless and frankly reprehensible.”

So much for the heyday of film criticism. I’d contend that many critics, Kael included, didn’t know what they were looking at.

Ebert did, because he had more of a populist (which is not to be confused with stupid or simple) point of view.

What this all suggests to me is that we need more doc literate film critics, who can recognize what’s great in a documentary, and to call them out. For my money, A.O. Scott, of The New York Times, does a pretty good job at that.

But, just as much, we also need more critics to call out the bad ones. It’s not as easy as it sounds, however. I’m no critic, but even I have difficulty. In fact, I recently saw two films that I really didn’t care for but I just can’t put my money where my mouth is: I’m scared to pan them here.

The old reasons come up: who gains from a negative review? Would my little negative critique really help forward the form?

This is my preamble to what may come tomorrow in Toronto: I hope to spill the beans on a couple of documentaries that I’d will criticize. I want to see what it sounds like coming out of my mouth in a public forum.

If you’re there, you can take me to task for it.

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Despite still being in the thick of the Tribeca Film Festival, it’s time to look northward to Hot Docs, the biggest documentary film festival in North America, which takes place in Toronto, and begins Thursday, April 25. I mean, this festival is big: they’ve got 160 directors coming and 205 films being shown.

They also have an industry conference with a bunch of panels, including one that I’ll be on about documentary criticism. Documentary Channel’s Christopher Campbell, filmmaker Robert Greene, and DOC NYC’s Basil Tsiokos and I will be breaking down whether docs should be reviewed on a curve because they mean well, and whether or not there’s a responsibility to shape “doc literacy.” I’m hoping that there will be blood. I’m not sure who’s, but there’s plenty to sink our teeth into here.

So if you are going to be attending, please come to that, on Tuesday, April 30th, at 1:30.

But more so, what should you see?

Luckily, the Hot Docs organizers divide the films into programs which provide us with direction: there’s Special Presentations, World Showcase, Rule Breakers and Innovators, among others. Better still, there is the assist provided by the Hot Docs website http://www.hotdocs.ca/schedule/, which has a “browse by subject” menu, showing it knows doc audiences do just that, so that you can find what interests you, whether it’s poverty, performance, love & relationships, death & mortality, and so on.

Here’s what I can tell you to see, and why, in two minutes or less: Unclaimed, about what appears to be a once-missing POW will blow your mind — it’s even better than Imposter because it’s actually about something; artist profile, Cutie and the Boxer, is this year’s must-see festival darling; F— For Forest will make your jaw drop over pornographers who want to save the rain forest through fornication; Kill Team and Blackfish will enrage you, over the war in Afghanistan and the treatment of orcas, respectively; I Am Breathing will bring tears and respect for a man dying with dignity; Big Men is as much a well-crafted political exposé of oil interests in Africa as it is a meditation on (in)humanity; Anyone interested in how the 24-7 news cycle coverage we saw in Boston got started, should check out Let The Fire Burn, about the 1980s fiasco between Philadelphia police and radical members of Move; The Machine Which Makes Everything Disappear is beautifully and disturbingly raw and revealing in its simple questioning of the citizens of the country of Georgia; Maidentrip is a boat ride around the world and a bildungsroman of a young girl, which gives you two good reasons to see it; and I’ve written that These Birds Walk, about an orphanage in Pakistan, recalls Truffaut’s 400 Blows, and I meant it — the cinema vérité of the film is deep poetry in its depiction of street urchins.

If I saw all these films at one festival, I think it would blow my mind. But here they are, all at Hot Docs. I envy the people who’ll be discovering these docs for the first time in the next two weeks, but I’m not complaining; I’ve got it pretty good as I enter the unknown. Here’s what I’m putting at the top of my list of must-see films.

The Great North Korean Picture Show: I put this first because it’s first on my list. North Korea is such a confounding, depressing place, and this film approaches the subject through access, somehow, to the state’s film school. I have been interested in how the country’s leaders are obsessed with movies, so I’m curious how this will play out.

12 O’Clock Boys: It’s about tough Baltimore youth in an urban dirt bike gang. I asked someone who’s seen the film what it was like, expecting it to be bad-ass, cool or the like, but he said it was “beautiful.” I’m there.

American Commune: This is the story of a commune created in 1970 in Tennessee. I’ve always been fascinated by the subject, and the directors have MTV backgrounds, which I don’t consider a negative. I’m looking forward to a film with polish.

Blood Brother: This Sundance hit has been on my radar because it’s about one man’s journey into India, doing good for kids who are HIV-positive, but it’s also about his search for self. When a doc can cover an important issue but also tell a narrative I can identify with, I’m interested.

The Human Scale: I like docs about design and this one is about how screwed up our urban landscape is. Give me Koyaanisqati-like images and insight, and I’m yours.

Sick Birds Dies Easy: Four men go to Africa in search of existential answers, as well as a cure to their addictions. The festival calls it a cross between Heart of Darkness and Fear and Loathing, which is all I needed to hear.

Our Nixon: Long-forgotten Super-8 footage of Richard Nixon could be a total bore or a supreme revelation in the right hands. Can first-time filmmaker Penny Lane make archival magic? I’d like to find out.

God Loves Uganda: This look at Uganda, where human rights groups and the evangelical movement battle over homosexuality, is directed by Roger Ross Williams, the guy whose Oscar win for Music by Prudence, was marred by the interruption of his former producer. Hey, I’ve always been tickled by that moment.

Naked Opera: What is this weird movie? A portrait of a critically ill European man who takes decadent trips to see Don Giovanni. Sounds peculiar, but potentially fascinating, if the subject is.

Just the Right Amount of Violence: This one could be a bust. It’s a depiction of families with children who are so troubled that the parents enlist interventionists who bring them to a reform school. There’s vérité and dramatizations which can be a slippery slope, but if done right, could be great.

And special mention goes to two of the most provocatively titled docs of the fest; I Will Be Murdered, about a man who publicly predicts his murder, and Menstrual Man, about an Indian man who wants to do good with sanitary pads for women. I hope to see both.

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Big Men, directed by Rachel Boynton, screened at the Tribeca Film Festival (April 17-28, 2013).

My Tribeca Film Festival is off to a great start. I started my Friday with a screening of Big Men, followed by Flex is Kings. Luckily I was sitting, because both films would have knocked me off my feet.

There’s this overwhelming feeling one gets, the kind that puts your hair on end and tears welling in your eyes, when watching a documentary that puts you into another world, and screams, there’s something truly incredible happening here!

And to think that, while Big Men is set (mostly) in Africa, Flex plays out in my backyard, Brooklyn, NY.

Big Men is directed by Rachel Boynton, who managed to get incredible access to a small Texas oil company, Kosmos, just as it was discovering a muilt-billion dollar oil reserve off the coast of Ghana. Boynton traces the development of this discovery from the money guys in New York to the oil guys in Dallas, and through many of the players–from politicians to rebel fighters–in Africa.

What unfolds in Big Men is more than the discovery of oil, but a thorough examination of humanity and what motivates men who want to be big men. Who doesn’t act in their self interest? Who doesn’t try to do what’s best for their own? Those questions are asked equally of all the men in this documentary.

In other words, this hard-hitting political expose is filled with soul-searching metaphors. No wonder it sets the tone with opening quotes about selfish acts and gold-digging from economist Milton Friedman and from the Humphrey Bogart film, The Treasure of the Sierra Madre. It’s a film the puts up a big target. And, yes, it hits it.

Finding oil proves to be both a blessing and a curse for many of the people involved, and Boynton manages to trace them from the jungle where we empathize for a gun-toting rebel to the New York stock exchange floor, where you can’t help love an oil tycoon who grunts, “this kind of sucks,” between glad-handing.

As good as Big Men is, Flex is Kings, directed by Deidre Schoo and Michael Beach Nichols, is more visceral, and therefore even more impactful. It follows the lives of several people involved in extreme street dancing; think break dancing, but on a whole new, athletic, level. I’ve seen flex dancing on the streets, in the subways, but never really got it. Flex is Kings gets it, and it effectively demonstrates that it is an art form, a cultural mode of expression that is as beautiful and honorable as any other. The difference is that it is very raw, and it’s blowing up right now.

We follow two flex dancers, Flizzo and Jay Donn, who are vivid subjects. When Jay gets picked to join a dance troupe, the meshing of the two dance forms, probably for the first time, turns this documentary into more than just discovery, it becomes a type of artistic creation.

I should note that neither film is perfect. Both would benefit from tightening and stronger editing (and Flex sounded like it was in mono–as moved as I was, with better sound, it would have been even more affecting).

As far as I’m concerned, Tribeca is firing on all cylinders.

For updates on the documentaries and interactive works at the 2013 Tribeca Film Festival, subscribe to POV’s documentary blog, like POV on Facebook or follow us on Twitter @povdocs.

Sundance is a memory, we’ve long since sobered up from True/False, and Full Frame just ended. Now, with the Tribeca Film Festival starting this week, and Toronto’s Hot Docs kicking off before it’s over, we’re as deep as it gets in film festival season. In less than a month, we’ll know what most of the must-see feature documentaries of 2013 are. I’m going to take a stab here at presenting what I think looks most promising at Tribeca.

The sheer depth and breadth of subject matter covered by the Tribeca documentaries this year is, well, breath taking.  It’s easy to forget that Tribeca also happens to be a narrative fiction festival (you know, with actors and such) — the docs are that varied and strong. But it’s not too diffuse, it’s just a testament to the reach of the nonfiction form. Looking ahead, Hot Docs is even more comprehensive, so I expect to have a full mental catalog of all of humanity (and inhumanity) within the next couple of weeks.

Although the subjects of the Tribeca documentaries beckon, it’s usually best to follow the filmmakers. So, I’m going to start with Marina Zenovich, who did a great job profiling the infamous Polish director in Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired. I’m equally interested in the Tribeca showing of her follow-up examination of a flawed icon in Richard Pryor: Omit the Logic. Zenovich speaks with Mel Brooks, Robin Williams, Lily Tomlin and Dave Chappelle, and we’re expecting to see great access to early footage.

Ricki Stern and Annie Sundberg cut their teeth with The Trials of Darryl Hunt and The Devil Came On Horseback, and have since entered less gritty arenas (like Joan Rivers’ apartment). They come to Tribeca with Let Them Wear Towels, about women sports reporters in the locker room. As much as I appreciate their work, I have my doubts that this subject can really warrant such feature focus, especially on the big screen, so there’s a strong curiosity factor: Can they knock this one out of the park?

And then there’s Rachel Boynton, who directed the great Our Brand is Crisis, along with a star-studded cast of executive producers, including director Steven Shainberg (an old pal — Steve directed Secretary and has a solid head on his shoulders) and Brad Pitt, who’s not going to waste his name on a clunker. Boynton’s film, Big Men, is an on-the-ground expose of the African oil industry in Ghana and Nigeria.

And so, after entering the locker room, deepest Africa and the comedic limelight, I look forward to wading neck deep into the wealth of diversity, to see McConkey, a thrill ride about extreme skier-adventurer Shane McConkey, Powerless, about a man in India who tackles the power-supply lines (literally and figuratively) in Kanpur, Red Obsession, about the Chinese obsession with Bordeaux and how it’s impacting the finite supply of the vintage, Kiss the Water, about a Scottish fishing-fly maker that’s supposed to be lyrical in its imagery, and Flex is Kings, about a competitive dance and its practitioners from the streets of Brooklyn.

There are many more that sound interesting, such as Lenny Cooke, Out of Print and Aatsinki: The Story of Arctic Cowboys, and there are even a bevy of short docs that sound fascinating, such as Lapse: Confessions of a Slot Machine Junkie, and, check this out: Wilt Chamberlain: Borscht Belt Bellhop, about the basketball star’s summer working in the Catskills.

(It’s appropriate that New York magazine film critic David Edelstein uses this Tribeca festival as the moment to blow a clarion call for docs. “The cool kids are making docs,” he writes. “It’s incredibly sexy.” He attributes the phenomenon to the rise of cheap digital filmmaking tools, and he’s right.)

Is there a blade of grass left unexamined by a documentarian under a rock somewhere? It seems unlikely, and yet, there are always more. Thankfully.

For updates on the documentaries and interactive works at the 2013 Tribeca Film Festival, subscribe to POV’s documentary blog, like POV on Facebook or follow us on Twitter @povdocs.

Tell Me Something, edited by New York filmmaker Jessica Edwards, has a Kickstarter Campaign until April 6th, 2013.

We all need good advice, now and then. And who better to provide that advice than a person who has dedicated him or her self to telling the truth, albeit in a mediated form, for aesthetic expression, greater social good and even greater personal self-growth?

That, in my words, is the reason for being for the upcoming book, Tell Me Something, edited by budding filmmaker Jessica Edwards, and articulated by an impressively long list of seasoned documentary filmmakers, including Albert Maysles, Barbara Kopple, Morgan Spurlock, Frederick Wiseman, Kim Longinotto and Steve James. Each filmmaker — many of whom are POV vets — doles out advice that ranges from love to filmmaking, accompanied by a photographic portrait of said director.

The book should be ready by the fall, but in order to get there, Edwards has started a Kickstarter campaign, offering some awesome rewards for your generosity.

I like the ones that get you the book and a signature from a filmmaker, like Spurlock or Kopple. It’s almost like they’re ranked, which has given me the awesome idea to start a Fantasy Doc Filmmaker League soon. (Look for it. I’m serious.) In the higher range, if you give $3,000, three filmmakers will come to your company or school to conduct an in-depth talk about creativity. I bet that discussion will be well worth its weight in gold.

