reelisor - Network for European Documentary Professionals

Some random thoughts:

• Are we talking about series for which all episodes are provided by one company, or for which single episodes are produced by different entities?

• How big a company do you have to be to be trusted with the production of a whole series?

• If the proposal for a doc series required the creation of an entirely new slot and hence destroy the existing daily schedule of the channel, what would be the best approach to pitching that, especially looking at the hierarchies in the broadcasters? Start at the top or at the bottom?

• Has anyone ever found good definitions to distinguish reality TV shows from docu-soaps, and from more serious doc series?

• Why is Eisenhauer there? Isn't Thema an antithesis to the concept of series? Yes, it's a repeating slot, but it's all about one thematic evening as opposed to a theme stretched out over weeks.

• Where are the challenging and creative doc series that go beyond scientific, historic, automobilistic, or foodandwineistic subjects?

What is it about a subject or story idea that distinguishes it as worthy of a series, as opposed to a feature-length documentary?

I'm curious, what kind of feedback are you getting regarding Reelisor? What features are people using, and where's room for improvement?

So, D-Worders and Reelisors out there, where do you see room for improvement at www.reelisor.com?

ENGLISH PRESS RELEASE

Munich, 30 April 2009

Discovery Campus Sets Out To New Horizons and Changes Name to

Documentary Campus e.V.

Discovery Campus e.V., one of the most renowned documentary training initiatives in Europe, sets out to new horizons and operates from now on under its new name Documentary Campus. In connection with the name change, the logo of the European training initiative has changed as well. With its new name and new distinctive design, Documentary Campus presents itself in a modern, much younger and future-oriented look.

Discovery Campus e.V. has decided to change its name to Documentary Campus to already make the strong focus of the European initiative on documentary training visible in the name and to meet the organisation‘s growing international orientation. With its new name, the training initiative will be able to act more efficiently and independently on the market than before.

Since its foundation and registration as a non-profit organisation almost 10 years ago, Discovery Campus has become firmly established in the European non-fiction market. Over the years, the training initiative has steadily grown and adapted its training programme to the needs and trends of the market. With new projects and concepts, Documentary Campus begins a new era full of verve. Documentary Campus will operate under the same professional continuity and quality as it has in the past, and will from now on support all kinds of documentary films – for private as well as public service broadcasters.

New Contact Details as of 1 May 2009:

Documentary Campus e.V.

Einsteinstraße 28

81675 München

Germany

Fon +49-89-410739-30

Fax +49-89-410739-39

info@documentary-campus.com

www.documentary-campus.com

Ben, what do you feel is the big change, if any, beyond the name?

Nothing, I hope! But I'm the wrong person to ask.

It's a simple but very effective change. I think we'll get over the passing of "Discovery Campus"

REELISOR OPENS COMMISSIONERS' SECTION

Dear colleagues,

We have great news to report: With a pitch at the EBU meeting in La Rochelle, the reelisor team has officially opened a special commissioner’s section. Around 70 commissioning editors from all over the world registered and acknowledged that the new section on reelisor will be a perfect tool to increase the exchange of projects and information.

reelisor is an online networking platform for European documentary professionals. The umbrella platform, funded by MEDIA, allows documentary professionals, commissioning editors, festivals, markets and other initiatives to interact and bring forward their ideas and concepts. They upload their business cards, slot profiles, calls for entries, as well as their produced films or projects in progress.

With the new section, the commissioning editors will have direct access to your profile and filmography. Make sure you familiarise yourself with their slot description on reelisor. Use the chance and update your profile now on www.reelisor.com!

In the very near future, all members on reelisor will also benefit from the innovative film and trailer upload offered by our new partner Onlinefilm.org. This new tool will allow you to exchange rough cuts and film clips in a quick and easy way, basically to set up your writing table whilst travelling around the world at any time.

The best yet, it is free of charge – and it’s for all of us!

Your reelisor team

This is terrific news, Charlotte. It will be really interesting to see if the CE's make real use of the service. If so, what a fantastic thing for doc makers!

Peter Symes to end tenure as head of Masterschool, Mark Atkin announced to take over:

http://www.reelisor.com/newsItem/id__486/

Themes

- Mentor
- Pitching
- Production companies

Ben,

I need to start from scratch and learn the pitching process to both broadcasting and funders. The project I am planning has some extra complication elements it is global and it deals with the re-use of archive footage in various territories. To evaluate costs and sources of archives we need to start from R&D funding.

I will be eventually acting as executive producer to commission production teams the making of the documentaries as I will be focus in designing and delivering the project Global City Symphonies. The documentary is about all the layers of collective stories involved in the process and outcomes.

Can anyone based in London would be interested to become a mentor for a short time, interested in the project and with interest across some of the areas of the project culture diversity, urban development, music, young people and heritage? I am a fast learner! Have a look at my profile. I promised a fulfilling and interesting journey!

Also I would like to hear from production companies even at this early stage

cheers
Sergio

I delivered a pilot in Delhi and here attached is a dossier of the project

A recent interview...

http://www.labforculture.org/en/moderators/lidia-varbanova/highlights/57988

In reply to Ben Kempas's post on Mon 29 Jun 2009 :

So I tried to register on reelisor and got denied access because "the country of business location you entered in the registration form is not a member of the MEDIA programme" and I kinda wished there was something saying it was only open to people from certain countries before I went and spent time registering. This was a while ago, but just thought i'd mention it.

