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Live November 18: The Fundraising Mindset
You’ve made the pitch deck and cut the trailer. So what’s making it hard to ask for funding for your documentary?
Join documentary filmmaker Jilann Spitzmiller for The Fundraising Mindset, our next Doc Funding Hub webinar. We’ll look at how to spot what’s holding you back from making the ask, work through those blocks, and decide what you can do before year-end to set up your fundraising for 2027.
Bring a question about your own film for the live fundraising Q&A.
Wednesday, November 18
9am Pacific / 12pm Eastern / 5pm UK
Live on Zoom
The webinar is included for current Doc Funding Hub members. You can also attend it as a standalone session.
Fixers, Translators and Camera Trouble: Chris Parkhurst on Filming Abroad
What do you look for in a local fixer? How do you spot a translator who’s shaping someone’s answers? And what happens when your camera stops working on the second day of a shoot?
Filmmaker Chris Parkhurst shares lessons from documentary projects in Cambodia and Nepal, including how he chooses local collaborators and why he now travels with a duplicate camera.
Our new article includes three short video excerpts from our conversation with Chris, alongside his advice on preparing for a shoot and building relationships that last beyond filming.
Turn Your Family’s Stories into a Documentary: Save $50
Have you been meaning to record a parent’s memories, explore an old family mystery or do something with those boxes of photographs?
In Make a Documentary from Your Family Story, award-winning filmmaker Dandan Liu guides you from choosing a story and planning interviews through filming and editing a short documentary. Work through the self-paced course on your own schedule.
Save $50 through October 31: pay $247 instead of $297. Use code OCT-SALE, or follow the link below to apply the discount.
Live October 21: Budgeting for Distribution and Impact
You may have a budget for making your documentary. But what about getting it seen?
Festival submissions, a release campaign, community screenings and audience outreach all bring costs of their own. Join Jilann Spitzmiller for our next Doc Funding Hub session, Budgeting for Distribution and Impact, to start planning those costs and how to fund them.
We'll look at separating distribution, marketing and impact costs, building a festival and audience-engagement budget, and framing partnerships and outreach without overpromising. There'll also be time for questions about your own film.
Wednesday, October 21
9am Pacific / 12pm Eastern / 5pm UK
Live on Zoom
The session is included for current Doc Funding Hub members. You can also attend it on its own.
10 Sure Fire Ways To Raise Money For Your Documentary
Continue reading "10 Sure Fire Ways To Raise Money For Your Documentary"
How To Add Tension, Drama and Suspense To A Documentary (Filmmaker Question)
Continue reading "How To Add Tension, Drama and Suspense To A Documentary (Filmmaker Question)"
Living a Documentary Life: Five Questions with Chris G. Parkhurst
What does it take to build a life around documentary filmmaking? Chris G. Parkhurst, filmmaker and host of The Documentary Life, shares why he started the podcast and the conversations that have stayed with him.
Our new five-question interview also includes podcast episodes featuring Desktop Documentaries instructors Jilann Spitzmiller, Dandan Liu and Philip Shane.
How To Pitch Your Documentary Ideas To Get Funding
Continue reading "How To Pitch Your Documentary Ideas To Get Funding"
NEW! Elevate Your Documentary: Lighting, Color & Sound
Want to feel more confident lighting an interview, working with color or cleaning up your film’s sound?
Elevate Your Documentary brings together three on-demand courses in lighting, color grading and sound editing, with 48 short video lessons and more than two hours of instruction.
Learn from award-winning filmmaker Dandan Liu, whose teaching focuses on making filmmaking techniques simple and easy to understand.
The color lessons use Adobe Premiere Pro, with principles you can apply in other editing tools. The sound lessons use Premiere Pro and Adobe Audition.
Ready To Make Your Dream Documentary?
Sign up for our exclusive 7-day crash course and learn step-by-step how to make a documentary from idea to completed movie!
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What People Are Saying
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Comments
I just wanted to say that I think your website is amazing . I am a beginner with an idea, and the info and articles on your website are easy to understand and answer many questions I have. I can not wait to start filming!
- Sarah (Sydney, Australia)
I am a professional filmmaker, and I applaud this site for detailing the ABC's of documentary filmmaking. It serves as my own checklist as I continue making my own movies ... Thanks!
- Sabrina Aviles - Boston, Mass.