You got to give it up to Edwards: she’s managed to wed two industries — book publishing and documentary filmmaking — that are practically guaranteed to not make money. Which is why you should hear what she has to say below, and help her defy the odds with some cold, hard, cash.

How’d the idea for the book come up?
I had been working as a film publicist for years, but I was always a closeted filmmaker, making short documentaries in my spare time, with my own money. When I stopped doing publicity last year after having a baby, I started to work on some long form documentary ideas. But as I was researching, plotting ideas, considering angles and story lines I was suddenly stuck. Nothing seemed to connect. Ideas I had been working on for years fell apart in my head, and it seemed impossible to focus on new concepts. I hit a wall creatively and I didn’t know how to work through it. My partner is also a filmmaker (Helvetica filmmaker, Gary Hustwit) and we were talking about a way to get through the fog. He mentioned how it would be great to take every filmmaker you love for coffee to pick their brain for advice. And that is how Tell Me Something was born.

I’ve been lucky to have met and worked with so many great documentary filmmakers over the years and I wanted to find a way to distill some of their knowledge for anyone to use. I imagined the book being something you could pull off the shelf when you were stuck and it would give you a little shock of inspiration or motivation to keep working. Luckily the filmmakers have been really responsive to the idea and have provided insightful, funny, thoughtful and above all inspirational advice.

Can you describe any revelations or surprises after asking so many doc directors advice?
Documentary folks tend to be really open and kind people. They are in the filmmaking trenches day in and day out, so I’m not surprised by how genuine and honest and thoughtful the advice is. But contrary to popular myth, documentary filmmakers aren’t only serious and sullen and burdened by changing the world one movie at a time! They are also hilarious. Take Amir Bar-Lev’s advice about how to sneak into film festival parties. It sounds crazy, but it’s practical advice for a new filmmaker fresh on the festival scene.

Can you give me one of your favorite quotes?
Too many to list! But one of my favorites is from James Marsh: “An ambitious failure is preferable to a mediocre success.”

How do you plan to distribute the book?
We’re running a Kickstarter campaign for the project, so that’ll be the initial way the books get out there, to people who back the project. We’ll also be doing some release events at film festivals this fall when the book is published. Then of course selling it via the web, on Amazon, at our favorite movie houses and gift shops, etc.

How many copies do you plan to publish?
It’ll depend on the demand, we’ll see. But the response so far has been great.

Is $20,000 going to pay for everything? (Really?)
That’ll pay for the photographers, the book design, a modest first print run and related shipping costs. Everyone involved is doing this because they like the idea of the project. And at the end of the day, I’m a filmmaker, I don’t have any illusions of becoming a big time book publisher!

Get more documentary film news and features: Subscribe to POV’s documentary blog, like POV on Facebook or follow us on Twitter @povdocs.

A still from The Director

I’d like to clear the air on something.

The 2013 Tribeca Film Festival, which is being held April 17-28, announced its impressive film slate last week. I know at least three of the documentaries are top-notch and well worth seeing: Let the Fire Burn, about the disastrous battle between Philadelphia police and the group MOVE, Cutie and the Boxer, about a Japanese artist couple who relocated to Manhattan, and Kill Team, about an allegedly rogue squad of U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan. There are also a number of others that pique my interest, including Richard Pryor: Omit the Logic, Bending Steel, about Coney Island strong men, and Teenage, about, yes, teenagers.

But the inclusion of one documentary, The Director, about how Gucci’s creative director, Frida Giannini, has steered the fashion label to new heights, caused me a moment’s pause. Isn’t Gucci a major sponsor of the festival? Wouldn’t that be a conflict of interest?

It turns out I was wrong in my thinking, but let’s get the facts straight.

Gucci is indeed a very generous sponsor of docs through the Gucci Tribeca Documentary Fund and the Gucci Tribeca Documentary Fund for the Spotlighting Women Documentary Award. Together, the funds gave out $200,000 for docs last year via the non-profit Tribeca Film Institute, an organization that Robert De Niro, Jane Rosenthal and Craig Hatkoff started in the wake of 9/11, in an attempt to revitalize downtown New York. They also started the Tribeca Film Festival at the same time with the similar mission. I am assured that the two entities are run entirely separately: Their only overlap is that Rosenthal and De Niro remain co-chairs of both boards of directors.

“The Film Festival’s selection of this film has nothing to do with the relationship the Tribeca Film Institute has with Gucci,” Genna Terranova, the director of programming for the festival told me. “From a programming perspective, we just care about the filmmaking and the story.”

I am not yelling, “Guccigate!” or suggesting that there’s something terribly underhanded going on here. But let’s keep things honest by allowing ourselves to ask questions.

To me, this is just the latest example of the changing world of documentaries. On one side, there’s the financing: No longer does the money come from grants and (seemingly objective) government funds for the arts. Filmmakers need progressive-thinking corporations like Gucci for financing. On the creative side, more and more documentaries aren’t just about injustice or turning up stones in the Bayou. They’re about beauty, style and entertainment. And they’re also not necessarily critical.

The Director, directed by Christina Voros (and produced by her creative partner James Franco, who used to be the “face” of Gucci), fits snugly within the budding subgenre of fashion docs that includes Unzipped, The September Issue, Valentino: The Last Emperor, Marc Jacobs & Louis Vuitton, and Seamless. It may be convenient that these documentaries manage to burnish, rather than burn, their subjects, but that doesn’t make them wrong. (I have not seen The Director, and I am assuming it says more good of Gucci than not.)

It reminds me that when I recently spoke with lo-fi Missouri festival True/False’s Paul Sturtz, he mentioned that he felt relieved he doesn’t have major sponsors so that he won’t have to worry about corporate entanglements. But let’s check in with him if Anheuser-Busch ever promises him a zillion dollars so Budweiser can replace Schlafly as its beer sponsor.

Alas, a non-profit organization — and a festival in New York City — don’t have such freedoms. It costs major money to make it in this town. (Chanel happens to be the fashion sponsor of the festival.) And, when money is involved, everyone ought to work extra hard to keep clean.

“Frida’s story is compelling and humble and Christina’s filmmaking is confident and beautiful,” Tribeca’s Terranova said. “It is exciting to see two very talented women so assured in their work.”

I look forward to seeing the film and judging it on its merits.

Get more documentary film news and features: Subscribe to POV’s documentary blog, like POV on Facebook or follow us on Twitter @povdocs.

Dekker shoots most of the footage for the film-it was a solo voyage, after all—in what Schlesinger had thought would be a documentary told entirely from the girl’s point of view. That is, until Schlesinger realized it was her story to tell as well. Her approach was pretty unconventional (but effective!), as you’ll see in her answers to my questions regarding her relationship with Dekker, and the film’s authorship.

There’s a moment in the doc when Laura chafes at the journalist’s questions. Did you have any moments like that with her? Were there any scenes or themes that you disagreed on? Something that she didn’t want included but you convinced her that it would be good for the film?

We actually didn’t have moments like that. Instead of traditional on-camera interviews, I gave Laura lists of questions and topics that she would talk freely about into a voice recorder while sitting alone on her boat, where she felt most comfortable and most free to be herself. She came alive in a different way in that setting. That contrast is really clear in general in the film I think, especially between the Laura you see at sea on her own and in her element, and the Laura you see in that scene with the journalist (who incidentally has a very positive relationship with Laura–it was very rare for Laura to even give interviews at all during her trip.) Almost all of the narration in the film comes from those extemporaneous voice recordings.

This approach started on the very first shoot in the Netherlands, primarily in a response to the language barrier–Laura’s English was very limited at the time. While that obstacle went away with time, as you can see in the film (which transitions from Dutch to English in a way that mirrors Laura’s actual experience), her aversion to cameras and questioning became apparent as I got to know her. So over time this process with the topics and recordings became a defining part of our production even once Laura’s English had improved.  In terms of overall approach I felt my role was to give Laura the tools and (perhaps more importantly) the space to be able to tell her own story from her unique point of view in a deep and honest way. There were plenty of tough questions that challenged her to think deeply and reflect on various experiences–they were just presented to her in a very different way that gave her the open space to consider and answer them on her own.

There was certainly more creative conflict in the edit room–I wanted Laura to be in on the edit in a way that is pretty unconventional for doc subjects, but it helped us to tell her story through her eyes. We would often disagree, talk things out and find solutions. And I think she learned about the process. That said, there were plenty of times where we made a final call that we felt was important for the film and the story where Laura would not have made the same choice. Laura’s a very strong, independent thinker so I wouldn’t say we convinced her of our point of view in every case, but we certainly always explained the thinking and reasoning for our creative choices.

Q: Do you think it’s fair to say that Laura, as opposed to you, is the primary story teller here? How would you parse that?

My original goal in making the film was to tell Laura’s story from her point of view. Only in finishing the film did I realize how much my role as filmmaker and storyteller unavoidably has influenced the story and the film, and that my original goal may actually be close to impossible. I think I underestimated my own agency and role in a project where I was so determined to put the subject at the helm. So if you had asked me this question before I finished the film, I would have said, yes Laura is the primary storyteller, but now I’ve embraced that it is in fact a bit of a blur between what we’ve each brought to it. As the subject, Laura is growing up and experiencing adolescence and documenting her journey as she’s living it. And as the filmmaker, I’m observing her observing herself and telling a story of adolescence and self-discovery having already experienced that journey myself. So the film is both her telling her story as well as me telling her story of telling her story…if that makes any sense at all!

Get more documentary film news and features: Subscribe to POV’s documentary blog, like POV on Facebook or follow us on Twitter @povdocs.

Visit our local events calendar for a full listing and join our Community Network to host a screening of your own! And don’t forget to follow us on Twitter @POVengage to stay connected to the latest news and screening information from Community Engagement and Education.

San Francisco, CA
Herman’s House
Sunday, May 19, 2013, 5:00PM
Join We Players for a screening of the new documentary film Herman’s House on Alcatraz Island followed by a panel discussion with director (and former WE Player!) Angad Singh Bhalla. For more information, call 415-547-0189.

Chattanooga, TN
Only the Young
Monday, May 20, 2013, 6:30PM
Join the Chattanooga Film Society for a free screening of Only the Young, the first film in a Summer 2013 POV-themed series. For more information, call 423-266-3766.

Chicago, IL
The Learning
Tuesday, May 21, 2013, 11:30AM
In celebration of Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month, the Chicago Public Library’s Greater Grand Crossing Branch is pleased to present the film screening of The Learning. For more information, call (312) 745-1608.

Alexandria, VA
Up Heartbreak Hill
Wednesday, May 22, 2013, 7:00PM
This year, as part of All Alexandria Reads, Alexandria Public Library chose “Listening is an Act of Love: A Celebration of American Life from the Storycorps Project.” Tying in with spirit of this book, the library will show a five-part screening series, including Up Heartbreak Hill. For more information, call (703)746-1728.

Irvine, CA
Señorita Extraviada
Wednesday, May 22, 2013, 7:00PM
Phi Lambda Rho is happy to be hosting our very first annual Semana De La Mujer event on the University of California, Irvine campus. We aim to hold this event in hopes of celebrating the complex and unique identity of Latinas through a week long celebration on campus. Through a series of events, including a screening of Señorita Extraviada, we hope to inform students about the issues affecting Latina students on campus as well as issues, affecting the Latina/o community as a whole. For more information, call (323) 246-8437.

Go to the ‘My Family’s Funeral Traditions’ submission form »

The POV documentary Homegoings brings the beauty and grace of African-American funerals to life through the eyes of a Harlem funeral director.

As a companion to the PBS broadcast this June, POV is asking your help to build a national shrine to funeral traditions, representing the cultures, regions and religions of American communities.

We want to hear stories of your own family’s unique funeral traditions, and the way you memorialize and honor your loved one. Share your story with other PBS viewers by visiting the ‘My Family’s Funeral Traditions’ website.

If you’re from a PBS station, learn how to get your community involved »

‘Homegoings’ will have its national broadcast premiere on June 24, 2013 at 10 PM. Check your local PBS listings »

Visit our local events calendar for a full listing and join our Community Network to host a screening of your own! And don’t forget to follow us on Twitter @POVengage to stay connected to the latest news and screening information from Community Engagement and Education.

Chicago, IL
Wo Ai Ni (I Love You) Mommy
Saturday, May 11, 2013, 2:00PM
In celebration of Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month, the Chicago Public Library’s Bucktown-Wicker Park Branch is pleased to present the film screening of Wo Ai Ni (I Love You) Mommy. For more information, call (312) 744-6022

Monroe Township, NJ
Special Flight
Tuesday, May 14, 2013, 1:00PM
Join the Monroe Township Public Library as they open their Summer POV film series with a free screening and discussion of Special Flight. To find out more, call 732-521-5000.

Ketchum, ID
Herman’s House
Tuesday, May 14, 2013, 6:00PM
Join The Community Library as they continue their POV screening series with a screening of Herman’s House. For more information, call (208) 726-7355.

Alexandria, VA
StoryCorps Shorts
Wednesday, May 15, 2013, 7:00PM
This year, as part of All Alexandria Reads, Alexandria Public Library chose “Listening is an Act of Love: A Celebration of American Life from the Storycorps Project.” Tying in with spirit of this book, the library will show a five-part screening series, including StoryCorps Shorts. For more information, call (703)746-1728.

San Jose, CA
Enemies of the People
Thursday, May 16, 2013, 7:00PM
Join the San Jose Peace and Justice Center for a screening of Enemies of the People as part of their film series for Asian Pacific Heritage Month. For more information, call (408) 297-2299.

Visit our local events calendar for a full listing and join our Community Network to host a screening of your own! And don’t forget to follow us on Twitter @POVengage to stay connected to the latest news and screening information from Community Engagement and Education.

