Introduce Yourself: Sign In Here First

Hello All,
I am a newby to this scene. I have a background in various media
(audio, still photography, graphics,and of course video). Doing docs
has always been something that I wanted to do but never had the
resources until about 3 or 4 years ago. Docs are,(in my humble
opinion)an incredibly important tool for voiceing topics and
information that mainstreem media can't or won't do justice to. I
hope to contribute my two cents before I check off this planet.I have
two projects I am working on. One being a look at the Jazz history of
Baltimore from the grass roots to the present.Your forum is
invaluable because this kind of knowledge and insite can't be taught
or bought. I look forward to taking part in as well as learning from
your forum.

Sincerely,

John

Hey, John, it's nice to have you here and do take part. I applaud
your eagerness to leap into the daunting docu-making fray. It's a
long haul making a doc, so hold onto that spirit.

Oh that knowledge and insight could be bought...

Welcome Churchill (or do we call you Professor Roberts?) and John.
Sound like great projects. John, are you based in Baltimore?

Erica and Douug,

Thank you for the welcome. Dough, I just Hope with much help
determination,and inspiration that I can contribute something
meaningfull and informative. I look forward to the forums. Erica, Yes
I am based in Baltimore (Maryland).In hind site, I would agree that
it is possible to purchase knowledge and insite (the purpose of
college I would conclude). But that is just from a single instructor.
The total knowledge and insite available from so many sources and
experiences in a forum like this is priceless.Your Point is well
taken.

Peace,

John

I like the Baltimore (Maryland). Is there another Baltimore? (I'm
in Greenbelt, myself - that's why I asked).

Most colleges/film schools charge enough dough (not to be confused
with Doug) to provide more than one instructor. But life experience
and contacts with other likeminded filmmakers are indeed priceless.

Erica,

Believe it or not there is another Baltimore. Baltimore, Ohio. After
finding that out I dont assume anything anymore. Life experiences was
probably a beter term to use. These days with Ebay you can buy just
about anything.Untill next time.

Peace,

John

Hi everyone!

I'm currently in post production for my first (legitimate)
documentary on Activism (interviews and footage at the G8 leaders
summit in Kananaskis, Alberta, Canada.) I've been trying to get into
the film industry for awhile and finally decided to make my start by
doing my own project. The learning curve was steep, thats for sure.
I look forward to future discussion here.

Cheers!

Welcome, Tom. Nice to have you join us.

Welcome, Tom. Nice to have you join us.

Hi, My name is Victor Huey, a Chinese-American film maker based in
New York. After working on IATSE Feature Film world for 25 years, I
have dropped out of that world to return to grad film school, to take
time off to work towards the completion of my epic 20 year
documentary film about the underground music scene in China,
entitled "Rocking the Great Walls.

Hello I'm from New York and I'm currently working on an Independent
film "Wonder Boy", but, I also have documentary films playing on one
of my websites. I'm looking for feedback and what it's like on the
film festivl circuit, if anyone is into that. I'm looking for
whatever help I can get from people. please visit us and watch our
works. www.webworkfilms.com

Thank you

Let me be the first to welcome you both.

Thank you

And I'll be the second. Chris, feel free to fire away with questions
in the Mentoring topic, but it's hard to respond to general ones. Try
to make them as specific as possible.

Victor, I applaud your tenacity. Like casting in fiction films, it's
75% of the battle in making docs. Keep us posted on your progress.

Ok question #1)Funding for documentary films. Do you guys know of
any way to obtain funds other then my own pocket.
#2)Also do you guys know of any good places to buy equipment from in
new york or online that has cheap prices.

I'll think of #3...

Thanks

thAnks for the encouragement...victor

B&H has good prices and a nice showroom.
Funding for docs falls into grants from foundations, commissioned
programs from broadcasters or cable, self-funded, filmmakers with
reputations who can get presales money from broadcasters or cable to
fund some or part of production.

I'm currently filming my second documentary. The first was
funded by Fox, this one is funded by my credit cards and the
kindness of friends. I produced commercials for 8 years, so
there are some people who owe me favors and are pitching in
on this! I'm hoping to find some insights on this site by others
who have been there. (Specifically where to get cheap
equipment)

Welcome to The D-Word, Tricia, and don't forget to join us in our
humble filmmaker hang-out {LINK NOT IMPORTED} as well.

