The Documentary is finished.

So we finished the doc one day early due to my work schedule.  I am really proud of everyone involved. We all busted our butts. One more day, however, would have been very useful to just make sure our story was working.

3:30 am, Monday morning, I left the computer to compress the footage into a format that would burn onto the DVD. Off it went to be judged. Ugh. “We are what you are looking for” in the good words of Linda P. Brown.

Day Four - Writing the Documentary

The editor and writer are the most important people on the film. Sure, a director has to have vision, but the two mentioned really help to define the story. For me, I prefer to work with writers and editors who come from the feature world. Every story has a three act structure, even short stories, to ensure the audience feels the emotion.

I am the editor, so I am really putting a lot on my writer to develop the story with me. And that is what she is doing. We have weeded out our footage, finding what works, then we build the emotional thread that will support our subject and story. It’s good, boy is it good. Once the competition is over, I will be able to give you more examples of exactly how she is working with me and what she does.

But for now, mums the word, and I must get back to editing.

Oh and, my thought for the day…

I am what you are looking for!

 

Doc Challenge - oops Day 3

So Day 2 came and went, like lightning. It is wonderful to be creating again. Call time was 530am on the beach and wow! what a great shoot. I couldn’t have asked for more beautiful footage. And Sean, our awesome cameraman, got so into it, he was up to his knees in the ocean and even took on for the team when a wave came out of nowhere and soaked him and the camera. He didn’t move a muscle until it was over.

Need a cameraman??!?? Sean ROCKS.

We got to Linda’s at noon where I thought it would be best to bring everyone in without a camera to allow her to get a feel for us. She had never met Sean, and being that she is very sensitive to energy, she needed to feel comfortable with everyone in her space.

This worked. She really relaxed into the situation and trusted us enough to move objects in her “sacred” space. After four hours of taping, we got our story. As I mentioned in the video blog, I asked a personal question that really allowed us to connect. I mean really connect. Therefore, I am banking that this will transfer to our audience and they will be able to seamlessly go on the journey with me.

I have an assemble edit on the time line and a list of shots to still shoot. Tonight will be very late. Tomorrow will be very tight, but I am sure I will have something really magical to share with the world.

To stop fear in the world, you have to stop fear in yourself!

 

Day ONE Doc Challenge - Video Blog

So we did it… got through day one. We are going with Linda P. Brown and will be looking at the idea that fear is not real. It is being used to control the human race.

The idea will be to transcend the fear produced by the “miserable economic climate”  and the media to leave the audience with a much needed sense of hope.

IF YOU WANT TO STOP FEAR IN THE PLANET, YOU HAVE TO STOP FEAR IN YOURSELF.

 

 

Team Janes’ Documentary is off and running…

The DOC CHALLENGE is on! This morning I woke up to the sun rising as my baby boy was screaming from his crib in the other room. He wanted attention, but all I could focus on was the clock. At 8am this morning I was to get my genres and theme. Last night I guessed they would be Sports and Experimental - what would I do with that. But to my great relief, I got the two that I would have picked if I was given the choice AND the theme was spot on too!!!

GENRE: Art or Social Issue/Political
THEME: HOPE and/or FEAR
(You can use just HOPE, just FEAR, or you can use both.)

 My strongest subjects are now sitting in front of me and I must choose one.  On one hand I have an amazing artist named Parisa Taghizadeh. Do check out her work. She is a portrait photographer. I have two ways to shoot her under this guideline.  Her most popular collection is her Makeup Iran series. I would look at her work, Iran and the idea of these woman wearing makeup. Another option is to look at her most recent work, she is doing a series on Mothers and their loss of identity after having children. There, we would look at her fear of loosing her identity.

My other subject is Linda P. Brown. She is a translucent theripist who is working with the spiritual world to effect a positive change in the world.  Her immediate mission is to transform fear. I would look at the news and the political climate at the moment (riddled with fear) and work with Linda to leave behind a message of hope.

All morning I have been on the phone with my producer and anxiously awaiting my writers and my husbands arrival to assist with the decision.

I know all the topics are ripe, but the real critical element is which subject can be clearly told in four to seven minutes.

Stay tuned….

The Documentary is ON!

So cool. There is a competition in the documentary world. I couldn’t ask for more. The quick scoop is as follows:

300 filmmakers

5 days

2 genres to pick from

1 theme

Recently I have found myself in a bit of a creative rut. With two kids, a big move and a whole bunch of various illnesses, I have found little time for myself. Then one day, this email popped into my box.  DOC CHALLENGE - Filmmakers Wanted.

The competition starts this Thursday at 8am, when I will log onto my Team Janes site and am given two genres out of the following nine:

1ST PERSON
Told from the point of view of the Director - either through off camera narration or an on-camera presence.

HISTORICAL
Focuses on stories of past events and/or people.

MUSIC
Focuses in some way on music and/or musicians.

SOCIAL ISSUE/POLITICAL
Focuses on a social and/or political issue.

EXPERIMENTAL
The application of innovative techniques to non-fiction material - experimenting with new ideas, forms, techniques and expressions. An exploration of how the camera can emulate and/or enhance visual and audio perception.

SPORTS
Focuses on events and/or people involved in sporting activities (an active diversion requiring physical exertion and competition.)

NATURE
Focuses on an aspect of the natural physical world, including animals, plants, landscapes, etc.

BIOGRAPHY/CHARACTER STUDY
A full account of the facts of the life of a particular person, or closely related group of people (Biography) or an exploration of a single character’s personality and current life situation (Character Study).

ART
Focuses in some way on art and/or artists.

Now, I have started to prepare the best I can by finding subjects in each of the genres and putting them on call. What I have discovered is that I actually have nine really strong short docs. (The final film must be under seven minutes.) So I say bring it ON!

I will be posting as often as possible over the next few days as I get up to my eyeballs in my documentary.