"We Need to Make Films to Feel Alive."--Erin Hudson

Members of today's discussion on short-form documentary give their advice to anyone seeking a career in doc filmmaking.

Start small; if it needs to grow, let it grow.

Work in scenes to determine length, but include as many scenes as needed to convey your story.

What should drive you is content.

Think of it as making lots of little shorts put together when making a feature.

Let the subject determine the length.

Things to consider:

• There seems to be more paying work in doc filmmaking than in fiction filmmaking.
  
• Consider trimming your feature down--it may work better that way.
  
• Posting online may affect its possibility of being widely distributed.
  
• Wear lots of hats; learn to do one or more thing in the business.
  

Questions to ask yourself:

• Are people's attention spans shortening or are they just more hungry for solid content?
  
• How do you feel about posting your shorts for free?
  
• Who would want to watch this film?
  
• What's the film's niche market?

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Thursday's panel is on the business of documentary--how to distribute your independent work in the world of mass media. Moderated by Chris White. 2pm at the Crystal Theatre.


Photo by Cathrine Walters