Maria, that being said there might be a special agreement between Media and your region, in the making. Do you have an EU representation ('embassy')in Baku? Knock, knock...

@Maria: Same happened to me, months ago. Dissapointing, after completing registering process :(

thanks! what i also wonder is how can non-MEDIA countries become MEDIA countries. There's this list on the MEDIA website that mentions Azerbaijan as a country of possible cooperation or something like that. But is there something a filmmaker can do to help push the bureaucracy along I wonder?

That wasn't a serious question was it, Maria? I smile because it's a fair question, but clearly you have been spared serious EUaucracy and up close and personal encounters with EU policy-making up to now. Don't quit your day job... But do bang on the EU rep's door, and keep them on the ball. Ask about informal pre-pre-cooperation possibilities, there might be a wee amount of local money in their piggy bank (I really don't know, but if you don't ask) for goodwill-making investments, and maybe a loophole of somekind that would suit what you need.

Yes, I know, I'm naive. It's part of what helps me get stuff done. :) I don't know that there is an EU rep based here. But I suppose I can dig around. Yay.

Here's a version of the news about the representation opening, below. But it's helpful to know when reading that, that the "Troika" is made of 3 countries: the one that just held the EU presidency, the one that is holding it, and the one that will hold it. The presidency rotates every six months. Among the bilateral ambassadors from EU countries, the one from the EU country that has the presidency tends to chair meetings and initiatives with the other EU ambassadors (a mirror of what happens in Brussels). You want to connect with the EU office, because they are the rules people, and with the Troika people – maybe. Try to find out if anyone in the bilateral embassies has actually worked in Brussels. My experience is unless someone has, they are pretty out of touch with the nitty gritty aspects of the gazillion ways of various EU programmes and how things get done. Lobbyists make serious money figuring this out, so don't be shy. Ambassador profiles, probably on internet, standardly list past postings, but don't neglect the number 2s in each embassy, or, if you're lucky, and have a Goethe Institute, they may have someone on board who understands all that already.)

Here's a crash course: there is something wrong with an url contained on this page, http://ec.europa.eu/external_relations/azerbaijan/index_en.htm that leads you to the wrong document (about Georgia!). The page has other leads, so look at those too, but also, type into your browser:
EU-AZERBAIJAN COOPERATION COUNCIL TENTH MEETING, LUXEMBOURG, and the first link should be to a recent pdf ...

Background stuff for the wider region next to Az, via hotlinks here:
http://ec.europa.eu/external_relations/central_asia/index_en.htm

News(ish):
http://www.mzz.gov.si/nc/en/tools/cns/news/article/141/24029/
And
http://www.theazeritimes.com/site/economy/1959

Having fun yet?

Like an Azeri wedding! :) Thanks for being so proactive!

No sweat, I can do this in my sleep, but it was totally bewildering before I lived in Brussels... and can sympathise.

In reply to Sergio Lopez Figueroa's post on Wed 4 Nov 2009 :
Hi Sergio
I like your project, if you need a service or italian production company have a look the website...www.ladamasognatrice.it
Good luck...

Fanto

Hello everyone,

This would have been a triple post but I am shortening the message. The full post is over in Introduce Yourself .

I am the new Online Project Coordinator at reelisor.com, the MEDIA sponsored social networking site for European documentary professionals. If you have any suggestions or questions for the site, please let me know.

Looking forward to getting to know the community a bit better and again sorry for spamming,
Christopher

Welcome, Christopher. We look forward to continuing this partnership.

Christopher, thanks for sharing this information. It is timely for me since I have just initiated a website, but have been considering how to approach the blogging aspect. You suggested a Cutline Theme on Wordpress, which I will look into, since I don't do HTML. The outline from IFC is a great summary, I think. What I take from it, just having my first short film up on Hulu, is to press through in the challenge of establishing relationship with Hulu (the film is cinelan distributed) so as to participate better in the marketing (and hopefully ad shares). This is the kind of stuff that is really helpful, so thanks again.

I am offfering an idea about making documentary on Pakistan current situation of terrorism if any one wants to make documentary on the Pakistan's current issues then i can help my e- mail is
khuramnca@yahoo.com

Hi all, Just wanted to introduce myself. I am the festival director of the Red Rock Film Festival of Zion Canyon. We are held every November beneath the majestic red mountains of Southern Utah and have a strong documentary focus – we tend to receive several political documentaries that portray their subjects with respect. This year we are introducing a world film market!

Welcome to The D-Word, Matt – this should really be in the Introduce Yourself Topic

We're an international community, so we like the sound of a world film market. Great location you have there, too.

Hi everyone! May I ask if anyone has the name of a solid archival researcher in Hamburg, Germany? I am the lead researcher on a documentary film here in the USA. The filmmaker requires research into the Hamburg Swing Movement in the 1930s and such newsreel/footage and photographs will be in Germany. Thanks in advance for any help and leads.

You should contact Conny Klauss; she is based in Berlin, but most of the major archives are as well and Hamburg is only two hours on the train. Tell her I sent you.

john, thank you very much, will pass on to my client right away.