More info at www.d-word.com/community

Hi! -- Finally succeeded in logging onto this list serve. looking
forward to reading about distribution here, esp. as I"m looking
forward to beginning that phase of documentary post-post production
in the near future. I'm nearing completion on a documentary I've
been obsessed with for eight years. I forget who I'm paraphrasing
but someone said he pitied people who were not obsessed by
something. Not sure I agree -- I would love to feel my time was my
own -- but it does take some of that quality to get one of these
things done.

My documentary? It's a personal doc, and it's a family documentary
and it's about my brother, who was born with a very severe
developmental disability, and who was institutinalized at a young
age.

To make this description short, I'll refer anyone who wants to know
more to my website: www.withoutapology.tv/

Looking forward to reading, and writing more later.

Susan

Greetings and welcome, Susan. Just so you know, The D-Word is NOT a
listserve, which is when the posts come to you as emails. You have to
log on here because it's web-based. And all the posts are archived
according to topics.

Hi all,

I'm Pamela Turner and while I don't work in documentary, (I'm an
animator)I teach in an undergraduate video and animation
area (at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, VA)and often
advise students regarding grants, distribution, and graduate schools.
I am very interested in the documentary film and find that when at
film festivals I inevitably veer towards them when having to choose
screenings. So I am sure this forum will be educational for me!

But no grades here, Pamela ;-) Welcome.

Hello, I'm a filmmaker with one short film completed so far. I do
most of my work in Cuba and live in Los Angeles. I come from a
background in digital art and technology. I was a digital arts
artist and consultant on "Babe", "Coca Cola Polar Bears". Now I
am a emerging filmmaker wondering how to finance this habit.

My short autobiographical film "Havana Witch Club" screened at
the Cineaccion Film Festival and the Berkeley Film and Video
Festival where it won Best of Show for experimental .. though I
entered it a documentary. One woman's real life can look pretty
experimental, I guess.

Looking forward to sharing information with others here on all
related topics.

hi everyone,
this is veena almad from india. i am a student of mass media and
wish to be a film maker. i also like know filmmakers like you all and
would like to take suggestions for my future.
I have assisted in ad film production and also going to asisst
in editing but i dont know how to work on real film please advice me
how to join a production house of film.

looking forward to talk to you.
veena almad
india

Hi. I am a new doc producer, working on my first project
"Fulani for All Fifty."

Fulani for all Fifty is a one-hour historical
documentary giving voice to a team of ordinary people that brought
the first black woman to the U.S. presidential ballot in all fifty
states for the 1988 election.

We are currently in production, and learning our way around
distribution alternatives.

Hi Jennifer, Veena, Lisa. Nice to have you joining us and hope
you'll learn a whole bunch about distribution this week (sheesh, it's
10:40, NY time, on the first day of our panel and no one's shown up
yet - do distributors just sleep late :-?)

Veena, we'd be happy to answer any questions you have in The
Mentoring Room {LINK NOT IMPORTED}, but you'll need to be a bit more specific. What
do you mean by "real" films, exactly? Do you include documentaries in
that category (some don't, you'd be surprised)? And are you looking
to relocate? If so, to where?

Hi. Im also a relatively new doc producer working in DV. I have
several co-productions currrently being shopped at various cable
networks. I am also working on a feature about a Needle Exchange in
Manhattan. I also have exhibition experience.

Hi.

I'm Brigid Kelly. I'm about to start post production on a film about
a 31 year old man with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. We are
setting up a G4 with Final Cut 3 and want to start digitizing this
week. I'm sure I'll be asking lots questions about post
strategies.

Welcome, Stephen and Brigid. Happy to try and answer your questions.

A warm welcome to all the new faces.

Jennifer, do you mind if I send you an e-mail asking you about
working/studying film in Cuba?

I think I have to sign in here to join the Distribution discussion,
but I"m not sure. I'm not very good at this internet stuff all the
time.

It would be great if all people who are planning to join the
discussion in our online panel, MAPPING THE DISTRIBUTION LANDSCAPE,
would quickly introduce themselves here.

This, of course, does not apply to the actual panelists since they
were introduced in the topic itself {LINK NOT IMPORTED}.

In order to avoid chaos, Doug lets us "normal folk" only read (and
not post) in that topic for the first two or three days, but he will
open up the discussion to all of us after the first couple of rounds
...

