Ask the Documentary Doctor

Turning talking heads into storytellers

By Fernanda Rossi

Dear Doc Doctor: I have interviewees, talking heads that are making the story dull. I was told that in today’s market I’ll be better off with characters. Any way I can morph one into the other or is it too late?

Doc Doctor: Yes, you might fare better in today’s market if you have a character-driven story. In years of consulting and seeing how those films did in the market, I learned that if you don’t have characters, having people with any story function can be just as good. In documentaries people become characters when they participate in a dramatic arc or are explored in a multilayered fashion: hosts when they lead the narrative, interviewees when they convey information in a consistent form, and vox populi (or “man on the street”) when they make a short, random and often anonymous appearance to share their opinion. Other living and non-living forms can be characters too, from penguins to water, but I have yet to see them as interviewees. Being the complex living forms that we are, and since our speech is highly developed, it’s hard to distinguish absolutely between characters and interviewees.

Ask the Documentary Doctor

The upside of downtime

By Fernanda Rossi

Dear Doc Doctor: It seems ages since I started this film. The topic is still relevant but I don’t know whether the time passed in production helps the film or not.

Doc Doctor: It most likely does!

Time-related issues are a constant worry and topic of discussion in consultations—first and foremost because film is a time-bound art, like music and theater. Many of the concerns turn on the issue of how to arrange story elements in time and over time–as opposed to how to arrange elements in space, as in painting or sculpture. Yet the time that gives documentary filmmakers the biggest anguish is the time that happens outside the film: time-management in production and the time taken between creative moments—from shoot to shoot, from first cut to second cut. Even though both of these time concerns can be seen as production hurdles, they both have a strong impact on storytelling.

topics: directors, diy, documentary, how-to

Ask the Documentary Doctor

Finding the real deal

By Fernanda Rossi

Dear Doc Doctor: So many people offer all kinds of deals and services. How do I choose the right crew for my story?

Doc Doctor: In a business that is not regulated by bars or residencies or even degrees, your concern is very valid. It’s astonishing how some filmmakers would spend hours online checking customer reports to decide on a camera, yet they would hire the first person they find in some random way without checking references or track record. Quite a paradox considering it’s much easier to return equipment and get reimbursed the full amount than it is to severe a relationship that is not working and never see a penny back.

topics: digital filmmaking, directors, diy, documentary

Ask the Documentary Doctor

Repeating yourself?

By Fernanda Rossi

Dear Doc Doctor: I’m getting feedback that my documentary is repetitive. I’m just trying to reinforce important information in a complex, multi-layered film. Shall I get rid of some scenes as I’m told?

Doc Doctor: The distinction between reinforcement and repetition is always hard to grasp and often subjective. This type of conundrum doesn’t discriminate. It can appear in any storyline, whether primary or secondary, whether with a character or more often background information.

topics: digital filmmaking, diy, documentary

Ask the Documentary Doctor

Sound advice

By Fernanda Rossi

Dear Doc Doctor: Wouldn’t it be wrong to do sound design on a documentary, given that a documentary is supposedly about what’s already there?

Doc Doctor: The range of what’s acceptable in a documentary is as varied as the types of filmmakers that populate our planet. There is no absolute of what to do and what not to do—much as we’re told the contrary—but, rather, a long scale of possibilities that goes from purist verité to hard-core experimental or docudrama.

topics: digital filmmaking, documentary, independent film, music

Ask the Documentary Doctor

Growing a good story--naturally

By Fernanda Rossi

Dear Doc Doctor: I’m applying structure models from what I read in screenwriting books but my documentary film is still not working. If my doc doesn’t follow a fiction three-act model, will it fail in the market?

Doc Doctor: Rarely will it fail on all accounts. It’s understandable you might want to apply the model that is abundant and predominant in our culture, namely the three-act structure. However, not all documentaries have a conflict-driven story, the opposition of two or more equal forces. More often than not, documentaries have characters with goals and a series of obstacles, or characters on a quest to unravel or expose some issue. Some are the unfairly vilified essay or topic films, with or without a star expert.

topics: awards, directors, documentary film, environmental films, hollywood, independent film

Ask the Documentary Doctor

Audience of one?

By Fernanda Rossi

Dear Doc Doctor: I cringe when watching my film with an audience. Is there a practical reason to attend all screenings?

Doc Doctor: To be or not to be there. That’s not the question. What matters most is why should anybody be subject to such drudgery. Filmmakers are confronted with having to sit through a screening of their own film with an audience –-an uncomfortable task no matter the type of chair–- on two distinct occasions: when doing a rough-cut test screening and when finished and in distribution. In the first case, most filmmakers choose to stay; in the second, most run out the door the minute lights are dimmed to only return when the credits are rolling.

Ask the Documentary Doctor

Trailer Talk

By Fernanda Rossi

Dear Doc Doctor: What’s the best way I can start my demo to make a strong impression—especially when submitting to a very competitive grant?

Doc Doctor: Far from offering a formula that can cripple your creativity, let’s discuss some principles that can help you put your efforts in the right place. For starters, you’re on the right path when acknowledging the need for a strong beginning for a fundraising trailer, especially when having to stand out among many at a grant evaluation.

Ask the Documentary Doctor

Put down that camera and grab a calculator

By Fernanda Rossi

Dear Doc Doctor: How much money should I spend on a film festival?

Rather than thinking on a per festival basis, develop a comprehensive festival budget. Granted, this strategy may yield mere estimates or projections, closer in accuracy to street-fair fortune-telling than satellite weather-forecasting. Many unanswerable questions arise, such as how does one predict how many festivals a film will get into. Take heart, the task at hand is not clairvoyance but striking the right balance between wishful thinking and good common sense.

Once you’re in business mode, don’t be too quick to grab a calculator. Start by pondering the following variables, which will help you determine how much moolah to spend on partying around the globe, oops, I mean, promoting your film.

[SF360.org editor’s note: This article appeared originally in Film Arts magazine.]

Ask the Documentary Doctor

Fundraising and story development

By Fernanda Rossi

Dear Doc Doctor: My previous projects did very well, from the fundraising stage all the way to distribution. This new documentary is getting harder to make than all the other ones combined. Is this a sign that I should give it up? Shouldn’t it get easier over time to make a film?

It doesn’t get easier. It gets…different. During all my years working with mid-career and senior filmmakers, I never saw anyone sit back and with legs stretched out on the desk, exclaim, “Doc making, piece of cake!” And that’s a good thing. You don’t want a hunter of true stories to get too comfy and compliant.

[SF360.org editor’s note: This article appeared originally in Film Arts magazine.]

Ask the Documentary Doctor

Pitching to switch hitters: Strategies for giving investors what they want

By Fernanda Rossi

Dear Doc Doctor: Every time I pitch my film I’m told I should switch the beginning and the end. After rearranging it numerous times, I keep getting the same feedback. What am I doing wrong?

You are right to worry about having an engaging opening and equally powerful cliffhanger or hook. As with fundraising demos and treatments, the first and final impressions of a pitch are long-lasting and must be carefully crafted.

The pitch must include (not necessarily in this particular order) the premise, theme, genre, intended length, characters, main possible plot points (plot points are not always predictable in a documentary, especially if it’s vérité style or an ongoing developing story); as well as prospective audience and budget.

[SF360.org editor’s note: This article appeared originally in Film Arts magazine.]