Introduce Yourself: Sign In Here First

Hi Jason, hopefully next time I won´t miss the conversation...
Thnaks
St.

You can still take part in it, Stéphane. It's part of the beauty of conversations at The D-Word – they never really end. A warm welcome to you and Emile.

Hello, I am documentary film student in Zagreb, Croatia and I am writing my final school paper under the title "Documentary Film Distribution"..any good thoughts on possible literature adn where and how to find it?

thanks!

In reply to Sinisha Juricic's post on Fri 10 Jul 2009 :

Assume you're talking about international distribution.

A lot depends on what you mean by literature, and on the exact topic your paper covers.

If it's sales brochures etc, many of these will be online; just google and see what you come up with.

Also find out which person within BBC Worldwide, National Geographic Television International and other large distributors deal with Croatia and ask them for advice on where to find literature.

If you mean books or papers on the distribution business, I haven't ever come across any, though that doesn't mean they don't exist.

Hailing from Oakland, I'm making a strange-but-true documentary about how I encountered a Physics principle by following a string of coincidences to it's illogical conclusion.
51 Birch Street is the most similar documentary I've seen, as it deals with unknown people and private lives but expands those small truths to universally felt emotions and issues of family life and it's mystery.
Looking for collaborators in opening a doc production collective in the Bay Area – anyone know someone who'd be interested?
www.strangeattractorsfilm.com

julia

Hi Julia – i'm sooooooooooo intrigued by your trailer. incredibly excited to see the film that this becomes. welcome.

thank you so much! too bad you are all the way in Chicago – but good for you on the skate flick, that genre is totally different out here

is it too bad that i'm all the way here or too bad that you're all the way there? guess it depends on the criteria.

and i totally agree the skate doc. genre is way different out your way... that's kind of a driving force for my story in a way.

Welcome, Julia. Intriguing premise and rich material, to be sure. Good luck with the film and with your idea for a collective.

It's been years since I've posted, but I've been busy, so I'll reintroduce myself.

I'm Brian Boyko, I'm an indie documentary filmmaker, and I've just "went pro" – while I'm still working on my quixotic documentary on New Zealand electoral reform (now renamed "Importing Democracy") I've put it on the backburner, instead writing a book on the same subject, as I take on paying work.

I'm likely to get a field producer gig for an in pre-production documentary on the art and culture of Cuba. I'd have to get permission from the U.S. State Dept. to go, but hell yes, I'm going for it!

I've also been approached by a couple of corporate clients, and I'm now spending about half the time at my day job on video (I was hired as a writer, but the job responsibilities have morphed as I got better with video.

I just ordered a Panasonic Lumix GH1 and also plan to get into wedding videography to make some money on the side to continue to fund the documentary film projects.

Anyway – that's me again!

Welcome back, Brian, again!

Hi again, I have already introduced myself a week ago or so, but can someone help me with how to best navigate the site? I can see all the topics with related conversation strings, but how do I find the first posting for a certain thread so I can track the evolution of the conversation? At the moment I find myself dipping into a conversation without knowing the bigger picture. Thanks.

The only way is to go back within a thread and try to track down the first posting, Emile. This is a different kind of structure than topic-based ones (like DV User , for instance). But it's actually much more conducive to conversation, especially if you keep up with it regularly.

emile, don't worry about jumping in during the middle of a conversation. as long as you have something to add (or at least something reasonable funny to say), you're welcome to post. the key, though, is to check D-Word at least once a day so that you don't get too far behind in any conversation (that you wanted to be a part of). yes, this site can be an addiction, but if you are really disciplined, it'll only suck 10-15 minutes from your day. if you are not disciplined, then you'll end up like the rest of us suckers.

Hi. I'm Dave. I've spent a year and a half immersed in my political documentary. I have 60 hours and have been putting off starting post until I have a little bit of money. My mentor suggested this would be a good place to look for an editor.

