Combining essays and interviews with nonfiction filmmakers, this collection explores the business side of nonfiction media creation for film and television.
Over 30 industry professionals dispel myths about the industry and provide practical advice on topics such as how to break into the field; how to develop, nurture, and navigate business relationships; and how to do creative work under pressure. Readers will also learn about the entrepreneurial expectations in relation to marketing, strategies for contending with the emotional highs and lows of creating nonfiction media, and money management whilst pursuing a career in creating nonfiction media.
Written for undergraduates and graduates studying filmmaking, media production, and documentary filmmaking, as well as aspiring nonfiction media creators and documentary filmmakers, this book provides readers with a wealth of first-hand information that will help them create their own opportunities and pursue a career in nonfiction film and television.
Introduction
Chapter 1:
INSURGENT FILMMAKING: NOTES FROM THE FIELD
By Arielle Knight
FINDING ONES PATH
An Interview with Laskshmi Sarah
REPRESENTATION MATTERS
By Aggie Bazaz
CINEMA OF ME
By Jes Therkelsen
KNOWING ONES STRENGTHS
An Interview with Sally Rubin
TAKING MASKS OFF
An Interview with Sean Dunne
CHAPTER 2: STICKING IT OUT
MAKING A DIFFERENCE
An Interview With John de Graaf
MAKING IT WORK
An Interview with Kristy Guevara-Flanagan
PREPARING FOR YOUR EDUCATIONAL DISTRIBUTION LAUNCH
by Regan Brashear
FIVE LESSONS FROM SISTERS RISING
By Brad Heck
PLAY TO YOUR STRENGTHS
An Interview with Caitlin Mae Burke
CHAPTER 3: FINDING SUCCESS
HELPING CHANGE THE WORLD
An Interview with Myriam Sassine
SENSES OF PROPER COLLABORATION
An Interview with Marc Silver
CRAFTING IMPACTFUL SCIENCE STORIES FOR THE SCREEN
By Jaime Jacobsen
FINDING PURPOSE
An Interview with Estelle Robin You
MAKE AMAZING FILMS
An Interview with Sam Soko
MAKING DOCUMENTARIES FOR SOCIAL CHANGE IN THE STREAMING MEDIA AGE
By Caty Borum
FINDING EQUILIBRIUM
An interview with Nicolas Bruckman
CHAPTER 4: GETTING AHEAD
FIND YOUR OWN WAY
An Interview with Kazuhiro Soda
A LITTLE DANCE
by Mary Jane Doherty
LEAN INTO VULNERABILITY
Joe Brewster & Michèle Stephenson
MOVING THE FORM FORWARD
An Interview with Molly O’Brien
HERE, THERE, AND BACK AGAIN
By Adam Forester
LOVE & RESILIENCE
An Interview with Yi Chen
CHAPTER 5: STARTING AGAIN
MORE PHOTOGRAPHS TAKEN FROM THE POCKET OF A DEAD ARAB
by Saeed Taji Farouky
SPEAKING UP
An Interview with Marjan Safinia
THE FILMMAKER’S HEART IN SPRING
By Rachel Lin Weaver
LIKE A MANDALA
An Interview with Sara Lamm
DOCUMENTARY AND OUR COLLECTIVE BEST INTERESTS
An Interview with Johnny Symons
ON STRUGGLE, DEATH AND MAGIC
By Kari Barber
Biography
Charles Dye is an associate professor of Cinema Production in the School of Performing Arts at Virginia Tech, USA. His various projects, including Indian Relay and Finding Traction, have aired nationwide in the United States, streamed globally on Netflix and Amazon Prime, won regional Emmys and screened at dozens of film festivals worldwide. Since 1996, Charles has mentored hundreds of young filmmakers with National Geographic Student Expeditions, Virginia Tech's Black College Institute, Tucson’s VOICES: Community Stories Past and Present project, and TerraPod and Montana Apprentice Programs.