Hope this makes sense to you now, Nina.

Hello.

You can click on cinecitizen above to find out more about me.

Pleased to meet you all.

Eric Stacey here. Just returned from the IFP Market where I was
pitching a feature project, but also plan to continue making
documentaries... since 1997, I've co-produced one 6 hour series for
PBS, a half hour one off on the health effects of air pollution, which
aired
on about 15 PBS member stations, and a 1 hour doc on Waldorf education
methods used in a number of public schools across the U.S. I'm
looking forward to sharing and learning here, but signed up especially
for the Virtual Doc Conference with Albert Maysles and Susan Fromeke.

Welcome everyone!

Eric, are you aware of our private forum for professionals?
More info at www.d-word.com/community

Thanks Ken. I've just sent email to the D-Word Community.

You're welcome, Erin :-)

I'm sure Doug will handle your access request shortly.

Joining discussion late. But happy to be joining.
I'm an independent documentary producer based in Charlotte, NC. Always
looking to learn more from other producers and to find effective means of
distribution.

Are we to sign-in here? If so:
Rod Pyle
Cinema Pacific Productions
Pasadena, CA
TV and sell-thru docs. Also affordable visual effects for non-
fiction (my partner and I worked on Star Trek:DS9 in a previous
life...).

Email is rod@cinemapacific.com

Office Manager/Awards Coordinator/Web Mistress for the
International Documentary Association. I look forward to
learning from and contributing to this community.

Hello all,
I'm just finishing my first documentary "In the Eyes of a Child"
about two non-profit organizations in Brazil which help street
children and women with domestic violence. I am curious about
the distribution of documentaries and just about to start
submitting to festivals.

Eric, Beverly, Rod, Sarah, Holly, thanks for saying hi and letting us
know more about yourselves -- and help us get a sense of who's
checking out the panel discussion. Welcome.

hello from jim of animalcharm, a nomadic, autonomous, off-
braodcast channel of video remix anarchy. I also spent 8 years
as the equipment and facilities manager of Kartemquin Films in
Chicago, IL, most well known for "Hoop Dreams". They have a
new feature directed by Steve James coming out in early 2003,
called "Stevie." I currently live and work in Los Angeles,
freelancing on a variety of fronts, most recently as a cameraman
in Vietnam with Renee Tajima-Pena for a CPB/Kartemquin
documentary series on immigration, tentatively titled, "New
Americans." I have worked as cameraman & sound recordist for
many of the series segments including those produced by
Vangie Griego, Gordon Quinn, Jerry Blumenthal, Steve James,
and Peter Gilbert.

Welcome, Jim. Those are great doc makers you've been working with!

Once again, let me remind those of you with professional experience
to join The D-Word Community and be part of the ongoing discussions:
www.d-word.com/join.

When you register, we ask you to tell us about your professional
background. Feel free to cut and paste what you've written here.

Hi folks blake from australia livin in germany here
i am aperforming artist about to turn doco maker well an extension of that
world actually.
Check out http://standstill.va.com.au
for what i do pics etc
basically i do event entertainment and stree theatre
nice to be here
looking forward to participating
seeya
bb

Thanks for the intro, Blake. Welcome. We can use a little more
street theater in here ;-)

Saludos a todos. Rich Potter checking in. I'm a young filmmaker
currently living and working in Panama City, Republic of Panamá. I do a
bit of everything--fiction, doc, commercial--in DV and edit with FCP on
G4's. Primarily signed on for the distribution discussion, thinking of
the half hour narrative short we just completed, but I see there's more
going on here than just that. Look forward to learning a few things
from you all.

Bien.
Rp.

Goodmorning. I've been making films for more than 20 years. I did a
dramatic version of a play I wrote about Edith Wharton called "Songs
From The Heart" which aired on BRAVO and many PBS stations, a
documentary about Nicaragua in 1990, and have just finished a feature-
length documentary about GE and PCBs.
Thanks for hosting this,
Mickey Friedman

Just finished the IFP Market in New York with our Hudson River Film
and Video production "Manhood and Violence: Fatal Peril" about a
violence-prevention program in the San Francisco County Jail that
reduces violent re-arrests by 80%, You watch part of the process as
these men are transformed. Just started to apply to festivals.
Wanted to check out this forum to see what it was about. If we have
questions later how could we get in touch with you or other
panelists?