Welcome, Dave. Hate to break the news to you, but a good editor costs a good deal of money. But if you're serious about finding one in the LA area, you can ask for suggestions here or you could get in touch with some local doc makers (possible through the IDA) and ask them for suggestions. Good luck with your doc.

In reply to Christopher Wong's post on Wed 15 Jul 2009 :

Thanks Christopher, and Doug. I am getting into the swing of it slowly but surely!

Hello from Madrid,

I'm Mariangela and together with a Spanish director I am producing a an independent documentary mainly shot in Spain but that will require a few days of shooting in the U.S., more precisly around Los Angeles, route 66 direction Las Vegas in August (8-12 August).

This is also the main reason that lead me to find the D-word, but I must confess this page seems really great.

We are looking for a sound recordist for 2 max. 3 shooting days in August. Anyone know someone who'd be interested?
Any help on how to address best this search will be really, really appreciated.

Please mail me to:

moidl76@hotmail.com

Thanks a lot and saludos from Madrid.

Mariangela

Hi there,

So I've been lurking around here for a while now – have pulled a lot of great information from the site – and figure I ought to introduce myself. I'm just finishing up my first feature doc – about a year in the life of a porter on the Inca Trail. We just 'unveiled' the "website": http://www.michacrafilm.com/ and Facebook page a few days ago. Definitely a rookie at all of this, so feedback/advice is welcome on both. I look forward to being more a part of the community here.

Jason, great to have you here with us, and glad you're finally posting. Best of luck with your project.

oops – that's an actual website, not just a "website"

and thank you Doug

Hi everyone,

This is my first post. I am a documentary film "enthusiast". I actually own a DVD/CD/Blu-Ray replication company called The Dubhouse. I work with a number of independent/documentary filmmakers (including Doug Block some years back). We have 8 plant locations across the country (NY, L.A., FL, NC, IN) and can handle any quantity fully packaged. Let me know if I can help.

Mike Pardo
mike@thedubhouse.net

Hey, good to see you here, Michael. It was a pleasure working with you in the past. Feel free to give us more details about The Dubhouse in our Classifieds topic.

Hi first time writing. Have always been a reader. I'm working on a documentary with potentially some big artists. Somewhat nervous have always been able to fund my own projects. I have reached a point where funding the rest of this project is not an option. I wanted to reach out and see if anyone can point me in the right direction to investors. If anything, just some knowledge n the matter.

Albie, no way to do that without knowing more about your film, and even then it's difficult. You might want to get one of the Morrie Warshawski books on fundraising, which would tell you the best ways to present your project to investors. He has a good book on fundraising house parties, too.

Thank You, Doug good point. I will look into that. It's a film about some musicians wrapped around this enigmatic label. Who in there heyday in the 90's had a chance for a label. They seem to be coming back and the internet is a buzz with them again on their upcoming release. I have complete access to the bands on the label as well as the particular band I mentioning.

Hello all! I've been an entertainment journalist for many years here in Hollywood (with the trades, and also with Premiere and the NYT), covering film festivals worldwide, but have always had a passion for filmmaking and film. I also occasionally write for and help run a film website on independent and international film, Cinema Without Borders (www.cinemawithoutborders.com) and continue to run my database company about film actors worldwide (www.ulmerscale.com). My only professional doc experience has been directing a documentary for the BBC in London after college. Now, many years later, I've decided to take the plunge again and make what I hope will become a series on the film villages of the world. It's about the life (and sometimes death) of the villages behind some of my favorite movies – Visconti's Terra Trema, Toratore's Cinema Paradiso, as well as Il Postino and dozens more (the series begins in Sicily but will continue through various countries). It's a sort of anthropology of village life as seen in, and changed by, some of the world's great movies...I am now searching for a DP to team up with me when I go back to the villages of Sicily to shoot the pilot, possibly this fall but more likely next spring. Hoping to find an ally in my passion project – preferably someone who speaks a little italian as well, though it's not necessary (I spent a year in Naples a kid). Anyway, I look forward to discovering some fascinating folks and ideas on this site, and if you are interested, feel free to email me. Please also check out the article that started me on this village journey – a piece I wrote for our website called "Entering 'Paradiso' – a Guide to Inhabiting Your Favorite Film," which you can find at:
http://cinemawithoutborders.com/news/140/ARTICLE/1939/2009-07-12.html
Thanks for taking the time to wade through this overlong introduction!