Chicago, IL
In the Matter of Cha Jung Hee
Saturday, May 04, 2013, 2:00PM
In celebration of Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month, the Chicago Public Library’s Bezazian Branch is pleased to present the film screening of In the Matter of Cha Jung Hee. For more information, call (312) 744-0019.

Alamosa, CO
Sin Pais
Sunday, May 05, 2013, 6:00PM
Join Adams State College Office of Disability/Diversity for a screening of Sin País (Without Country). For more information, call (719) 587-8226.

Tipp, OH
I’m Carolyn Parker
Monday, May 06, 2013, 7:00PM
Come to the Christian Family Fellowship Ministry for a movie night and discussion of the documentary, I’m Carolyn Parker: The Good, the Mad, and the Beautiful.

Chicago, IL
The Learning
Tuesday, May 07, 2013, 6:00PM
In celebration of Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month, the Chicago Public Library’s West Town Branch is pleased to present the film screening of The Learning. For more information, call (312) 743-0450.

San Jose, CA
Reportero
Friday, May 10, 2013, 6:30PM
Join the San Jose Peace and Justice Center for a screening of Reportero as part of Latin Film night. For more information, call (408) 297-2299.

The POV Call for Entries is now open! Films submitted to this open call will be considered for the 2014 broadcast season and beyond. The deadline for submission is Friday, June 28, 2013.

POV continues to accept digital content delivery via download-enabled links or content on flash drives. It is not required but we strongly encourage every filmmaker who can deliver digitally to do so. Why? About 1,000 entries will be considered in this submission round and digital submissions help us be more efficient. Digital submissions allows us to work with pre-screeners across the country and around the world, and enables the programming team to travel a bit lighter. (Think backpack with an iPad vs. backpack with 40 DVDs).

If you submit a link, the video MUST BE DOWNLOAD ENABLED. If you don’t feel comfortable enabling download, then please submit your film on a DVD. You can password protect to ensure the privacy of your link, but don’t forget to send POV the password (look for the password field on the form).

Our updated Call For Entries Guidelines explain everything you need to know about how to submit to POV, no matter what format you choose. POV will still accept DVDs and flash drives this year for those who can’t make the jump to streaming video.

Please don’t send us a fancy thumb drive, because it will not be returned. Additionally we cannot accept uncompressed, full HD files for submission. Our digital specs are similar to DVD specs in order to keep the playing field (and our servers) level.

We are excited to see what filmmakers from around the world have been working on! The full Call For Entries cycle at POV begins with the June 28, 2013 deadline and lasts about six months — thanks in advance for your patience!

Have questions? Please send an email to cfe[at]pov.org and thanks, as always, for your interest in POV.

If you want better idea of whether the film you’ve made is a good fit for POV and to learn more about what POV looks for in a film during our selection process, check out a past blog post from 2007, “For Filmmakers: What Does POV Look For in a Film?”. If you want to inquire with someone who is currently in our programming department, drop us a line at cfe[at]pov.org or call 212-989-8121 x380.

Go to the POV Call for Entries online submission system »

For specific tips on how to navigate our online form, read on…

• Standard: Finished films, or films that are at rough/fine cut stage. (Will be ready for broadcast in 2014.)
• Shorts: Finished films, or films that are at rough/fine cut stage AND whose final running time is 30 minutes or less. (Will be ready for broadcast in 2014.)
• Completion Funds: Films that are at assembly/rough/fine cut stage AND are seeking completion funds. (May or may not be ready for broadcast in 2014.)
• Early Introduction: This category is exclusively for projects that are either too early in development or production to be considered in POV’s highly competitive selection process. If you plan on submitting to our open call in the future but would like to introduce your project to POV’s programming team now, this is the way to do it.

If you’re ready to begin your application please visit http://cfe.pov.org, read the guidelines, then follow the instructions to complete the entry form.

Here is a quick primer on how to use the online POV submission form:

1. Add cfe[at]pov.org to your email address book so that none of our correspondence to you is lost in a spam folder.
2. Make sure your browser will accept pop-up windows, and visit http://cfe.pov.org.
3. Click either of the two “Register” links (at the top and middle of the page) and complete the registration page.
4. Check your email for your registration confirmation. The confirmation email will usually arrive instantly, but may take up to 24 hours. Check your spam folder as well.
5. Click on the link within the confirmation email to activate your account. This is an obvious, but important step.
6. Once you’ve activated your account, log in at http://cfe.pov.org to complete your application. Enter your film’s title and click the button that says “Create New Call for Entries form.”
7. And that’s it! You’ve started a new entry! The rest of the form is pretty self-explanatory.

All films must be submitted through our online submission system. The arrival deadline is June 28, 2013. We grant extensions on a case-by-case basis. If you need an extension please email cfe[at]pov[dot]org with the subject line “Extension.”

POV (a cinema term for “point of view”) is television’s longest-running showcase for independent non-fiction films. POV premieres 14-16 of the best, boldest and most innovative programs every year on PBS. Since 1988, POV has presented over 300 films to public television audiences across the country. POV films are known for their intimacy, their unforgettable storytelling and their timeliness, putting a human face on contemporary social issues.

Get more documentary film news and features: Subscribe to POV’s documentary blog, like POV on Facebook or follow us on Twitter @povdocs.

Visit our local events calendar for a full listing and join our Community Network to host a screening of your own! And don’t forget to follow us on Twitter @POVengage to stay connected to the latest news and screening information from Community Engagement and Education.

Bridgehampton, NY
The City Dark
Monday, April 29, 2013, 5:00PM
You’re invited to join the Hampton Library for a free screening and discussion of The City Dark as part of their weekly English Conversation class with students from around the world. For more information, call (631) 537-0015.

Iowa City, IA
Promised Land
Tuesday, April 30, 2013, 7:30PM
Join Uptown Bill’s Coffee House and Community Center for a screening and discussion of Promised Land, as part of a four film screening series. For more information, call (605) 229-8327.

New Holland, PA
Soldiers of Conscience
Wednesday, May 01, 2013, 10:00AM
Join the Eastern Lancaster County Library and Garden Spot Village for a free screening of Soldiers of Conscience. To find out more, call 717-354-0525.

Cambridge, MA
Revolution ’67
Thursday, May 02, 2013, 7:00PM
Join the MIT Deptartment of Urban Studies & Planning for a free screening of Revolution ’67 as part of a weekly film series featuring documentary and feature films on topics related to cities, urbanism, design, community development, and urban, regional, and environmental planning. Be sure to stick around after the film for a Skype Q&A with director Marylou Tibaldo-Bongiorno. For more information, visit urbanfilm.org.

SeaTac, WA
Of Civil Wrongs and Rights
Friday, May 03, 2013, 12:00PM
Join the City of SeaTac Municipal Court for a free screening of Of Civil Wrongs and Rights: The Fred Korematsu Story for the community’s students and general population at the Community Center. This event is part of SeaTac Municipal Court’s Law Week celebration encompassing the theme: “Realizing the Dream: Equality for All.” For more information, call (206) 973-4610.

POV has featured numerous films that are ideal for familiarizing students with Asian-Pacific American history and the environment. In honor of Earth Day and Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month, we’ve collected all these films and resources into ‘Featured Themes’ which can be found on our For Educators page. Each ‘Featured Theme’ presents educators with our most popular accompanying content, including lesson plans, discussion guides, web features and reading lists

Featured Theme: The Environment

Earth Day is coming up on April 22, forty-three years after the first Earth Day on April 22, 1970. Today, more than one billion people participate in Earth Day activities every year, making it the largest civic observance in the world. Accompanying material for If A Tree Falls, Food Inc., The Chances of the World Changing  and The City Dark, among others, elucidate the importance of environmental awareness to students.

Featured Theme: Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month

Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month (May) traces its roots back to 1978 when a congressional resolution inaugurated Asian-Pacific American Heritage Week. Congress expanded the week into a month-long celebration in 1992 in observance of Asian-Pacific American accomplishments. Accompanying materials for films such as American Aloha, The Learning, Enemies of the People, The Betrayal and Last Train Home are available in the Asian/Pacific American Heritage collection.

Check out these and other featured themes on the For Educators page on the POV website.

Visit our local events calendar for a full listing and join our Community Network to host a screening of your own! And don’t forget to follow us on Twitter @POVengage to stay connected to the latest news and screening information from Community Engagement and Education.

Mt. Kisco, NY
Biblioburro
Saturday, April 20, 2013, 2:00PM
Join the Mt. Kisco Public Library for a screening of Biblioburro: The Donkey Library, followed by a half-hour Q& A period facilitated by the children’s librarian. For more information, call (914) 666-8041.

Berkeley, CA
Granito
Sunday, April 21, 2013, 12:30PM
A screening of Granito: How To Nail A Dictator will be hosted on April 21st at the Good Shepherd Episcopal Church. The a documentary discusses previous stages of the current genocide case against ex-president, Rios Montt. Jennifer Ristau, a future volunteer accompanier with the Network in Solidarity with the People of Guatemala will facilitate a discussion of the film afterwards.

SeaTac, WA
Of Civil Wrongs and Rights
Wednesday, April 24, 2013, 12:30PM
Join the City of SeaTac Municipal Court for a free screening of Of Civil Wrongs and Rights: The Fred Korematsu Story for the community’s senior citizen population at the Community Center. This event is in celebration of Law Week, with the theme: Realizing the Dream: Equality for All. For more information, call (206) 973-4610.

Baltimore, MD
Girl Model
Wednesday, April 24, 2013, 7:30PM
Join the Baltimore Ethical Society for a screening of Girl Model as part of a monthly film club series. For more information, call (410) 581-2322.

Seattle, WA
Girl Model
Thursday, April 25, 2013, 7:00PM
Join Reel Grrls and The Seattle Public Library for a screening of the provocative new documentary, Girl Model. For more information, call (206) 615-1981.

Keep up with developments at POV Hackathon: Subscribe to POV’s documentary blog, like POV on Facebook or follow us on Twitter @povdocs!

The nominees in the Documentary Series category are ESPN’s 30 for 30 Short Film Series, Here at Home by National Film Board of Canada, FOCUS FORWARD Short Films, Big Ideas by CINELAN, Death penalty on trial by Guardian News & Media and A Day in the Life by Hulu.

Cast your vote for the People’s Voice Webby Award now at http://pv.webbyawards.com/nominees.

POV will co-host the first event with IFP and Dumbo Improvement District and then pass it along to other DUMBO-based organizations to host at different locations each month. This is going to be a great opportunity to build community among the DUMBO and Brooklyn Navy Yard filmmaking populations.

Visit our Meetup group page for more details and to RSVP for the event: www.meetup.com/DUMBO-Filmmaker-Meetup/.

Get more documentary film news and features: Subscribe to POV’s documentary blog, like POV on Facebook or follow us on Twitter @povdocs.

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View POV’s resources for filmmakers »

We recently launched a new section of our website aimed at helping independent documentary filmmakers accomplish critical tasks such as finding funding, the right online distribution tools and “engagement” strategists. So now you can stop Googling for hours and just bookmark our Resources for Filmmakers page instead!

Expect more lists in the near future, but as of now our Resources for Filmmakers section features six essential resource lists and is already a one-stop shop for documentary filmmakers on the web. Three of these lists are devoted to funding opportunities. We have compiled lists of grants, awards and broadcast opportunities and separated them into three categories: documentary funding, transmedia funding for new media and web documentaries, and public media funding to find out how to get funding from us and our colleagues.

Underneath the umbrella of distribution and marketing resources, we’ve provided filmmakers with a sortable chart of 200 domestic and international film festivals where you might submit your documentary or watch new documentaries before anyone else. We’ve listed top-tier festivals you might want to aim for first, such as Sundance, IDFA, Tribeca and Hot Docs, but in the documentary world, there are plenty of other smaller festivals and local festivals that might be right for your film.

We’ve also pulled together contact information and work examples for “engagement” strategists, who can help you take the issue at the center of your film and turn it into a full-fledged action campaign. With a strategic campaign and community engagement program, documentaries can become much more than a just a film and can start to affect social change.

And last but not least is a chart interactive video-making tools for those filmmakers that want to begin adventuring into the world of new media storytelling. This is rapidly changing list — we’ll keep adding tools as more software becomes available to tell stories using the web.

To get the latest updates on new resources, subscribe to POV’s documentary blog, like POV on Facebook or follow us on Twitter @povdocs.

If you have a suggestion for a resource list, let us know at filmmakers[at]pov.org!

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Marc Schiller of BOND360 explains his company’s approach to independent distributing. We recommend this article to filmmakers interested in direct and alternative distribution methods.

Jump over to IndieWire to get a breakdown of the “360 approach.” »

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Hugues Sweeney, Executive Producer at NFB Digital Studio Montreal, and Loc Dao, Executive Producer & Creative Technologist at NFB Digital Studio Vancouver (Left photo credit: Simon Duhamel/National Film Board of Canada).

The National Film Board of Canada is one of world’s the leading producers of immersive and cross-media documentaries. Hal Seigel of Murmur interviews Hugues Sweeney, Executive Producer at NFB Digital Studio Montreal, and Loc Dao, Executive Producer & Creative Technologist at NFB Digital Studio Vancouver, who give an in-depth look into the process behind their award-winning projects A Journal of Insomnia and Bear 71, and discuss the past and future of the NFB as well as its role in the global media ecosystem.

Images from A Journal of Insomnia and Bear 71.

Let’s start with two of your recent projects: Bear 71 and A Journal of Insomnia. In each case, is it possible to separate the story from the technology?

