Ep. 39 How to make your documentary - introduction

Hello listeners! This week I'm sharing an overview of the 'How to develop your documentary or narrative film series' – why I made it, how it will help you and your filmmaking and what topics I'll be covering over the next several weeks (and months!). 

I recognise that learning how to craft films is a challenging process.  When I was just starting out it was really hard to find information and learn about filmmaking without formal study or without being under the wing of a mentor.  Avoiding the pitfalls, being pigeon holed, running out of funding or simply not understanding the business side of the Industry has meant that over the years I've seen many people, with a lot of talent, give up or simply move onto more stable work. 

My hope is to see the industry thrive in Australia and beyond and I recognise that to do that, I have to be more open with skills sharing.

So I've decided to share more of what I've learned through many years of filmmaking through the Moonshine Moonshot series and with online courses at the Moonshine Communications Academy.

So just like your high school teacher or uni lecturer would provide you with a syllabus at the start of each term or semester, I'm sharing everything that's coming up in the 'How to develop your documentary or narrative film series'.

Listen now!
 
Want to learn more from me?   Head to www.MoonshineCommunicationsAcademy.com to find more great content and resources including my free ebook that will help you craft a compelling video story

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Transcript

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SPEAKER_00 0:03

Hello, hello fellow creatives. Just the other day I was speaking to a filmmaker friend who kindly mentioned that they had been following along with the recent episodes on how to develop your documentary film. So I was pretty chuffed to say the least because it's always wonderful to have a listener and because it's the whole reason this series is being created. I've made it so that people who want and need this information can find it. So I thought it might be good to just take you on a little journey down memory lane just for a couple of moments, and I want to tell you about why the Moonshine Communications Academy got started in the first instance. It's been created by the team behind Moonshine Agency, which is an impact film production house producing films that have positive social impact. Impact films are films that are designed to take an audience from passive viewing, think sitting on your couch just enjoying it, to active participant, meaning you might sign up to join the movement, or you could make a donation, or perhaps you attend a screening and share the information from the film with your friends. Whatever it is, it means getting you to do something. The film gets you involved and gets you being part of a solution to the problem presented by the film. Now, you know me, I'm Sue Collins, and my co-producer and partner in all things, Mike Hill. We recognize that learning how to craft film is a challenging process. For myself, when I was just starting out, it was really hard to find information and learn about filmmaking without formal study or without being under the wing of a mentor. Many of you may not know my background, but I did study and what I actually studied was stage production, but I was often found sneaking into the film school. So I did get a little bit of formal education on filmmaking, but most of it I've had to learn for myself. And avoiding the pitfalls, being pigeonholed, running out of funding, or simply not understanding the business side of the industry has meant that over the years Mike and I have seen many people with a lot of talent simply give up or move on to more stable work. For us, our hope is to see the industry thrive here in Australia and beyond, and we recognize that to do that, we have to be more open with skills sharing. So, in order to do that, we have decided to share more of what we have learned over many years of filmmaking through the Moonshine Moonshot series, which is where you are listening to right now, and also with online courses through the Moonshine Communications Academy. Now, if you're still listening, it is almost certainly because you have a vision or an idea for a film, or possibly you've already got a script written. So what's your plan? How are you going to get that project to where you want it to go? Do you have a roadmap? Do you know the steps from ideation to completion? That's a bit to think about. And my next question is, who's done it before? Because can you emulate the steps that they took to achieve their project? The reason I'm asking these questions is because when you start out at something, it is really easy to think that you are the only one facing the challenge, that you're alone and you have to figure it all out for yourself. It's generally what most people think or feel when they're at the beginning, particularly entrepreneurs, and I think filmmakers are a very rare breed of entrepreneur. So let me ask you this as well. A lot of questions, I know. But do you really believe you're the only person on this planet of seven billion humans that has had this idea or gone on this filmmaking journey? Come on, there is no way you are the only person on the planet who has strived to achieve this goal or something similar. There are many, many filmmakers of all types, genres, ages, and nationalities. One of them will have been on a similar path to you, and perhaps you could learn a lot from the way they went about approaching their project. You're definitely not alone in your pursuit, and you