Oh James. Your project sounds great I'd so love to be your DP – except am not a DP :)

Welcome to D-Word. Enjoy!

Yes, welcome aboard, James. However, do go the next step and register as a full member since you're a doc professional. Will give you access to many more discussion topics.

I agree with Niam, it sounds like a fascinating topic.

Hello fellow D-Word members!

Krystal Lord here of Los Angeles, CA. I'm new to D-Word and wanted to say hello!

I'm currently doing outreach for "THE ENGLISH SURGEON," directed by Geoffrey Smith. "THE ENGLISH SURGEON" is PREMIERING TODAY, July 24th in New York City at Cinema Village!
http://www.cinemavillage.com/chc/cv/show_movie.asp?movieid=1650

"THE ENGLISH SURGEON" is also OPENING IN LOS ANGELES IN JUST ONE WEEK at Laemmle Theater's Music Hall 3!
http://www.laemmle.com/viewmovie.php?mid=4988

PLEASE HELP SPREAD THE WORD!
As you all know successful opening weekend in New York City and Los Angeles will allow us to bring the film to more communities nationwide. If you don't live in NYC or LA, please forward this to any friends, family or co-workers that do, and help spread the word about "THE ENGLISH SURGEON" so we can bring it to your city!

website: www.theenglishsurgeon.com
email: englishsurgeonfilm@gmail.com

Many thanks and kind regards,

Krystal Lord
contact.krystal@gmail.com

Welcome to The D-Word.

James, great idea! I'd be very interested in this.

Krystal, good luck with the run. And say hi to Geoff from us. He should log on here more often.

My fellow filmmakers,

I am producing a documentary, called "The Eyes of Thailand", about the founder of the world's first Asian Elephant Hospital in Thailand, which builds prosthetic limbs for elephants who step on landmines. http://www.eyesofthailand.com>

As of Friday, July 31, I received word that Motala, one of the elephant landmine survivors I filmed in 2007, will receive her first prosthetic limb on August 15-16, 2009--10 years after her landmine accident!

For the details and a message from the Elephant Hospital founder, Soraida Salwala, please visit: http://www.eyesofthailand.com/blog/

Needless to say, I have to film this for the documentary, but I will not hear from my grants and funding proposals until September or October. Therefore, I am writing to ask each of you to make a tax-deductible contribution to the film so I can raise the US $3,000 needed.

The cost break down is:
$2300 airfare (Thai Airways or China Airways)
$500 camera person in Thailand
$200 food and lodging expenses for me

I need to raise this within the next 48 hours, before plane tickets get any more expensive!

If 100 people donate $30...
Or 60 people donate $50...
Or 30 people donate $100...
Or 10 people donate $300...
Or 3 people donate $1,000...

I will be able to purchase the ticket on Monday, August 3, 2009.

Note: As of 12:00pm PDT Saturday, we've raised $685.

Please be a part of this historic moment and a pivotal part of the film by contributing TODAY!

You can make your tax-deductible donation through the film's fiscal sponsor, The San Francisco Film Society, at: http://www.sffs.org/donate/donate-now.aspx?pid=47

With deepest gratitude,

Windy Borman
Producer, Writer and Director, "The Eyes of Thailand"

P.S. Please email me at windy@dvaproductions.com after you make your donation so I can keep the running total up to date. Thank you!