Dao: Not in our work. The technology is part of the work. It’s interesting in that Bear and Insomnia share certain technological characteristics: multi-user audiences, web-cams, installations that interact with the content, but ultimately each is a very different way of telling a story.

Sweeney: Each project is a blank canvas. This has been the NFB’s DNA for almost 75 years: there is no format, there is no series or recipe, there is no repetition. If you go back to the birth of cinéma vérité — direct cinema — it’s about syncing sound to film. And when you read the discussions around the first direct cinema films, they are talking about the camera and the sound as “reality sensors” and “reality captors.” That was in 1959. So what does a web-cam mean today? What does a GPS mean today? What does a brain sensor mean today?

It’s in pure continuity with how technology has been formed, reformed and hijacked through the years, and more specifically, at certain points of revolution in the genre. I’m curious to see how one technology can tell a story and fit with a subject. It’s really about fitting form and content together — for example, with Insomnia, you received a phone call in the middle of the night, and you need to give away part of your night to experience it. That’s part of it, and you don’t do that with film, you don’t receive a phone call to go into the movie theater.

Dao: I think technology has been a hindrance, and as it improves, our ability to tell stories improves. Our goal is always to be transparent, but telling a story with a keyboard and a mouse — that era is coming to an end soon. I don’t know how long telling stories with touch will last either. As we enter an era of more natural computing, I hope that storytelling becomes as natural as us having a conversation without worrying about what’s inbetween.

Do your projects ever start with a technology? Do you ever say, “Oh, this would be a fascinating technology to explore?” Or does it always start with a story first, and then figuring out what technology fits?

Sweeney: I don’t know. For instance, the Barcode project asks the question “What do objects say about us?” So you scan the barcode and the object tells you a story through a one minute video. In the genesis of the project, I’m not sure which came first — was it about the fascination of “What can a barcode say?” – because that is pure technology . It’s a camera and access to a database. Or was it a more anthropological look at what objects say about us? Did it come from the object or the technology? I think it depends on the project.

Dao: It does. It depends on the project and the form. We have a form that we are comfortable with — we come from documentary, from a narrative background. Therefore, interactive documentaries started from stories, from strong writing. But as we explore Barcode, as we explore Insomnia, as we explore [the upcoming project] Circa 1948, it’s no longer the backbone anymore. There is no backbone script on Barcode or on Circa 1948.

Sweeney: For instance, the Insomnia project really came from me staring at the ceiling in the middle of the night, being awake, and thinking: “How many people in my time-zone right now are also doing this?” At the same time, because my job is digital production, I thought that the internet could be the best media to tell that story because the internet is like insomnia – it never sleeps, and it can interconnect solitude. So, which came first? I don’t know. But it’s finding that matching point between content and its shape in terms of technology: That’s the privilege of working at the NFB. It’s the NFB standard to rethink the form for every project.

As part of your process at the NFB, you’ve said that you do week-long prototyping, instead of stretching things out over longer periods. Tell me more about that.

Dao: The process that we use is the combination of a film process plus a web development process with the editorial filter of a journalistic approach. Films can take a long time to make — sometimes painfully long, especially for those who come from the web or the media, and who are used to one day turn-arounds. So one thing that we brought over from the web/gaming world is this week long prototyping that we call “digi-labing.” It’s like taking that sprint process from agile software development and putting it in one week, and defining our goals and milestones for that one week. By the end of it, we actually end up with a prototype, user scenarios and documents. Now, they don’t always hit the mark, but we are able to compress probably three to six months of production into a compressed work week.

And you will do a digi-lab for each project?

Dao: Not always, but when there is something new. The forms that we are already comfortable with are part of everyday production. For instance, we are doing a few labs around the big data project that we are working on, because for that we are bringing together the Film 4 people from the U.K., partners from the U.S. and our team. And the project itself, the whole storyworld, is quite complicated with emerging narrative for VOD and broadcast, an interactive documentary, an installation and a real-world game. So we need a lab to bring that all together.

Once you have the prototype, how is it evaluated? Do you do user testing against it?

Dao: It’s group evaluated. We’ll bring in a larger group of people and do some user testing and feedback. Hugues and I and some of the other people on our team are industry veterans, so I consider us “uber-testers”: We have our ways of gauging and measuring, and we need to see certain things that are pretty standard in the web industry. But because our projects experiment, we’ve added the prototype in to the traditional wireframes and designs so we can answer whether this application of technology will really help the story or will it just blow up when you try it.

Sweeney: For the Insomnia project, we launched phase one, which was collecting confessions from the insomniacs. So on the one hand, the public started to be part of the process as creators but also as an audience with the artists — it was live in some ways, but we were also still creating it. The four artists were looking at the content and reactions that were coming in everyday, and it changed their point of view of the project.

So now I’m trying to think more and more about what participatory media can really mean in the process of creating an interactive documentary, and how we involve the public. Very often with participatory media, there is a cold, arms-length kind of relationship between the creator and the audience. So, in the production process, how do we go live and have people create all along?

We are doing this with a skateboard project right now. We are remaking a classic 1965 skateboard film, and we are having skateboard communities from all over the world create their own versions. But the project is not out yet. We are going to collect all of this and make an interactive interface for it. So, is this prototyping? Yes and no.

For us it’s a real challenge as an institution, because for 75 years we have been doing a master tape and handing it out to a festival, and then it would go to TV or DVD. But now, while we are still in the production process, we go live.

Dao: That’s one of the shifts that we are working to change in the film industry, starting with our own organization. Now, a project is live from nearly when we conceive it. It’s no longer make it and then launch it.

This new idea that a project is live almost from its conception — is that driven because it’s now participatory? Or does it extend beyond?

Dao: It’s both, because of the nature of the internet and the nature of the ongoing relationship we need to have with our audience. I think it has to be an ongoing relationship, building around each of the categories by which we program our content, and by having those audiences interested in what we do on the environment, on technology, or on healthcare. They come to know us as a brand around those subjects, as opposed to, “Oh, it’s that same company that launched that film two years ago.”

Sweeney: From the filmmaking point of view, that industry never went “live.” We come from a radio and an internet background, so the “live” aspect is very interesting — how do you inject a live aspect into documentary? Documentary has never been live, except maybe for performance, or happenings, or installations. But with these interactive things, we are live all the time, we are connected, so what does it mean for documentary to do that? I think we are just starting to scratch the surface.

In terms of participatory media, a year or two ago it was all very novel. Now, it is becoming a very common “ask” — a lot of projects are asking for people’s stories, and as a result it seems like it will be even harder to get people to do it. Have you encountered this yet?

Sweeney: For me, the big takeaways from Insomnia are first: Be relevant. It is a very basic value, but if you want people to have a feeling of engagement, then be relevant about something. The second thing is: Be specific about what you ask them to do. Almost like a how a director would conduct his actors. You need to understand the role they are playing in the overall piece — it’s not just an open box.

The third thing I started to realize with the Insomnia installation is — because it’s like a black box (you go inside and you answer Insomnia’s questions, and your answers are projected on the outside for others to see), a public gathers — it’s not an installation, it’s a performance, and the performer is the public.

Dao: That’s right. I think Insomnia’s extension of user-generated content (UGC) into the installation space hasn’t been done that much and I think that interconnecting an installation with an internet project and working on that two way communication is an area that has a lot to be explored.

I’ve worked on a lot of UGC projects over the years and I would say that most of them are failures. And that’s ok — we like to experiment and fail. But the reason that they fail is that they are not relevant to your day, your time, your life. But for instance, with our project The Test Tube of David Suzuki, we started by saying “We know you are busy, but if you had an extra minute, what would you do?” A very simple, pointed question. And we had over one hundred twenty thousand submissions. It was a simple ask, a sharp ask, and we did user test the hell out of it. We have enough experience to know immediately what’s going to fail and then after that we are still very, very critical because you know that you only have one shot. You have that first fifteen seconds when the site loads, and then you have that question, and if it’s not there, then they are gone.

Sweeney: UGC needs to bring something to the subject. Or else just do a really good navigation, and it will work. For Insomnia I wanted it to be told by the insomniacs, not by the experts, so ok, we need UGC. But for some other subjects we don’t need UGC. Right now it’s almost dogma, an ephemeral dogma. Because people can contribute, it’s like you have to contribute. We are having a lot of discussions internally about, “Oh, this is very interactive,” because people created the videos. But why? Maybe you should just move the mouse and it’s very interactive because it means something.

Your projects cover such a wide range of stories and topics. What kind of impact or resonance do you want them to have?

Dao: For each project we define goals — some projects have a goal of social impact, some have goals of awareness and some have goals of reaching a wider audience. But it also depends on geography. We have primary and secondary audiences: For Bear 71 we wanted the larger audience to be international, worldwide. But equally important was reaching environmentalists, the filmmaking community, artists and people who love the outdoors. For social impact, the goal was to influence the thinking and the policy around the management of animals in that area.

Sweeney: I see our projects as conversation starters. We did one on sound pollution called Sound Ecology. It was covered on a science radio show, and on the show they mentioned that the NFB had just launched this project, they gave a quick summary of it and then asked to their audience, “What is sound pollution today? What is sound ecology?” and from a science point of view, they attacked that issue. So how can these project be put in the center of the table, and the discussion and debate starts around the table, made by media or conferences ?

For instance, the Insomnia project is about the frontier between the natural, the human, the virtual, the fact that we are invaded by technology and that we are located everywhere we go.

Interactive projects present a new set of issues in regards to their lifecycles — they are potentially online forever. How do you plan on handling this challenge?

Sweeney: I think technology shifts will kill them. If you look at the stuff we did with Shockwave at the end of the 1990′s — they don’t work anymore. Everything I did with CD-Roms, if I don’t have my Mac G3 — and I don’t have it anymore — I can’t play these things. So that’s problematic. We are already talking about the death of the cursor, and that means the death of almost all my projects. So what are we going to do about that? And that’s another issue we are tackling at the NFB: “How do we archive these things?” It’s not just screengrabs and video grabs. Should we archive the internet and one user or something? It’s a real issue, and we have to archive everything.

Dao: It becomes a funny joke: “We’ll just grab the servers and throw them in the vault.” But what happens if Twitter goes down? Which projects die? What happens if Facebook goes down, or Google? We don’t have the answer yet. But until the technology shifts, I don’t think the projects do have a lifecycle. All our projects still have lots of traffic and because the issues are still relevant, they are not going to lose that traffic.

Douglas Rushkoff’s new book “Present Shock” is about our incapacity to handle all this “nowness” — all of these feeds of information from things like Facebook and Twitter. As your roles as producers, is it possible to react against this with digital storytelling? Or is digital media by its nature just this onslaught of information?

Dao: I think there are a couple of answers to that. The NFB is about socially relevant audio-visual storytelling. But we are also about this rich heritage of documentary and animation that is not the mainstream — that really is a counter to the mainstream. Our films are not anything that Hollywood ever did or would ever do. And in that same way there is a parallel to our interactive works. Bear 71 is a criticism of our digital age, a cry for us to self-examine our use of technology. But we use the technology to criticize itself. We are all in this digital age and we use the technology heavily, but we should all stop and question what we are doing.

Sweeney: Maybe the answer is in the frenzy, the sense that information gets shorter and shorter and gets repeated more and more. The same sentences, the same information. It just closes the place for perspective and reflection. But people want to take some time, have perspective, take a step back and understand what is going on. I am seeing this as a real opportunity to be a place or a presence where this happens. And I think there is a large audience for this. People want to find meaningfulness in media. We are giving the artist the context to explore within this frenzy environment. We add another layer on top of it.

When you look at the demographics of media, people in their twenties are connected over 95%. That’s where their entertainment and culture happens, so we need to be there, we need to go there and address this.

Dao: (Laughing) Yeah, if you can’t reach the audience on the platforms they are on, then you are talking to no one.

NFB Projects:
A Journal of Insomnia
Bear 71
Barcode
The Test Tube of David Suzuki
Sound Ecology

Hal Siegel is a partner at Murmur, a hybrid studio/technology company that pioneers new forms of immersive, cinematic experiences.

Get more documentary film news and features: Subscribe to POV’s documentary blog, like POV on Facebook or follow us on Twitter @povdocs.

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Filmmaker and innovator Lance Weiler presents “A Wish for the Future” at Tribeca Film Institute’s Interactive Day in NYC (Credit: Sasithon Pooviriyakul/ Tribeca Film Institute).

Taking place on Saturday, April 20th in NYC, Tribeca Film Institute’s 2013 Interactive Day was chock-full of insights for filmmakers who are exploring the digital space for storytelling. POV was representing on the ground, in the Twitterverse, and even on stage with Director of POV Digital, Adnaan Wasey, as a member of the panel “Glue it, Code it, Tweak it, Play it” about the relationship between computer programming and storytelling.

Here are five top takeaways from the day:

1. Make meaningful connections

Almost every project featured throughout the day had significant collaborative components, and creating authentic audience connections was a shared primary goal. By letting the internet do what it does best, we can generate and include dialogue within our stories that makes them even more powerful.

Deanna Zandt, co-founder and partner of Lux Digital, focused on the power of social media tools as “relationship management” devices. She provided examples of data points to prove that audience engagement in stories deepens with authentic connections. In her 2012 project Planned Parenthood Saved Me, women’s stories were collected on a very basic Tumblr site. The site features no bells and whistles, but the voices represented are sharing stories that other women can connect to–so much so that it turns out the unique visits on pages two and three were almost as high as those on page one.