don't have to learn everything from scratch all by yourself. And possibly what I'm sharing with you here about how I go about filmmaking could be useful on the path for you as you learn. Speaking of useful, just want to mention that you should not forget to download your free copy of How to Craft a Compelling Short Video Story over at Moonshine Communications Academy.com because that neat little ebook is packed full of great information on how to make a really powerful short video, and it could be really useful for where you're at right now. But back to what I'm talking about today, which is really what's next, what's coming in the Moonshine Moonshot series, this podcast that you are listening to. And not just what is the next episode covering, but what's in store for the series over the coming months. So, like your high school teacher or your uni lecturer will provide you with a syllabus at the start of each term or semester. This is what's coming up in the how to make a documentary film on the Moonshine Moonshot series. Behold, everything I'll be tackling in this series to ensure you come out the other side with a fully formed, ready-for-release film or documentary. Here's what's been covered already. So let's take a few steps back to begin. Just in case you're new to this and you haven't engaged in parts one, two, or three, or even four, which is really just the last four episodes. If you just click back in whatever podcast you're listening on. Now, firstly, I created how to make a documentary series to help you take your brilliant idea and turn it into a beautiful, moving, impactful film. In short, I'll be sharing all aspects of the filmmaking process. Think ideation, planning, financing, pre-production, production, post-production, and distribution. They're the big nuts and bolts of it all. There's even a few episodes I've dedicated to your mindset so that you can understand how to stay focused on the end goal and keep your motivation in check. So, up to date, episode 35 was on ideation. How do you get to know the story you want to tell? It's where I walked you through how to figure out your genre, how to get clear on your topic, and fully immerse yourself in your story world. And I even shared some tips on getting your workspace really creative to help you get your creative juices flowing. The next episode was on planning. Before your eyes glaze over, hear me out. There are huge benefits to planning, even if it doesn't come naturally to you. Benjamin Franklin said, by failing to plan, you are preparing to fail. And it's a seriously important mantra for all filmmakers to follow. And in this episode, I reveal how to define your target audience, how to determine your film's duration, and how to set a release date. And I even go through the go-to formula that I use when I begin planning my impact films to make sure that I hit all my goals and targets. So you can definitely jump back a couple episodes and listen to that one. This one I particularly liked: Conquering Imposter Syndrome. In that episode, I share how to combat the dreaded imposter syndrome. You know, those anxiety-inducing questions that run wild in your mind telling you you're not good enough or you've simply stumbled into filmmaking out of sheer luck. It's brutal and almost every filmmaker has faced imposter syndrome at some point in their career, which is why I wanted to take some time to unpack it and provide a few ways to manage it so that it doesn't take hold and paralyze you during the creation process. And I often find it strikes the hardest during development. So that's what that episode's all about. And I also did one on staying motivated because there's definitely times in filmmaking or in any pursuit really where it feels impossible, thankless, or just crushing. And there have been occasions where I find myself daydreaming about abandoning the camera, ripping up my storyboards, and going to work on a cruise ship in the caravan. But I have found a way to weather the storm and keep pushing through, even when the going gets tough. And in this episode, I share some techniques that help me stay focused when my motivation is waning and not booking that ticket to the caravan. So what lies ahead? If you keep listening to this series, you are going to get so much out of it. Because over the next several weeks, and honestly, it could be months, a lot of time and energy goes into developing a documentary or narrative film. But I am going to be zoning in on the following topic areas. How to attach finance, how to craft a film proposal that will attract funders, how to pitch that proposal, and how to create a teaser, sometimes known as a sizzle reel, for your film, which will also help you attract finance. And from there, the series will move into pre-production and all the steps you need to follow that will then take you into production and all the steps you need to follow for production, and then post-production, and then distribution and outreach. There is just so much to share with you. It could take months and months, but that's okay because you just got to learn step by step. Now I know that's a lot, and because it goes, well, it's because a lot goes into filmmaking and documentary. And I know you have the story, the skills, and the drive to do it. So stick with me and let's take that little nugget of an idea you have and craft it into an incredible motion picture that changes hearts and minds and possibly even the world. So hit subscribe on whatever platform you're listening on, and I will be back next week to get stuck into a little bit more on the details around how to develop your documentary film idea. Alright, look forward to speaking to you next week.