P.P.S. Please encourage other film and animal lovers you know to donate, too! http://www.sffs.org/donate/donate-now.aspx?pid=47

Hello,
i've been working for an italian based video production company since almost one year (www.flatmind.com). i always had a passion for photography documentaries and filmmaking. we also have an office in Shanghai China where for my interesting we took part of cooperation with non profit organization (http://www.flatmind.com/video/ita/VIAGGI_XinXing.htm). i find your project very interesting and i'd love to go back home anytime to team up with you. i'm from the north east though close to Venice, hills and thermal water area. i would not understand sicily dialect but i know exactly the feeling of small villages. for more informations please do not hesitate to contact me alessandro.gallo@flatmind.com
thanks

By the way ,this web site is very useful and well made
thank you

Thank you and welcome, Alessandro!

Hi all, I'm Severine Petit. I am french, born in Corsica Island and currently leaving in Italy.
Although I'm not a professional documentary shooter my job is to select documentaries for an Italian international film festival called Slow Food on Film. I attend festivals, watch promos online and invite people to Bologna once a year. My boyfriend is a member of the D-word since a year or so and spends most of his non shooting time on this forum. He sometimes tells me about a documentary that I might be interested in. He can get pretty boring sometimes so i thought that I should join the community and see for myself!

What's his name? Or do we need a "in a relationship with" feature on The D-Word? ;-)

A big welcome from Ljubljana airport!

Not many D-word members in Bra, Italy..

But where is this Bra?

Near Turin, Piedmont, north west of the country.
Thank you!

Welcome, Alessandro and Severine. To become full-fledged members with full access to the discussion topics, you have to go one step further ...

Hello D-worders.

I realized I never did a formal intro. – and will post a pic soon!

The more I read on this site, the more I love it. Thank you to all who put in the time to respond so thoughtfully. And of course, big thanks to the hosts!

I am a documentary filmmaker and attorney. I have made two films so far:
1 – Runners High about a group of inner city teenagers who trained for and ran the LA marathon: www.runnershighfilm.com. Played lots of festals, working on distribution, and learning lots along the way.
We are working on getting it out to the educational market now and I would love to hook up with other running films to do some cross promotions to running groups.

2 – Paper or Plastic? about a slice of Americana told through the national grocery bagging competition. www.paperoplasticmovie.com. Premiered last year at LAFF, played other fests, and playing this weekend at the Feel Good Festival. Got offers from distributors and we passed because the terms were ridiculous. We are taking it out ourselves and planning a limited theatrical release for later this year. Stumbling/learning and will share info. along the way.

3 – we're in development on a third project Chocolate www.chocolatedocumentary.com about three individuals using chocolate to change the world, but have not found funding and it's been put on hold. We hope to do some shorts along the way as well.

I am also fortunate to be working as an attorney with Richard Lee here in Oakland representing mostly independent filmmakers which has been a real joy. I also currently represent Distribber who I believe is providing an extremely valuable service to filmmakers in getting access for them to iTunes and helping them retain/control profits of their films.

My goals are to continue to tell stories visually. I love making films and have been lucky to work with incredibly talented folks (some on D-word – Garret Savage, Alex da Silva, Marco d'Ambrosio, Andrew Gersh, James leBrecht). I'm intrigued by the power of social networking in reaching an audience and want to learn how to do it effectively for our projects. I'm awed by the passion of filmmakers and grateful for communities like this.

Thank you.

oops – I forgot to also say that I have 3 kids under 6 who are awesome and constant entertainment when all else fails.

Welcome Justine. We're very happy to have you. Paper or Plastic was a good fun film. D-Word is like crack. You have been warned.

In reply to Windy Borman's post on Sat 1 Aug 2009 : Hello fello filmmaker...

Just watched your promo, great story, great job! I just forwarded your website to a few people.

Hello Everyone,

This is my first POST. My name is Tim VandeSteeg; I am the Director/Producer of the new inspirational documentary My Run, the story of Terry Hitchcock, narrated by Academy Award winner Billy Bob Thornton.

After tragically losing his wife to breast cancer and struggling to raise three young children on his own, Terry Hitchcock seized on an idea. He wanted to accomplish the impossible: run 75 consecutive marathons in 75 consecutive days to bring attention to the incredibly difficult lives of single-parent families.