These same concepts drove keynote speaker Tiffany Shlain’s Cloud Filmmaking Manifesto, which focuses on using the cloud collaboratively and highlighting humanity’s universal connectedness. Branching out from Shlain’s 2012 feature documentary Connected, the ongoing series of cloud films created by her team have been comprised of internet submissions from all over the world.

2. Don’t throw out what works just because it’s old

New whiz-bang tools are being launched every day to enhance our storytelling and distribution capabilities, but that doesn’t mean that we need to use them all, or that we should never use more traditional or out-of-fashion platforms. Each story delivery method – from oral tradition to TV to Google glasses – does what it does best in a way that can’t be replicated by the others.

[An image shared during Tiffany Shlain's keynote address]

If anyone would evangelize digital storytelling movements, it would be Caspar Sonnen, curator of the IDFA DocLab. However, in his TFI Interactive presentation he cautioned, “The paradigm of new replacing old is not always appropriate. The evolution of technology is not always in sync with the language we have to utilize it. It’s messier than that.” Sonnen wistfully expressed that, “I think its easier to define what an interactive documentary is today than what a newspaper is.” He suggests checking out MIT and IDFA’s Moments of Innovation to remind us of how past technological developments have informed the interactive documentary movement of today.

A good example of a contemporary project using slightly older technology is New Day, New Standard, by Marisa Jahn, a 2013 TFI New Media Fund grantee who presented her project. New Day, New Standard is a series of narrative audio plays intended to inform immigrant women of privileges granted to them under 2010′s Domestic Workers’ Bill of Rights. Because her target audience generally has greater access to land lines than computers, Jahn and her collaborators decided to design the project’s main component as an interactive call-in hotline, rather than, say, an iPad app.

3. Become code literate

The panel discussion “Glue it, Code it, Tweak it, Play it” extolled the virtues of programming languages as storytelling tools, even delving into emerging genres such as “coding-driven film.” Featuring such coding gurus as Reshma Saujani who founded Girls Who Code to encourage high school girls to get techie, the panel urged all the filmmakers in the room to at least begin to understand the coding process. It’s not that we all need to become experts in computer programming, but basic coding literacy is becoming more and more relevant, especially if we are considering working with programmers to create interactive components or extensions for our films. As POV’s Adnaan Wasey pointed out, “Understanding how each other thinks is the basis for collaboration. Coders think in terms of rules; filmmakers think in terms of exceptions. Once you get that, communication becomes easier.”

The panel discussion “Glue it, Code it, Tweak it, Play it,” including Adnaan Wasey, Director of POV Digital, speaking at far left (Credit: Sasithon Pooviriyakul/ Tribeca Film Institute).

4. Interface is everything

IDFA’s Caspar Sonnen expressed that interface design in interactive projects is at least as important as camera and editing, and boldly claimed on Saturday that, “The age of the interface has only just begun.”

Filmmaker Jessica Oreck and Murmur’s Mike Knowlton were first paired up at POV’s first Hackathon in August 2012, and their ensuing collaboration took the main stage at TFI Interactive. Oreck’s film Aatsinki: The Story Of Arctic Cowboys premiered at this year’s Tribeca Film Festival, and she and Knowlton discussed the evolution of its interactive component The Aatsinki Season. For them, interface design was the key to keeping the quiet and contemplative nature of the film in tact, while incorporating participatory elements.

Knowlton shared some words of wisdom that could apply to any interactive project. “Keep it simple. User interface should be transparent. The best UI is one you’re not aware of.” His final piece of advice was also universal to filmmakers: “Now is an amazing time to be a storyteller, so cowboy up, stop talking and start making!”

5. Give back to the cloud

Another principle of Tiffany Shlain’s Cloud Filmmaking Manifesto was that we should be contributing as much to the cloud as we are taking from it, to keep the cycle of giving in motion, and to stay connected to each other in real ways. To achieve this, Shlain and her team have offered to customize their short, inspirational films with the “ask” and logos of non-profit organizations to help further their causes. So far, over 100 groups have taken her up on it.

Several of these themes resonated in filmmaker and futurist Jason Silva’s enthusiastic presentation “Story + Wonder.” In his video on the concept of “radical openness,” he celebrates the best potential of the cloud, which parallels the best potential of storytelling: open exchange of ideas to inspire awe and create meaning in the world.

Get more documentary film news and features: Subscribe to POV’s documentary blog, like POV on Facebook or follow us on Twitter @povdocs.

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“The 20 Essential Documentaries of the Century” was published on Vulture and in New York Magazine this past week.

Yet another “best of” list of documentaries made the rounds this week. This one appeared on Vulture and in New York Magazine, and it was titled, “The 20 Essential Documentaries of the Century.” Never mind that the century is less than 13 years in, but hey, why not go for the grand title, right?

The list should not surprise anyone familiar with documentary. The titles are exclusively ones that got some mainstream attention, and the list overall is very male in directors and subjects. It is also heavy with American titles. For example, An Inconvenient Truth, The Fog of War, Super Size Me, and Fahrenheit 9/11 are on the list.

These lists seem more about their writers and their publications. Out of curiosity, I checked out the media kit for Vulture. According to its mission statement,

Vulture is the go-to site for everyone who lives, breathes, and consumes entertainment. [...] And Vulture is enthusiastic about the highbrow and the lowbrow, because you never know where brilliance will come from next.

With that entertainment focus, it almost becomes no surprise that the list contains what it does. What did come as a surprise: no sports docs. Nothing from 30 for 30. Not even Murderball, which is, well, entertaining.

I have to agree with Roger Ebert (R.I.P.) on these lists. I know they draw in readers and get people to leave comments (credit to the article’s authors for responding to the comments), but the discussion around documentary doesn’t really get too far.

Get more documentary film news and features: Subscribe to POV’s documentary blog, like POV on Facebook or follow us on Twitter @povdocs.

Journal of Insomnia is one of the most buzzed-about installations at Storyscapes, Tribeca Film Festival’s inaugural showcase of multi-platform projects that is on view to the public from April 18-21. The National Film Board of Canada, which is behind the project, has a reputation for engaging, cutting edge transmedia work and Insomnia is no exception.

The project lends itself to the interactive nature of transmedia for many reasons, not the least of which is that a traditional documentary about insomnia might, quite frankly, cure your insomnia. The Insomnia installation at Storyscapes, which extends from an existing web documentary, invites visitors into an askew cube that isolates them from their surroundings and mimics the experience of being an insomniac. While inside, the participant answers questions about their own experiences with sleeplessness via an interactive display, the answers to which could become part of the collective and ongoing “journal” that is being built.

Hugues Sweeney conceived of and produced the project, and invited filmmakers Bruno Choiniere, Philippe Lambert, Thibaut Duverneix and Guillaume Braun to create it. Sweeney shares with POV his approach to Insomnia.

How did you conceive of this project?

Hugues Sweeney: Mental health is an issue that we deal with at the NFB. Insomnia is one of those conditions that is talked about from a clinical point of view, but rarely talked about from human point of view. Dealing with insomnia is inherently solitary, but the internet allows it to be about connection.

Once I knew that this was the issue I wanted to tackle, the concept developed with three considerations in mind: 1) using all the attributes of the internet to tell a story; 2) making insomniacs themselves a part of the process; 3) moving a personal experience into a collective experience.

Why did you decide to do this as a transmedia project rather than a traditional film?

HS: It was a natural fit. The Internet is insomnia. It never sleeps. You’re always at different places at the same time. It’s purely solitairy and purely collective at the same time.

Why is it important to you that the project be presented to a live audience rather than just existing online?

HS: More and more we will see media leaving screens and reinvesting in physical space. The mechanisms are more light and transportable to make that possible. In the case of Journal of Insomnia, we’re a public production about a social issue, so people physically getting involved is totally relevant and intrinsic to what we want to do.

On that note, what do you hope people walk away with after interacting with your installation?

HS: All of our projects are conversation starters, not necessarily pieces of journalism or educational media. I want people to talk about insomnia. It can be seen as a sign of weakness. There is definitely a taboo around it. One of every two people we tried to shoot with retracted at the last minute. I want people to use this project as a pretext to discuss insomnia from an anthropological, historical, and human perspective.

The NFB consistently turns out amazing projects. What do you think has been the secret to repeated success?

HS: NFB has always been innovative. Direct cinema and IMAX were created here. One of first computer animated films was produced here. It’s our legacy. The standard is creativity and excellence, and we’re inspired by the evolution of technology. We create the context and possibility for creators and we push them as far as possible.

For updates on the documentaries and interactive works at the 2013 Tribeca Film Festival, subscribe to POV’s documentary blog, like POV on Facebook or follow us on Twitter @povdocs.

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Robots in Residence at Tribeca Storyscapes.
Credit: Richard Patterson for Bombay Sapphire

On entering the Storyscapes exhibit at the Bombay Sapphire House of Imagination, I expected to encounter some flat screen monitors, headphones, and keyboards for modest project interactions. What I got was so much more. If you don’t have time to read the rest of this post, here’s your takeaway: Go there now! Storyscapes curator Ingrid Kopp and her team have created a sexy space and true audience experience with engaging installations that match the immersive nature of the projects they represent.

Each of the five featured projects is already available online in some form, so the event producers were challenged to create ways to make the live experience stand out. As Kopp points out, there were numerous possibilities for presenting each project, but the ultimate goal was to tell stories in a space. She recalls, “We built the space around the projects. It’s important that audiences are transported, like when they’re entering a dark cinema. When you’re on the web that doesn’t happen as much. It’s too distracting. Here, we tried to create magic storytelling space.”

The overall “magic storytelling space” is achieved with dim lights, music, and a nightclub vibe. More importantly, each project has its own unique area, installation style, and possibilities for audience interaction and participation. In fact, a running theme among the projects is audience collaboration in the actual creation of the work, or what Kopp calls, “the tension between authorship and openness.”

This Exquisite Forest at Tribeca Storyscapes.
Credit: Richard Patterson for Bombay Sapphire

For example, at the Robots in Residence station, visitors reveal their innermost thoughts to intentionally adorable, camera-equipped robots, the results of which will be woven into a documentary film. At the Journal of Insomnia installation, audiences are invited to enter into a cocoon-like space and live the experience of an insomniac in the middle of the afternoon, all while answering questions about the meaning of insomnia. Meanwhile, at the This Exquisite Forest station, one can add frames to collaborative animated stories, some of which were initiated by renowned artists such as Olafur Eliasson.

Kudos to the Tribeca team for setting a new standard for live, interactive storytelling. The Storyscapes presentation makes me even more excited for the festival’s official Interactive Day, which we will be live tweeting at @povdocs all day on Saturday.

Get your free tickets to Storyscapes here.

For updates on the documentaries and interactive works at the 2013 Tribeca Film Festival, subscribe to POV’s documentary blog, like POV on Facebook or follow us on Twitter @povdocs.

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MediaStorm’s standard interview setup is meant to provide a clean, focused environment for the viewer. It can be used both in a studio or in the field. We typically use at least two cameras, usually three, both for visual variety and for editing on-camera sequences. This is by no means the only way to conduct an interview and you should consider the role and look of the interview before beginning a project.

The example below is for an interview with the subject sitting screen-right. If you want the subject to be sitting screen-left, camera and lighting placement should be reversed.

Visual Look

Background – We often use a black background behind our subjects to focus attention on what the subject says and how he or she says it. A large felt cloth works nicely.

Cameras – We currently use the Canon 5D Mark III for our interviews.

Camera Settings – It’s important to standardize settings on all cameras. Make sure each camera has the same frame size, frame rate, aperture, ISO and white balance. Below are the settings we generally use on interviews in our studio. Note that your aperture, ISO and white balance will be different based on your lighting setting up.

Frame size – 1920×1080
Frame rate – 24 frames per second
Shutter speed – 1/50
Aperture – 4.5
ISO – 500
Kelvin – 4500

Camera Position – The wide shot (Camera A), is positioned on the right. The tight shot (Camera B) is positioned on the left. They are as close to each other as possible and should be near the same height. The cameras are both positioned nearly over the shoulder of the person conducting the interview. Make sure the interviewer’s shoulder is not in the shot.

Example – Camera A and B are placed almost directly above the interviewer’s shoulder.

Camera A (Wide, On-Tripod) – The subject is sitting screen-right, looking into the frame screen-left. The subject is composed so that his or her hands are visible laying on their lap. This allows the wide angle to capture any hand gestures or body movement that might be storytelling body language.

Example – The look of Camera A.

Camera B (Tight, On-Tripod) – This shot is also composed with the subject sitting screen-right, looking into the frame screen-left. Composition of the subject should mimic that of the wide shot.

Example – The look of Camera B.

Camera C (Tight, Off-Tripod) – This camera is optional and requires an additional photographer for an interview. We use this camera to show the subject in profile on screen-right looking screen-left. We vary composition with this camera, sometimes focusing on details like the subject’s hands, as well as wider shots of the subject in profile.

Example – The look of Camera C.

Audio

Microphone Position – MediaStorm uses a Sennheiser ME66 shotgun mic supported directly over the subject’s forehead. The mic should be as close to the subject’s forehead without being in the wide shot. As you can see in the image below, the shotgun mic is supported by a boom on a lightstand, pointing down toward the location of the subject’s forehead.

Example – The shotgun mic is above the subject, pointing directly at his or her forehead. It should be as close to the subject as possible, without being in the shot.

Audio Setup – The shotgun mic is connected to a camera mounted juicedLink via an XLR cord. The juicedLink is a preamp that records higher-quality sound directly to the camera’s audio track, has XLR inputs and allows headphone monitoring. We place the juicedLink on Camera A. This will be the main audio source for the interview.

