Introduce Yourself: Sign In Here First

Hello everyone!

I'm re-introducing myself as I've been away for quite some time. I've been busy with some grant writing projects.

I have worked for the last few years developing a film based on the work of philosopher Susan Neiman and have recently finished a full-length film based on an interview with the author as she explains the concepts of her book Evil in Modern Thought. This was made following a request from a philosophy professor looking to teach her work and I'm now adding some finishing touches and hoping to distribute to philosophy professors and students. I am raising funds to make a film for a general audience which will use other philosophers, historians etc. and will focus on the meaning and relevance of Hannah Arendt's phrase "the banality of evil."

I am also beginning work on a film about Detroit's move toward urban gardening. I hope to show this in a larger context by focusing on the global food industry and the benefits of localized food production. I also hope to show some of the universal issues of a post-industrial city undergoing eco-friendly transformations. I will most likely be posting on this film as I have the one above pretty much figured out (at least I like to thing so :-)

I'm looking forward to jumping back into this wonderful community!

Hi to all,

I'm not (yet) a film maker nor work in the industry however I am taking evening courses with the intention of applying to a documentary film program here in Vancouver.

Welcome back, Monica. You've clearly been a busy (and productive) one. Nice to know you'll finally be jumping in and posting. Hope it becomes a nasty habit.

Good luck with your doc studies, Barry.

Hello all,

Just wanted to say a quick hello. I was looking up the previous projects of an editor and in googling I came upon the d-word. I can't believe I haven't been here before; this looks amazing!

I am a documentary editor myself having worked on two different socially conscious projects in the past few years. (When I Came Home & Skid Row.) I learned a lot from working on them and can't wait for the next feature length project. Check out the links below if you wish and hello again!

www.whenicamehome.com
www.skidrowthemovie.com

Hi Brendan, we're delighted to have you on board.

Having been busy for a couple of days, I've just been swept away by a flood of new members here. What's happening?

I have a feeling our new Co-Host Marj Safinia has been doing some networking and promotion...

Thanks Doug! I'll be working my way through all of the posts and jumping back in shortly!

Hey guys! i live in montreal canada and i am a new member to D-word, so whats up? im looking forward to sharing ideas with ppl on this site and hope i can gain more info in this field and grow.i am studying in film and would love to work with anybody who is interested in docs, features etc...

welcome, dustan. hope they're teaching you well.

Thanks Ben. I'm just getting acclimated to the site. This is really a cool thing; I love talking to other documentary people. While I was in New York on a project I found myself surrounded by a ton of documentary professionals, but in Los Angeles I'm a little out of the loop. Do you have any advice or particular topics you think I should check out to interact with West Coast doc people?

Oh wow, I just noticed that one of your hosts Doug Block worked on Esther Robinson's film about her uncle Danny and the Warhol factory. Esther was sooooo helpful on a previous project and we worked closely with her and her editor Shannon. I guess it truly is a small world...

Welcome to all these new faces to D-Word. Look around and stay awhile. And a special shout out to Suree. I was the curator of the Council on Foundations Film Festival last year and your film was one of the selected films. I was very impressed by the degree of outreach you had already achieved with the film to non-traditional audiences and still talk about it with filmmakers who are just starting out. Hope you'll share some of your experiences maybe in the Distribution Topic.

Brendan, good to have you here. Esther is one of my best friends and we go way back – she helped produce my doc Home Page, for which I created a running blog back in 1996 called The D-Word. In late 1999, when the film's distribution life started to peter out, The D-Word took a different turn . Funny how it all works out and, yes, it is a pretty small world.

Brendan, D-Word Members in L.A. meet all the time. I just got to witness a secret get-together yesterday. The Face 2 Face topic is always a start.

Thanks for the welcome, all! And to Erica...that's great to hear. We wanted to go to the Council on Foundations, but it was a little difficult to make it, so thanks for the feedback. I'll check out the distribution topic boards and would be happy to share our experiences. We're still working on distribution (mostly university/foreign/small groups now), but I appreciate the thoughts you share (usually it feels like we're working in a little bubble, but your comments remind me of the unseen impact screenings have). Good luck to all, viva documentary!

Hey folks –

I've been lurking for a few months, but I figured it's time to make my membership official... My name is Nels Bangerter, I'm primarily a documentary film editor (freelance) and I just moved from D.C. to New York, so I'm looking to rebuild a little community.

I was the editor of "War Child," which won the Audience Award for features at Tribeca last year, and I just finished working on Joe Wilson & Dean Hamer's documentary "Out in the Silence", which I think might be familiar to D-Word members. And back when I was in Los Angeles (before D.C.) I edited "Cine Manifest," a feature doc about a memo-crazy 1970s San Francisco-based Marxist filmmaking collective that imploded because of overly contentious idealism and rampant "criticism/self-criticism." Hopefully no resemblance to the D-Word...

Thanks for having me.

- Nels

How long did the San Francisco collective last? The D-Word has been around for nearly 10 years now. Welcome to the commune!

In reply to Ben Kempas's post on Mon 16 Feb 2009 :

1972 to about 1978 (depends on what you call the end) So the D-Word has it beat. What a relief!

Good to have you aboard our overly idealistic collective of doc fanatics, Nels. Welcome.

Hello!

I make documentaries and sad little comedies with a small team called Castparty Productions. I also did an experimental narrative feature last summer, for which I'm in the process of doing a director's cut.

We've begun periodic shoots of a local activist hero, for a doc that may or may not turn out to be feature-length, along with working on a feature-length musical. I guess you could say we're touching all the bases.

Howdy and welcome, Justin. Sounds like you guys are a busy bunch.

HI. Sailesh Dave from Bombay, India. Currently producing Prime Time TV shows and small spoof movies for clients like MTV, STAR TV network etc. Have always been passionate about documentaries and want to start by making some. Need advice on what are the latest market trends, sales agents, international format requirements, technical specs etc. Thanks.

Welcome, Sailesh. Best thing you can do is spend some time reading the various through the various topics here and use the search engine and tags to get at specific questions you might have. There's a handy Help function that will explain things, too, if need be.

Hi All – I've worked on a few documentaries before as editor and composer, but am making my first as a director/producer now and am looking for different resources and communities to help answer some of the questions and snags I'll encounter along the way.
I'm in the grant writing stage of the process now...
looking forward to participating here.
Matthew Dougherty

Can't imagine running into snags, Matthew. Producing is so easy, especially in this economy. But we'll try to untangle what we can. Welcome aboard.