I wanted to take this opportunity to introduce you to our film, My Run and hopefully gain your support to help us spread the word about Terry’s amazing story. I am very proud of our film, which has been a labor of love for me for the past three years and I’m excited to announce its completion.

Being raised by a single parent myself, I understand the sacrifices and obstacles that face single parent families every day. I understand that it’s “love” that keeps these families surviving and pushing forward. I believe the film acknowledges our true heroes today… single parents.

The promo TRAILER is available at: Over 30,000 hits | 5 out of 5 rating!
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/video/video.php?v=54337799584&oid=29649254351

Official Website: www.myrunmovie.com | Twitter: MyRunMovie | FAN PAGE: http://www.facebook.com/myrunmovie

Sincerely I thank you,
Tim

Tim, welcome to The D-Word, good to have you here. And best of luck with your film.

In reply to Doug Block's post on Sun 9 Aug 2009 :

Hi Doug... thank you. By the way, great job with your documentary, 51 Birch Street. I saw it last year with a good friend of mine, a very very moving and powerful film... Tim

In reply to Marj Safinia's post on Sat 8 Aug 2009 :

Thanks for the warning. :-)
And thanks for seeing Paper or Plastic – it was fun to make and I'm trying to have fun in distribution land. Appreciate the support.

Thanks, Tim. Appreciate the kind words. Justine, been curious about Paper or Plastic for a while now (ever since there was some back and forth here about the title). Would love an update over in Marketing and Distribution.

In reply to Severine Petit's post on Tue 4 Aug 2009 :

LOVE Bra and Turin. We stayed there for the Slow Food Festival in '06. Can't wait to get back.

Heading over to Marketing and Distribution for an update on PoP? What was the back and forth?

You could do a search. But the idea of alternative titles was asked about and then batted around.

ah, I see Doug, you hate our title. ;-)
I'll switch this over to marketing, but as we brand our film now for theatrical, what would happen if we change the title....

Hi, my name is Stephan and I'm a freelance filmmaker, I work mainly for BBC departments, making films for internal use. For example, this year I directed a series looking at critical thinking and how programme makers and journalists can make better use of philosophy to tackle various issues such as the way we report science, or deal with value, and even talk about the future. Currently I'm working on a film about a photographer who has embarked on a project to photograph electricity pylons. There's a clip here – http://www.vimeo.com/5083013 – We're hoping to submit it to festivals next year. I've joined because there are some interesting conversations here, and because it could be a good place to sound out a problems and issues that naturally crop up in this work. Nice to meet you all, look forward to joining in.

Hi Stephan, you have bumped into a good place and I'm sure the powers that be will advise you come inside properly, however you must stop using auto focus.

Welcome, Stephan. By all means, do register for professional membership here to give yourself access to all the discussion topics.

David. I hear you. I must train myself out of it.

Thank you Doug, I'll have a look.

In reply to Tim VandeSteeg's post on Mon 10 Aug 2009 :

Welcome Tim! I love your film story :)

In reply to Tim VandeSteeg's post on Mon 10 Aug 2009 :

Fellow Minnesotan! Love the vikings shirt!
Wonderful promo, looks like a beautiful film. Good luck!

http://www.d-word.com/topics/show/In%20reply%20to%20%22Ben%20Kempas's%20post%20on%20Tue%204%20Aug%202009%22:/topics/show/97?post=184767 :
I am new and don't see how to use the "introduce yourself" function. Could you please help?
Thanks

You just did, Chris. So, welcome.

Thanks Doug. I'm just trying to figure out how to do a character-driven doc on a local woman who is on a personal mission to save unwanted pets. I hope to do it in episodes for a start-up web/cable TV station. Then,who knows, maybe there will be enough good stuff for a real doc. I plan to shoot most of it on a new consumer cam – the new Pany hdc-tm300, which is really small. The interviews can be shot on my JVC hd200. When I picture this story, it vaguely looks like Jon and Kate Plus Eight...that kind or reality. What do you D-word folks think about this method of "gathering" material episodically?

Hey, whatever works.