Cameras B and C have mics mounted on their hot shoes, plugged directly into the DSLR’s mic mount. The audio for these cameras must be clean, but they will be used primarily for syncing in post-production. If you’re using the stabilizer function on Camera C’s lens (the stabilizer should be off for Camera A and B when on tripod), it’s imperative that you use a separate mic. The sound of the stabilizer will ruin the audio of the onboard mic making the camera difficult to sync in post.

Levels for all cameras should be recorded at the industry standard of between -12 and -6db.

Lighting

Key Light – The main light source, or key light, should be on the subject’s screen-left portion of his or her face. See the example below.

Example – In our setup, the key light should be on the subject’s screen-left portion of his or her face.

Example – The key light should provide an even amount of light over the majority of the subject’s face, falling off slightly on the screen-right portion of his or her face.

Fill/Hair Light – The fill/hair light provides additional light on the screen-right portion of the subject’s face, while separating the subject’s shoulders from the background. We place this light on a boom pole that is above and to the right of the subject, pointing down at the subject’s shoulder and face.

Example – The fill/hair light is placed on a boom pole above and to the right of the subject.

Equipment List

Lights

• Lowell Rifa EX 55
• Lowell Rifa Lite EX 44
• Avenger A635B Stand

Audio

• juicedLink RA222
• Sennheisser ME 66
• Rode Video Mic Pro
• K-Tek KE-89CC Avalon Series Aluminum Boompole with Internal Coiled XLR Cable
• Manfrotto Boom Assembly, Black – 6.5′ (2m)
• XLR Cord

Tripod

• Sachtler 0750

Camera Equipment

• Canon 5D Mark III
• Canon 24-70mm f/2.8
• Canon 70-200mm f/2.8

Get more documentary film news and features: Subscribe to POV’s documentary blog, like POV on Facebook or follow us on Twitter @povdocs.

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According to the Twitter account, Kartemquin was denied because of its “making and selling of propaganda DVDs.” While the announcement was followed with some good old-fashioned sarcasm, many reacted with disbelief at the state’s reasoning.

“Propaganda” is a dirty word. It evokes the work of Leni Riefenstahl and her Triumph of the Will and the works of Frank Capra and the Why We Fight series. Michael Moore frequently gets filed under this term by his detractors. Still others might cite Waiting for “Superman.”

The term often is used to describe any documentary that presents a strong argument viewers don’t agree with. Josh Fox’s Gasland has been called “propaganda” by natural gas industry supporters. An Inconvenient Truth draws the same label from climate change questioners. Like calling a documentary “fiction” because it fails to tell the viewers’ expected “truth,” the term “propaganda” is meant as a deep insult, a means of denigrating the credibility of the work without necessarily qualifying why.

Some believe propaganda has no place within documentary. Part of that perception, I believe, comes from the dominance and prestige associated with the “news documentary” type. The news-driven documentary connects with the journalistic ideas of objectivity and attempts a balanced representation of issues while maintaining some critical distance from them.

But why the resistance? In general, propaganda makes us uneasy. We don’t want to be persuaded, or at least not persuaded overtly. Just think how quickly people hang up the phone on telemarketers, change the channel during live network television when the commercials come on, or the desperate panic to shut down those stupid pop-up windows online. We want our media to reinforce our values, not challenge them, as an entire body of scholarship centering on media uses and gratifications tell us.

Further, the historical connections between documentary and propaganda also might be part of this resistance, particularly in that the enemy’s leaflets and posters are considered propaganda while the hero’s materials are considered part of the spirit of patriotism. Leni Riefenstahl did consider patriotism when she made Triumph of the Will, after all. It just depends on which side you’re on, really.

Either way, calling Kartemquin’s documentaries “propaganda” is definitely meant as an insult, but it is an insult that misses the point of the organization’s work. Kartemquin’s documentaries tell issue-centered stories without the issues overtaking the stories. The people in their documentaries are key — who can forget William Gates and Arthur Agee of Hoop Dreams or Ameena Matthews of The Interrupters? We learn about the realities of Chicago and the issues through the people living them, not the other way around.

Propaganda starts from a position of power and imposes it. Kartemquin’s body of work empowers people and shares it.

Get more documentary film news and features: Subscribe to POV’s documentary blog, like POV on Facebook or follow us on Twitter @povdocs.

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The preferred video format for HTML5 is now MP4 (the MPEG-4 container format) using the H.264 codec with the “baseline” profile. This will work across a majority of the most popular operating systems and browsers, such as Chrome and Safari, but not Firefox, which is compatible with the WebM format. Exporting to WebM requires additional software, such as a WebM QuickTime component or Sorenson Squeeze, which is one reason you haven’t heard as much about it. But if you want a wider reach for your HTML5 video, check out this list of WebM export tools at The WebM Project’s tools page.

For a majority of browsers, the preferred audio format within the MP4 video container is AAC or MP3 — again excluding Firefox, which uses the open-source Vorbis codec to go along with WebM. Choose the “low-complexity” setting for AAC to maximize compatibility with mobile browsers.

HTML5 video tags allow you to include multiple versions of a video, so you can export videos as MP4, WebM and Theora formats and let the browser choose which one it can play.

Here’s a quick reference for HTML 5 video compression settings:

• HTML5 Video #1: MP4 container / H.264 video (baseline) / AAC audio (low-complexity)
• HTML5 Video #2: WebM / Vorbis

For more detailed information on the ever-changing browser compatibility, check out this great rundown, The State of HTML5 Video, from Long Tail Video, and for more about specific browser compatibility and history (as of mid-2010), read the chapter Video on the Web from the online book Dive Into HTML5.

Get more documentary film news and features: Subscribe to POV’s blog, like POV on Facebook or follow us on Twitter @povdocs!

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Adnaan Wasey, Director of POV Digital, speaking at the POV Hackathon 2, that took place January 12-13, 2013.

Back in August 2012, POV hosted its first Hackathon as part of an effort to get filmmakers and coders in the same room to “re-invent the documentary for the web.” Soon after the first Hackathon concluded I spoke with Adnaan Wasey, the Director of POV Digital. He told me about the impetus behind the POV Hackathon, how documentary can be conceptualized on the web and why filmmakers should be thinking about new ways of monetizing their content.

The following has been edited down from a longer conversation.

Rahul Chadha: First, tell me about what the inspiration behind the Hackathon.

Adnaan Wasey, POV: There are a few inspirations. From one perspective, it’s a continuation of the work that POV’s been doing essentially from its start to engage and interact with viewers — participating in chat rooms, creating multimedia, online-only documentaries — one of those projects won a Webby Award a few years ago. It’s just always been in POV’s purview — how do we create “high-impact television?”

This is what is happening today: The web is a major part of how people interact with content. If you think about what the web is, it’s nonfiction. There’s video, audio, tweets, Facebook posts — this is all nonfiction. Nonfiction is powering the web, why can’t the web power nonfiction?

The other perspective is thinking about how work gets done. Hackathons are common in software development. It’s also becoming a more in vogue now since people have seen Google and Facebook and how they’ve been doing it. The Facebook newsfeed actually came out of an internal hackathon. Every company with an API says let’s have a hackathon, come hack our obscure technology to see if something comes out of it. They’re doing it to propel their technology, or for marketing purposes, essentially.

Chadha: Was there a particular hackathon model that you used in designing the POV Hackathon?

Wasey: A hackathon is usually 100 developers getting together with a standard API, or a standard data set, and saying, figure out what to do with this. We’re saying, you’ve got 30 hours: here’s a project, here are some potential technologies, do what you can with it! It was a little less structured, and there was no competition aspect to it. We said early on that there would be no prize and no winner. So I’m taking inspiration from everything. But I’m also drawing on my personal experience in developing and working on teams and seeing how work gets done, and how it doesn’t get done. I don’t know the stuff that works, but I know the stuff that doesn’t work [laughing].

Chadha: Can you take me through the thought process in selecting the teams? They all came from a variety of backgrounds and disciplines, and I think the Aatsinki team was the only one I considered to come from a more traditional, linear documentary film background. I am wondering what you were looking for in prospective teams.

Wasey: I think it just goes to show the range of — and a cross-section of — the “documentary” content that’s out there. The most interesting projects that have the most potential online are the ones where people are not thinking in terms of a 90-minute documentary. Aatsinki was the rare case where there was a documentary that was more or less completed. But filmmaker Jessica Oreck came with the film and said, “I’ve got some other ideas about what I want to do with it.” A lot of people did apply [saying], “I’ve got a completed documentary and I want to make a website that markets it.” That’s the wrong kind of mindset.

I think the most interesting projects are the ones where people don’t exactly know what they’re doing, but they have a really clear vision of what they want it to be. That’s where the opportunity comes in to play matchmaker.

Chadha: My impression was that it was really hard to find developers and coders, but it seems like you didn’t really have that experience. Is that true? And if so, why do you think that was?

Wasey: Can any filmmaker find a developer? The answer is that it’s still hard. You’ve got to work your network, you’ve got to ask around, you’ve got to cold call the people you know have done it in the past. It’s tricky because web development is not monolithic. There are people who have specific skills within that field — just asking anybody who’s a graphic designer to make your website is not going to work. Some people are starting to understand the sub-discipline of video connected with the web — there are very few. Those groups of developers may not be affordable.

Maybe there’s some cachet or something fun about participating in a hackathon, knowing that you’re not going to be dealing with a client for months and months — all of the non-fun things that happen when you enter into a contract or long-term relationship. The response from developers was surprising. I thought I would have to reach out to them a lot more. But they really understood what we were doing, and the ones who were interested in it really gravitated to it.

Chadha: You said that sometimes filmmakers are not going to be able to afford the hiring of developers and designers. It seems like there’s a handful of funding or support for these kind of projects such as Sundance Institute and Tribeca Film Institute. Will funding sources for this kind of work grow over time?

Wasey: The number of people with the skills and interest is going to grow naturally. We can lament the lack of infrastructure surrounding new media or we can try and inspire people. Tribeca is getting into exhibition [of new media projects] with its festival next year. Work is going to gravitate to the web and funding will come with it. It seems like it’s building, so I’m optimistic.

Chadha: What did you think was the biggest obstacle the Hackathon teams faced?

Wasey: All of the filmmakers came in without a clear idea of how the developers worked. Some filmmakers may have come in with wireframes, they may have come in with documents about what they thought the thing would be, but as soon as they met with developers and understood the process of how they work and how things get done they realized, “My vision still makes sense, but these micro-details are wrong!”

Chadha: What do you think the first step is for a filmmaker who’s interested in this stuff but doesn’t really have any concept of coding or programming?

Wasey: I think what [filmmakers] should be doing is focusing on their art and their creativity. It’s a question of, how do you be more creative? There are many answers to that. I think the wrong answer is to learn how to code. The right answer is — to use a little bit of a hackneyed phrase — think outside the box. What would suit the content of your project best?

Chadha: You had an impromptu discussion with one team member about potentially monetizing their project. How important do you think that is for filmmakers to keep in mind as they’re developing these projects?

Wasey: In the field of new media and documentary I see a huge potential for creativity. At the same time I’m really curious about the commercial potential. Art and entertainment aren’t separable in a marketplace. I think it’s really interesting to talk about not just the intensely creative work that can come out of filmmakers working with developers but also the potential to make a little money off of it. People do pay for content… I think it’s just a matter of somebody inventing something that a lot of people would be interested in using.

Chadha: What was the thing that surprised you the most about the Hackathon?

Wasey: The way the Hackathon was structured, it was filmmakers first, story first. I was afraid going in that the ball would be too much in the filmmakers’ court and they would be driving all of the conversations. But it did surprise me that it became a collaboration almost instantly with all of the teams. It wasn’t that the filmmakers were telling the developers what they wanted, but that they were listening to the developers and going along with the developers’ ideas.

Chadha: One of the things that intrigued me was how fundamentally different the projects were. It seemed like the Living Los Sures team was more interested in producing a tool, which is something I hadn’t seen or considered. Jessica [The Aatsinki Season] was repurposing her material — she was recutting her footage and substantially changing it by adding narration, which is very different from the aesthetic of her film. StoryCorps was interesting because the heart of their content was audio, and Feed Me a Story was talking about potential revenue streams. Data Docs re-conceptualized the static news story by pulling in dynamic data. Everybody was having really interesting, but fundamentally different, conversations.

Wasey: That was partially by design, of course. To find interesting people that crossed over [into] different areas that could still be considered “documentary.” And then in terms of technology as well. One was an app, one was audio, one used motion graphics and one was a completed documentary.

Chadha: From my perspective it seemed really important to hammer home the idea of the “minimum viable product,” and that the timeframe was constrained. That seemed to keep people on track and sheer away potential feature creep.

Wasey: A software developer knows the idea of feature creep — “Here’s a new idea, let’s put it in!” [A minimum viable product] is a minimum feature set that shows off the things you intended to do. There’s no reason to add to it. If you add a feature on top of it, you’re just spending time on something that isn’t core to what your product is supposed to be. The filmmakers embraced that idea and started to recognize, “Oh, this is outside of our original feature set. Let’s put that on the back burner while we do the more important things.” It’s something that requires a lot of discipline to be able to do. Even professional developers have this problem, where they love working on something so much they want to put a bunch of stuff into it, which is the wrong instinct.

One of the other things that was interesting was that people essentially showed up for nothing. I mean, there’s no conference, there’s no workshop. They’re just coming to work. And theoretically they could have done that at home, but they chose to do it in the office. There was nothing that we were doing that people couldn’t do at home. We just gave them a deadline. I just think that people learn the most by doing. I also feel like you don’t learn from something until it’s done. So that was the structure: learn by doing, have something done by 6 p.m. on Sunday.