I'm producing my first documentary and hope to find answers to some of my questions and contribute back to the community when possible. Looking forward to exploring the site and seeing what topics are being discussed.

"I'm just trying to figure out how to do a character-driven doc on a local woman who is on a personal mission to save unwanted pets. I hope to do it in episodes for a start-up web/cable TV station. Then,who knows, maybe there will be enough good stuff for a real doc. I plan to shoot most of it on a new consumer cam – the new Pany hdc-tm300, which is really small. The interviews can be shot on my JVC hd200. When I picture this story, it vaguely looks like Jon and Kate Plus Eight...that kind or reality. What do you D-word folks think about this method of "gathering" material episodically?"

I guess I mean: Has anybody out there tried that method before? And, if so, how did it work out?

Welcome to The D-Word, Chris and Sharon. Chris, that may be a good question for the Mentoring Room . This topic here is for introductions.

So who else is out there? Give us a shout, we rarely bite. :-)

Hello All,

I'm the writer of FUEL. Winner of the Audience award for best documentary at Sundance 2008 and nominated for the 2009 WGA best documentary screenplay award. I'm working on a new doc about Benazir Bhutto. I'm looking for a very good archival footage person. Any suggestions?

Welcome, Johnny. You should become a full member (which is free but not automatic) and check out the dedicated Research and Archives topic.

Nice to have you here, Johnny. Ditto what Ben said.

Johnny

Elizabeth Klinck is highly recommended by many people.

Hi,

I have just finished up a trailer for my new film 'Drying For Freedom'. Its an environmentaly minded documentary focusing on the banning of CLOTHESLINES in millions of communities across America. That probably sounds somewhat obscure but you would be surpised what lies behind this story.

We are trying to drum up as much support/ feedback as possible so if you fancied checking out the trailer and becoming a fan via facebook please do. This is a low budget independent film that is still being made.

Feedback is very welcome!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MH1UpdHtcgY

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Drying-For-Freedom-A-Film-About-Clotheslines/133953030943

http://www.dryingforfreedom.com

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7gm2ZL1CVWU

Hello D-Word,
Just learned about your group in Docs in Progress newsletter. My doc, The Jesus Guy (www.TheJesusGuy.com and www.thejesusguymovie.blogspot.com) had a nice run on the festival circuit & will be out late Fall via Cinevolve (www.CinevolveStudios.com). I am an advertising guy and commercial director by trade. Worked with Albert Maysles at Maysles films for a stint. Looking to learn, mentor, and meet via D-Word.

Well, you've come to the right place, then. Welcome aboard, Sean.

Hi All,

I'm wondering if anyone out there might be interested in coming out to South India to help me with a doc that I'm developing/ shooting on the international eco/ spiritual community of Auroville. I'll be here for the next 1-2 years and would be interested in working closely with someone who is good with ideas and people. I can't really offer much in the way of payment..... I'll rent the house and keep it running. I'll be in Montreal for late November in the event that anyone is interested in meeting up to discuss and explore options.

Looking forward......

Hello D-word

I'm Jane Taylor and currently studying an MA at the University of Salford, Manchester, UK in Television Documentary Production.

I am at the stage now where I am conquering my dissertation. I got extremely inspired by the Documentary Campus event at the Manchester Town hall – Leaner Meaner and Keener, and have based my dissertation on the effect the internet has on documentary.

I would really appreciate some opinions, experiences and professional advice on this subject. How the internet plays a part in documentary distribution in a good way and bad way? advantages and disadvantages? What's the future? How it has helped you business or film? Everything and anything please...

I am very new to this forum so I will try and set up a topic and all feedback will be highly appreciated.

Many Thanks,

Jane

Welcome, Jane. Unfortunately, you can't set up a new topic yourself, only us all-seeing, all-powerful hosts can. So you may want to ask that again in the Mentoring topic.

Jonathan, you should be posting that in the Classifieds topics. This is merely for introductions and greetings.

Hi , I'm Susheel Kurien, in NYC and once from Bombay.. I am making a film about Jazz in India..see my profile bio for more detail.I am doing this in collaboration with Sunil Shanbag of Chrysalis Films, Mumbai, India. Our plan is to develop a 6-7 minute pilot that will communicate the essence of the story and demonstrate the production values. I have just returned from India after shooting about 16 -18 hours of HD video with a wonderful team. I am not a professional film maker but many years ago, I worked in with documentary and commercial film. So in some ways its full circle. I have a synopsis for this film and a draft outline treatment that guided our shoot and helped structure it in an efficient way. I am now working on refining the treatment into a 3-4 page script that blocks out the main scenes. In parallel, I am working with my collaborators on developing a 6-7 minute pilot.
I need to develop a circle of professional advisors to guide me through this project. I would appreciate hearing from any professional who is interested in this project and shares my passion for this project. I need all the help and guidance I can get.

Thanks
Susheel

Hello!

I heard about this site from another doc filmmaker. Anyways... I am in the Philippines based in Manila filming a documentary about Rice Trade and Policy. The film is funded by the Fulbright Scholarship. My last film was in South India about the influence of cable tv over in rural areas. here is my website: http://www.fastcloudfilms.com/

Welcome, Susheel and Magee. Great that you both found your way here. You should both sign up for full membership , which would give you access to many more discussion topics.

Hello D-word,
I came upon this place by the virtue of sitting four feet from the infamous Doug Block himself! How i ended up there was through a chance encounter at a fund raising shindig whereby I went on this big rant to Lori Cheatle (Owner of Hard Working Movies) about how i had given up on ever doing Documentary anymore because frankly i saw no way for me to get into the field and be able to support myself. Lori then explained that she in fact owned a documentary company. I then quickly ate my words and bing bang boom now i am here and am very excited to exchange ideas and get to know people who are actively working in the field! Life is a funny thing and i am happy that it brought me here!

Infamous? Ok, Vanessa, go fetch me a coffee. Oh wait, you're beholden to that slavedriver Lori, not me.

Anyway, you're only halfway in the door here at The D-Word. You need to register for full membership in order to get access to the lion's share of discussion topics. Do it now – that's an order!

Michael has worked all over Europe, South Africa and the United States with assignments taking him through Africa, the Middle East, Haiti, Mexico and South-East Asia. With more than 20 years of combined experience as a professional photojournalist and videographer, Michael brings extensive knowledge of media communications and marketing, having worked in those capacities at IBM in England, South Africa and the U.S. He continues to work on projects that aim to re-engage public interest in humanitarian and social issues on a local, national, and international basis.

In his years as a photojournalist, Michael has been doused in tear gas, nearly attacked by a mountain lion (which turned out to be a wild donkey), and brought in to land on an aircraft carrier in the Pacific. His work has been featured in many leading daily, weekly and monthly publications as well as on MSNBC, CNN and other news-related channels.

Welcome Michael in the third person. Glad to see another Bay Area person.

Good to have you aboard, Michael. But, as Jason suggests, we talk in first person here. It's just that kind of place.

Yes, I caught that. Just a little lazy, this afternoon and cutting and pasting from another bio was much easier.

Good to meet you all!

Tom Dziedzic also welcomes Michael Fox on D-Word. 8>}

Hi, D-Word,

I was involved in various ways – writer, editor, narrator, some photography – in a documentary called "Saving Luna," about a lost killer whale who tried to befriend human beings. It had a good theatrical run in Canada and has been showing on CBC at a couple of different lengths. The film has also had some festival success. I've done a bit of writing in the IMAX nature genre – the films "Antarctica" and "Ocean Oasis" – and a narration script for "Under Antarctic Ice" for PBS's Nature. I've also done some writing for National Geographic and Smithsonian magazines over the years, and a few books. I'm relatively new to the documentary world and I find it to be full of truly awe-inspiring individuals whose ability to innovate technologically and creatively is astonishing. As is their ability to survive. There's a lot to learn.