To learn more about the upcoming POV Hackathon 3 (April 13-14, 2013) and updates on submitting to POV Hackathon 4, subscribe to POV’s documentary blog or follow us on Twitter @povdocs!

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Jump over to the Stranger than Fiction blog to get his Top 10 Twitter Tips for Filmmakers »

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1. In the Blink of an Eye — Walter Murch
Renowned editor Walter Murch, whose resume includes Apocalypse Now, The English Patient and The Talented Mr. Ripley, lays a foundation for any aspiring editor in this seminal essay — the theory being that a cut should happen every time you blink. Inferring that there are times when you cannot blink or look away from a film, and that there are times when an audience needs a moment to process what they’ve seen. His editing style is focused on capturing emotion and paying homage to other mediums. In the Blink of the Eye is a quick read at 146 pages that summarizes the editing philosophy of one the craft’s greats.


2. How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way — Stan Lee & John Buscema
Editing film and drawing comics share more in common then you may think. Things like pacing, highlighting action and telling a story efficiently, just for starters. Also, there is no better tutorial for framing, jump cuts and transitions then a comic panel layout.


3. Cutting Rhythms: Shaping the Film Edit  — Karen Pearlman
Pearlman’s theory on editing equates it with dance. Based in rhythm, choreography and movement this book is a wonderful meditation on the role space and time play in the editing process. Divided into twelve chapters, covering intuitive thinking and synchronization, the book acts as a guide for filmmakers  wanting to apply the principles of rhythm to their editing practice. Theories that may seem confusing to those not schooled in dance are made accessible and easy to implement.


4. Grammar of the Edit — Christopher J. Bowen, Roy Thompson
This book for the novice filmmaker acts as a reference guide detailing the very basics of editing, such as understanding footage and ways to use different shots, basic knowledge of how to match shots, make cuts and create continuity of movement and sound. The end of the book also explores things like work flow, multi-camera editing and montage. The only drawback to this book is that it is a very traditional take on editing that doesn’t leave a lot of room for artistic expression. However, it’s important to know and understand the basic rules of editing which this book delineates, so that you can break them when appropriate.


5.  Fine Cuts: The Art of European Film Editing — Roger Crittenden
Fine Cuts offers interviews with some of Europe’s best editors, including documentarians Agnès Varda (The Gleaners and I), Bela Tarr (City Life), and Sabine Mamou (Mur, Murs). Fine Cuts is an engaging read and offers insight into the art of editing from many perspectives. For instance, Agnes Guillemot equates editing with conducting music “The material is given by someone else, but I listen to it afresh. I do not try to make it mine, I make it produce what it can do.”  The interviews offer an expansive look at the art of editing juxtaposed with critical essays and reactions from the directors who worked with them.

What other reads would you recommend for people who want to start editing?

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Raindance Film Festival posted an abridged extract from Elliot Grove’s book, Raindance Lo-To-No Budget Filmmaking. We recommend this overview for beginning filmmakers.

Jump over to their website to learn about the six stages of classical film editing »

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Jump over to his blog and learn his eight fundamental concepts of sound for documentary »

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On Tuesday, Vimeo announced Vimeo On Demand, its new self-distribution service, once again proving that Vimeo is a place that is keenly in tune to the filmmaking world. From this initial launch, the service is already pretty impressive: it is available on all Vimeo Pro accounts, allows users to watch films on almost any device, including tablets and TVs connected through products like Apple TV, Roku and Xbox, etc. More importantly, the new service lets creators distribute a series of videos at one total price as well as individual episode prices, and gives creators 90% of the revenue from sales. Yes, that is not a typo — 90% of the cut goes into the filmmaker’s pocket.

On Wednesday, I talked with Blake Whitman, VP of Creative Development at Vimeo, and asked him what would bring filmmakers to this self-distribution service over others. What does Vimeo have that others don’t, besides the very impressive payout deal? His answer can be summed up in two words: flexibility and ease.

Vimeo On Demand lets the filmmaker take the helm of their distribution, rather than limiting who can use the service and what they can do once they’re in. Again, anyone with a Pro account can self-distribute, no questions asked. Secondly, the only requirements for creating your VOD page are that you have a trailer and a poster — which you should already have if you are planning to make a film that you want people to see. Vimeo On Demand also lets the filmmaker, who has now become the distributor, set the rental and download prices, choose the length of the rental period, set geofilters so that you can offer it in only the parts of the world you wish to. You can create a custom VOD page which then can be used free of any Vimeo branding at your own URL, if you so wish to make it seem separate. And just to tack on more, self-distributors can also feature extra content on their landing pages, such as short clips, deleted scenes, and director commentary, if they already have those uploaded to Vimeo.

The flexibility that Vimeo On Demand offers the creators plays into how easy it is to use. Since its inception, Vimeo has catered to filmmakers, providing a clean interface, quality playback, and an easy upload process that even the most technologically challenged can take advantage of. Vimeo has also boasted having a support team that is more than willing to help answer questions or troubleshoot with users. More importantly, and as Whitman stressed, filmmakers already use Vimeo to power video on their sites, store trailers and clips for promotion, and share videos with each other. If you can keep all your video in one place, including your self-distributed final product, why wouldn’t you?

From the filmmaker’s side, Vimeo On Demand seems like a great self-distribution tool, that really has a chance to keep fueling creative work. But what about the audience? The online world has always known Vimeo as a place for free content, so what will draw them into this new paid-content world? When asked about this, Whitman responded, “From the success of crowdfunding platforms like Kickstarter and Indiegogo, we have seen that there is an audience out there that wants to feel involved in supporting creative work, and supporting the creators themselves. Vimeo on Demand plays into that, letting viewers directly support the filmmakers on VOD, while also giving them a chance to connect with filmmakers. Audience members could even directly message the filmmakers and start a conversation through Vimeo if they connect with the creators story… This is not for the audience that wants a passive viewing experience.” What struck me was the emphasis on the “engaged” audience here, which is something all independent documentaries try to cultivate. If all goes according to plan, this could become a self-distribution service that truly plays into the engagement factor, and lets filmmakers and viewers connect around issues in a much more streamlined manner.

It will be fun to watch how Vimeo on Demand unfolds over the next few months, and see what changes and new features are added as more filmmakers jump into using it. It makes me also wonder what self-distribution services it will start to displace. What about you? What is your take on Vimeo on Demand? Are any of you already using it? Let us know in the comments below!

Get more documentary film news and features: Subscribe to POV’s documentary blog, like POV on Facebook or follow us on Twitter @povdocs.

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Reinvention Stories is a Localore project powered by Zeega, an interactive storytelling platform launched in 2010 that allows users to “easily mix media from anywhere.”

Zeega is an interactive storytelling platform founded in 2010 by James Burns, Kara Oehler and Jesse Shapins (the name is a play on the name of the early documentary filmmaker Dziga Vertov). In 2012, Zeega began working with public radio stations via the Association of Independent Radio’s Localore initiative to create participatory location-based projects. A year later, we’re starting to see the results of those collaborations online. The Zeega team shared with POV their philosophy for interactivity and how they’ve worked with producers from across the country.

What was the inspiration for the Zeega platform?

The original inspiration was seeing so many colleagues in media that had great ideas for immersive stories, but were unable to create them because of the barriers of technology, design and cost. The web itself is a distinct medium that is fundamentally interactive and audiovisual. Our mission from the beginning has been to make the creation of this new medium accessible to everyone… We’ve aimed for Zeega to radically democratize interactive storytelling.

Can you talk about your collaboration with the Tribeca Film Institute in December 2012?

Tribeca Hacks Cambridge was an incredible day. We had 18 artists of all different backgrounds — filmmakers, radio producers, photographers, graphic designers, writers, theatre directors, etc. Everybody had already familiarized themselves with Zeega and begun their projects a month in advance. Everyone had also already met via Google Hangouts. At the end, everybody had completed a prototype and we transformed our storefront into a micro-cinema where everyone then navigated their projects live to the audience.

Many of the projects have continued to evolve since the day. This project from the theatre company FIXTPOINT was started during Tribeca Hacks Cambridge, and has since evolved into fully-fledged urban interactive tour doc. The project explores the four corners of Queen and Bathurst, a traditionally working-class intersection of Toronto hit by hard times during the global financial crisis. Along the way, you meet the endearing denizens of the intersection, from down-and-out buskers to a starving-artist Starbucks barista who just wants you to try some of his samples.

Black Gold Boom, a collaboration between independent producer Todd Melby, Prairie Public, Zeega and AIR, was built in part using the Zeega editor.

How did you approach working with the media producers on the Localore projects?

Last year, AIR put out a call for public media stations to put their hats in the ring as incubators for these innovative works. And then there was an open application process for producers to submit proposals. We joined some of the winning teams as interactive storytelling partners and co-producers.

We started working with teams last March, and the first phase of collaboration was really focused on joining producers and stations in developing interactive concepts that fit with the narrative of each project and building teams, including the task of finding a local designer for each project. In the early months, it was a constant back-and-forth between the producers on the ground, who were starting to engage the community and gather stories, and ourselves, who were focused on developing design strategies and narrative frameworks to structure the overall projects.

Since we approached all of the collaborations as experiments, we didn’t impose intense constraints on the thinking. The regular process was at times very basic: sometimes it was simply a matter of drawing interfaces on paper during video meetings that we’d then show to one another over the screen. We would edit interface ideas in the same way one might edit a story.

But even though we worked on Localore projects in a very experimental fashion unconstrained by what was possible using Zeega, the projects still used Zeega as major parts of their projects. For example, all of Black Gold Boom’s “Rough Ride” was created using the Zeega editor. Reinvention Stories used the Zeega editor to create Act 1. But for each of these, we slightly customized the Zeega player to test new forms of navigation. On a technical level, what we did was create a web application framework that runs on the Zeega API. All of the code developed for the Localore projects is on Github, so anyone that would like to experiment with a custom Zeega player can easily do so.

Read an interview with Steven Bognar and Julia Reichert, the producers of Reinvention Stories »

Get more documentary film news and features: Subscribe to POV’s documentary blog, like POV on Facebook or follow us on Twitter @povdocs.

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Spring 2013 Flaherty NYC: EPIC ENCOUNTERS, programmed by Jeronimo Rodriguez, on Wednesdays from March 6 – April 10, 7pm at 92YTribeca.

Flaherty NYC, an offshoot of The Robert Flaherty Film Seminar, is a screening series that prides itself with rich discussions about work by groundbreaking documentary filmmakers. This season was programmed by guest curator Jeronimo Rodriguez, a writer and critic who has worked as the host of the film review and interview program Toma 1 on NY1 Noticias in New York City for eight years, championing contemporary and foreign film.

Starting this Wednesday, Rodriguez will be bringing rarely-seen films to New York audiences that explore the discovery of unknown pasts, forgotten events, and lost memories. This series reveals the ability of film to shed light on imperfect histories that might otherwise be lost forever.

If you’re in New York, join the conversation Wednesday nights into mid-April at the 92YTribeca. Rodriguez explains to us what went into the undertaking.

What excites you about the films this season in Epic Encounters?

Since most of the selected films come from all across the Latin experience, from Latin America, Spain to the US, we have many great filmmakers from abroad attending the series this year. We are going to have intense and rich discussions after every screening, which is an important part of the spirit behind the Flaherty. In the same spirit, this Spring Flaherty NYC is a celebration of diversity. Diversity not only in terms of the filmmakers’ background, but in terms of the wide array of visual forms that you will see: documentaries, film essays, non-fiction films and experimental films.

I am not particularly crazy about premieres — it’s not something that I am looking for in a film series — but in this case I am delighted that most of the films are new for the New York audience. We will have the New York premiere of Vikingland, The Other Day, Tudo É Brasil, In Ancon, January, 2012 and Image Not Found. There’s also a screening of a film that should have way more exposure, The Life, Death and Assumption of Lupe Velez, by José Rodríguez Soltero. It’s one of the few existing records of Puerto Rican involvement in the New York underground of the 60′s, a beautifully shot film that oozes urgency, love and youth. This hidden gem, with legendary Mario Montez playing the female lead, can be enjoyed on March 27.

Tell us about your approach to curating this season.

The series Epic Encounters has to do with a spontaneous discovery through film. It all started with my fixation on one film and one filmmaker. Last year, I saw Vikingland, by Galician director Xurxo Chirro. My mind was blown by his clever use of found footage, memory and the craft of filmmaking itself. Meanwhile, I’ve always had a crush on Rogério Sganzerla’s work in the Brazilian underground. For years now, I’ve wanted to spread the word on this amazing director, woefully unknown in the US. Sganzerla did fiction, documentaries and film essays. One of his more remarkable films, a brilliant freeform essay about Brazil’s identity through the eyes of Orson Welles called Tudo É Brasil will be the closing night film. I’d always thought of Tudo É Brasil as a letter written by Sganzerla to Welles, but then it occurred to me that, as a simple spectator or film buff, maybe his film was a letter sent to me that arrived later than expected. Both films, Vikingland and Tudo É Brasil, produced that rare effect on me: one in which I found something fabulous in them that nobody ever heard of. For me, like the title of the series, this was an epic encounter.

Then I thought, what about the filmmakers? They probably had an epic encounter with the subjects of their films, as well. In the case of Vikingland it was marvelous randomness around some VHS tapes. With Tudo É Brasil, it was Sganzerla’s obsession with Welles’ period in Brazil — Sganzerla did three more films on the subject. So that was the starting point of Epic Encounters. At the beginning it was an epic encounter with an unknown past, forgotten events, lost memories but then evolved to activities or places that are not usually represented in film. I wanted a program that deals with those discoveries, like the remarkable and captivating rehearsals that Argentine filmmaker Marcelo Piñeiro portraits in Rosalinda, or maybe those unsettled spaces in Peru, Haiti, Spain or New York that are part of the fifth screening, Fractured Spaces. Now, I finally hope that New Yorkers get the chance to have an epic encounter with all those films.