Welcome Michael. I absolutely LOVED Saving Luna. Nice to have you here.

Well, thank you, Marj. That's very nice to hear.

Hello, D-Word. Shirley Thompson mentioned this group today, and it reminded me that I've been meaning to join for a while, so here I finally am.

I made (produced, directed, shot and co-edited) a doc called "The Key of G" (http://www.lateralfilms.com/), which played on PBS in 2007 and won a Golden Gate Award at the SFIFF. It follows a young man with multiple disabilities as he moves out of his mom's house into an apartment with a couple of his friends/caregivers. I'm distributing it to the educational market via New Day Films. Since I finished that film, I've been doing some editing, shooting, and DVD authoring for hire and looking for a new doc of my own. I've also been working on some short fictional pieces.

I'm excited to poke around this site and to meet some of the other members...

Good to have you here, Robert. Welcome and hope you'll leap right into the discussions.

Nice to have you Robert. New Day always well represented at Sebastopol. And tell Shirley she should be here conversing as well. I never see her here.

Thanks for the Welcome!

Hi
I have made my first documentary and Penelope Andrews suggested I look at your site. I must say this is an excellent site and I can see why she recommended you. Keep up the good work!! I will be referring to your archives from now on and may ask a few questions when required.

Regards Steve

Welcome, Stephen and Robert. Always nice to see new faces in the neighborhood. It's civilized but lonely here, kind of like Edinburgh.

So glad your are checking in to D-word Stephen
Dont to forget to tell everyone on D-word a little about yourself and the film your finishing!
I would also suggest you apply to be a member as soon as you can as it a wonderful community of filmmakers and very helpful.

I got into documentary making because I was inspired by reading my uncles book called 'Grow Jamaica'. The book is about using ganja for food, fuel, fibre and medicine in Jamaica. My uncle (Reverend Leeroy Campbell who died in January 2009 aged 78) was a ganja activist and scientist and under the banner of 'Friends International' they incorporated Cannabis Hemp Research Institute of Science & Technology. He had worked in this field for 20 years with his wife Janice who co-wrote the book.

The documentary and the book both provide a comprehensive look at the economic, social, spiritual and environmental impact of a cannabis industry in Jamaica. Basically on returning from my annual holiday to Jamaica I rounded up my friends who were studying film at university, gave them an outline of what I wanted them to do and paid them to go to JA and make this documentary for me in 2004.

I started a publishing company called Classic Black Press and a website currently being redeveloped and we agreed a fee that they would produce the dvd for me and I would own the rights to the film. They have kept some footage for their library and gone on to other things. As luck would have it I was able to attract some names to the doc (Stephen Marley & Oliver Samuels are probably the most well known people in doc) and a short 10 minute version was credited at the British Film Festival (see utube trailer 'Grow Jamaica').

I then got call to say they wanted to show the whole film at the Caribbean Film Festival. My uncle, his wife and I went to the festival where it was the only film that everyone was talking about. The press came and done interviews etc (which were not aired, as far as I know), an impromptu heated debate began at end of film, and I was approached by David Coy from Palm Pictures, a distributer from Apple and some finance people.

However, some of the music used had not been cleared and although Apple said they could possibly work around this I was new to this business and decided to try and get clearances first and then go back to distributers (probably a big mistake!) or perhaps even self distribute! That was 3 years ago and clearances has been a 'bit of a headache' so I ended up having to do cover versions of the songs that were not cleared (about 10 songs each running for approx. 10 seconds) and edit the movie to accommodate the changes.

Fortunately the musicians and editor (Penelope Andrews brother and his friend) were extremely good and the doc has been enhanced considerably since it was originally made. I have just begun the process of applying for synch rights to enable me play the cover songs in the movie legally in the larger festivals and possibly small theatrical run. It has been a long but enjoyable journey and I have never lost faith in the documentary which deals with a very important issue from a different perspective.

I hope I haven't dragged my intro on for too long but once I started to write it was difficult to condense into a few paragraphs.

By the way I forgot to mention the doc is 60 minutes long