What was the biggest challenge you faced in putting this series together?

Time, logistics, getting films from different countries and bringing the filmmakers to New York City. It was made possible because of the hard work of many people at the Flaherty, 92YTribeca, filmmakers and institutions abroad. For example, there is only one 35mm print with English subtitles of Tudo É Brasil, that is being preserved at the Cinemateca Brasileira in Sao Paulo. It has been a great collaborative effort to make it possible for it screen here as our closing night film. It is an operation that involved people in New York, Brasilia, and Sao Paulo, with the kind help of the Brazilian Consulate in New York and many others.

What kind of viewing experience should we expect?

The Flaherty is a space for discussion, not only for the documentary form, but the forefront of film. This is a series that reflects that approach. These are films that delve into the visual essay, the documentary, the experimental and non-fiction, but in a very particular way. The stars of this show can be a Hi-8 home video, an underground scream, a fading memory or a rarely seen film. As per narratives, it all can go from the observational and leisurely tone of Vikingland, The Other Day, In Ancon or Ivory Tower to more playful territories like in Rosalinda or to the hypnotic horizons of Peril of the Antilles and Image Not Found. It’s going to be both fun and challenging.

The series runs Wednesday evenings at 7pm March 6 through April 10. For more information about tickets, visit the 92YTribeca. Find out more about the series at flahertyseminar.org.

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On the heels of our 25th Anniversary Season POV is thrilled to receive support from The Fledgling Fund for our series of POV Hackathons for the next year. As American television’s longest-running series dedicated to contemporary nonfiction programming, POV is proud to be leading the charge into new ways of reinventing the documentary for the web. With this support, the POV Hackathons will continue to thrive—pairing filmmakers, designers, and developers to create new models of engagement that will push social issue storytelling into the digital age. We are grateful for the Fledgling Fund’s investment and for the opportunity to discover new ways to engage our audiences around critical social issues.

Two POV films also received support from The Fledgling Fund to support continued outreach and engagement efforts. Congratulations to American Promise (POV 2013), which premiered at Sundance, and Girl Model (POV 2012), who now have more support in their efforts to reach and engage new audiences.

Get more documentary film news and features: Subscribe to POV’s documentary blog, like POV on Facebook or follow us on Twitter @povdocs.

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Thanks for joining our OVEE online “social screening” of StoryCorps Animated Shorts. We hope you enjoyed it!

The entry window for this giveaway has passed. Congratulations to our winner Allison DeVaney!

View the official rules.

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POV Hackathon 3 will take place April 13-14, 2013, in New York City.

If you’re a filmmaker or developer interested in cross-platform, web-based storytelling, apply to be part of it by March 12, 2013!

The POV team will be matching up applicants to create teams who will work intensively together over one weekend to create something new.

Are you in? Good. Get ready to apply by checking out:

• The prototypes that came out of 2012′s POV Hackathon 1 and January 2013′s POV Hackathon 2.
• Submission tips to consider that will give you an edge over the competition.

Apply now to POV Hackathon 3 »

What is a Hackathon?

POV’s hackathon is inspired by the “hack days” of the open-source development community and companies such as Facebook and Google. In a traditional hackathon, software coders collaborate outside of the usual corporate constraints in compressed time frames (usually fueled by pizza and energy drinks) to solve a problem.

With POV Hackathon, we add independent producers into the mix, adding their creativity and expertise in social-issue storytelling. POV pairs filmmakers with developers based on their Hackathon applications.

Once matched, the teams participate in a pre-Hackathon orientation session to prepare media (video, photos, data…) and made decisions about software and tools. Then, over two days, the teams work together to produce a working prototype.

More questions? Ask us at hackathon@pov.org. Visit pov.org/hackathon to apply, explore previous projects and find out more. Good luck!

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When the club first started, many were excited for the possibilities that it might offer — greater promotion through the established Oprah brand, more exposure for documentary in general, more opportunities for documentary makers for getting their work shown, and of course more money for supporting documentary makers and their work. Some of that optimism came from seeing the success that Oprah’s Book Club brought to certain authors, which Winfrey herself even states as a goal in the press. Could the Documentary Club offer something similar to documentary makers?

The topics for some of the documentaries sounded interesting and even a little boundary pushing. In particular, Becoming Chaz, a story about Chaz Bono’s gender transition, is one that is rarely represented on television. The piece earned three Emmy nominations. Other topics included homelessness (Tent City, U.S.A.), sentences for domestic violence survivors who are involved with killing their abusers (Crime After Crime), new lives outside religious communities (Sons of Perdition), and media representations of women and girls (Miss Representation). Other topics were lighter, such as a poetry slam competition (Louder than a Bomb) and New York City love stories (Love, Etc.), thus creating a mix of tones and subjects among the club titles.

Some of the documentaries got positive responses in the press, particularly with Becoming Chaz, Louder than a Bomb, Tent City, U.S.A., and One Lucky Elephant. Miss Representation continues to generate discussion as part of its educational distribution and showings across the country.

Several of the documentaries had the added boost of Sundance screenings and the news of getting picked up at the snowy festival. Becoming Chaz had its premiere there, and Crime After Crime also got picked up there, with ro*co films working on the deal for the network. ro*co curated several of the documentaries for the club, to which Winfrey appointed Rosie O’Donnell as host.

The push behind getting the club started sounded promising. So what happened?

The early press releases suggested an exclusivity to the club. Many of the names listed were celebrities, but many of them were actors, such as Goldie Hawn, Julia Roberts, Mariel Hemingway, Forest Whitaker, and Gabriel Byrne. Some new makers did have their works appear within the club’s offerings, such as Tyler Measom and Jennilyn Merten with Sons of Perdition. One story mentioned Barbara Kopple working on a documentary (Running from Crazy, which appeared at Sundance this year) for the network, but no other established documentary makers’ names were floated in the early press. The highlight on celebrities’ productions such as these seemed to set a particular bar for who might be included and who might be excluded.

While Oprah’s Book Club was centered on Winfrey’s specific choices and involved bringing readers into the discussion, Oprah’s Documentary Club didn’t have the benefit of Winfrey’s lead in the title choices or even in possible discussions after broadcast. Even though Winfrey’s book selections raised questions and criticism, they still brought some attention to the titles and generated discussion in the press. It would have been interesting to see her choices of documentaries and to see the reactions to them, though her syndicated broadcast talk show ended in 2011. Some of the curation for these titles was done through ro*co films, though that relationship ended in May 2012 as OWN shifted documentary acquisitions in house.

Another question comes back to brand compatibility. Branding is key for standing out within the cluttered and overwhelming media environment. Branding requires recognition, and recognition requires a degree of consistency across platforms. Oprah’s companies know this importance well, as Winfrey herself is an established brand with a global presence. Most recent iterations of that brand focus on life improvements and positivity, which can be seen in the “Live Your Best Life” slogan for the OWN show “Super Soul Sunday.” The Documentary Club itself emphasized the importance of strong stories, and its Twitter account bio explains that the club “aims to recognize cinematic documentaries that inspire and entertain.” While the documentaries appearing through the club do offer compelling stories, some of their subjects misalign with the overall positivity perpetuated with the brand.

That inconsistency extends beyond branding into content. While the club remained consistent in its monthly showings for about a year, it failed to expand beyond 14 titles and ended up repeating titles instead of bringing in new ones. The last decade has seen some strong documentary titles that could attract audiences, so the club was not for want of possible pick-ups.

It continues with social media. The Twitter account has been dormant since March 2012. The Web pages for the club have some comments from viewers and a couple replies from moderators, but nothing too frequent or active. Social media presences are key to keeping brands going, even if the content fueling the brand shifts or lags for a while.

The network struggled in 2011, but it saw ratings increase in 2012, and has been boosted most recently by the exclusive Lance Armstrong interview. As the network enjoys the uptick in viewership, it will be interesting to see if documentaries remain part of the options, gaining a greater prominence, or if they will continue to recede.

Get more documentary film news and features: Subscribe to POV’s blog, like POV on Facebook or follow us on Twitter @povdocs!

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Paul Pauwels is the head of the Belgian production company Congoo and former director of the European Television and Media Management Academy (ETMA). He continues to works worldwide as a tutor and moderator. Pauwels is sharing his guidelines for a successful documentary pitch. In this third part of the series, Pauwels offers some advice for when you are actually in front of a funder.

Part 1: Pitching 101: Writing the Pitch, and Other Pitch Preparations
Part 2: The Ws That Build a Successful Pitch
Part 3: When You’re in the Room

When You’re in the Room

• Don’t be afraid of showing your passion.
• Prepare yourself and do your homework. Try to find out who will be present during a pitching session and what kind of slots people are responsible for.
• Use body language, make sure the producers see you and remember your face.
• Entertain your audience! They will be grateful for it. Listening to a lot of pitches can be a dull job. Make sure your project stands out. Humor always works, but in the right measure. Don’t turn the pitch into a stand-up comedy routine.
• Try to find a good opening pitch situation or phrase. Surprise listeners and grab them by the throat.
• In many cases you can decide whether you want to stand or sit. Standing up is sometimes easier because it helps you breathe better.
• Pay attention to what your hands are doing. When you’re nervous they tend to have a life of their own. This can be distracting to the listeners.
• Speak loud and clear. Find out what a microphone does to your voice, and don’t be afraid of using the microphone to your advantage.
• You’re talking to people. Look at them and look them in the eyes.
• Avoid open phrases without a clear end. They give a bad impression and they make you look unfocused.
• Avoid negative phrases: don’t tell them what you’re not going to make.
• Use a bullet point list and train with it. The structure of your pitch should be clear in your head. But don’t learn everything by heart – avoid making a sterile pitch.
• Don’t make your pitch too wide. Keep it simple. You’ll have individual meetings afterwards, where you can give more detailed information to the financers.
• Never fight during a pitch. Argue and make your point but never get into a verbal fight. You can’t win and it will destroy the atmosphere. The moderators will be there to help avoid a situation like this.
• If more than one person is pitching, pay attention to what the other person is doing and saying. Show the audience that you’re a team.
• If you’re using visuals, make sure that they’re well synchronized with what you say, otherwise the audience will get lost and your pitch will lose its power. Beware of PowerPoint presentations (Bill Gates is lying when he says they’re safe).
• Help the producers/commissioning editors understand what kind of film you are aiming for. You should know what kind of audience you want to reach.
• Timing is everything. Make sure you keep an eye on the clock, so that you don’t have to rush towards the end of your pitch. Train your pitch. Use a mirror…it looks ridiculous, but it will help you to control yourself and to stay within the time limit.

Part 1: Pitching 101: Writing the Pitch, and Other Pitch Preparations
Part 2: The Ws That Build a Successful Pitch
Part 3: When You’re in the Room

Get more documentary film news and features: Subscribe to POV’s blog, like POV on Facebook or follow us on Twitter @povdocs!

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From the Brooklyn Film Festival Exchange 2012 pitch panel, photo courtesy of Issa Cubb

Paul Pauwels is the head of the Belgian production company Congoo and former director of the European Television and Media Management Academy (ETMA). He continues to work worldwide as a tutor and moderator. Pauwels is sharing his guidelines for a successful documentary pitch. In this second part of the series, Pauwels shares 7 “W”s that help build a successful pitch.

Part 1: Pitching 101: Writing the Pitch, and Other Pitch Preparations
Part 2: The Ws That Build a Successful Pitch
Part 3: When You’re in the Room

1. What

The Story

• Give a clear and simple description of your subject. What is your film about? Tell them clearly  and mention the name of the film often.
• Who do you want to reach with your film? Who is the target audience?

Approach

• Dramatic approach: how are you going to tell the story?
• Visual approach: what is the film going to look like?

The Project

• Shooting format
• Stand alone film or a series?
• Genre

What are you looking for?

• Development?
• Co-production?
• Pre-buy?
• Post-production money?

2. Where

• Where will the story be set, and what will be your shooting locations?

3. Why

• The unique selling point: what makes your film different from other projects and why will international audiences want to see this?
• Motivation: why do you want to make this project and why are you or your director (or company) the right ones to make it?
• Why should this documentary be made? What makes it special? (The subject? The situation? The market demand or opportunities? Other reasons?)

4. Who

• Who is going to make the film? Who are you and your team? (Producer, Director, Camera, Others)? What’s the track record and special skills of each of these team members?
• Who will be in the film, in front of the camera? Why are they are going to work on camera? Why is their story so special?

5. When

• Time schedule and planning: Preparation, Shoot, Post-production, When will it be available?
• What is the status of your project? How far are you in development and in financing?

6. Who’s paying

• Draw up a realistic budget. Keyword realistic.
• Present a well-structured and realistic financing overview. From the choice of your financial partners you will also show what kind of film you have in mind.
• Mention the production status, including broadcasters or other partners that have already said “yes.”

7. What to add

• Letters of intent or commitment
• Contracts, if they are already signed
• Relevant pictures or maps
• Distribution agreements

In the next post in this series, Paul Pauwels has more tips for when you’re in front of the funder.

Part 1: Pitching 101: Writing the Pitch, and Other Pitch Preparations
Part 2: The Ws That Build a Successful Pitch
Part 3: When You’re in the Room

Get more documentary film news and features: Subscribe to POV’s blog, like POV on Facebook or follow us on Twitter @povdocs!

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