September has been an invigorating month for hashing out independent distribution issues. In case you haven’t been closely following the reports, here are the highlights:
1) Liesl Copland’s keynote speech at TIFF’s Doc Conference addressed how to get the most out of theatrical, VOD, downloads and other formats. Part of her talk included a video on the “Social Media Revolution” that every filmmaker should take four minutes to watch on YouTube to get a sense of powerful new tools becoming available. On the topic of the theatrical experience for docs, Copland pointed to the model of Stranger Than Fiction, saying, “We can’t expect the smaller movies to go head to head with the big marketing giants. Maybe for us, for docs, we need to make sure the experience is differentiated, communal – let’s do more for the audience in that space than show the film. More ‘extra content’ at the theater, Q and A heaven. Curation.”
2) Peter Broderick’s “Declaration of Independence” at TIFF’s Doc Conference (pictured) laid out a set of principles for filmmakers who want to explore a form of hybrid distribution. In an article based on his speech, Broderick writes, “Today many filmmakers are as determined to retain ‘distribution control’ as they are to maintain ‘creative control.’ Distribution control is the power to determine the overall structure and sequence of distribution, select distribution partners, and divide up distribution rights. While single source production financing usually means the loss of some measure of creative control, single source distribution through an all-rights deal always means the loss of distribution control.”
I’m definitely intrigued by what I’ve read about the Chinese doc GHOST TOWN playing tomorrow at the New York Film Festival. Manohla Dargis writes, “ ‘Ghost Town,’ takes place in a world so removed from the pastoral it might as well be set on another planet and, in some respects, it is….directed with scrupulous attention to detail by Zhao Dayong. The China here, represented by the hard lives of different village folk… offers a grim contrast to the country racing toward the future.”
Watch a trailer, read more and buy a ticket at filmlinc.com
The Oct 5 issue of ESPN Magazine has a two-page spread on sports documentaries, naming these titles as its Top 10:
1) HOOP DREAMS (dir. Steve James)
2) WHEN WE WERE KINGS (dir. Leon Gast) – pictured
3) PUMPING IRON (dir. George Butler & Robert Fiore)
4) MURDERBALL (dir. Henry Alex Rubin & Dana Adam Shapiro)
5) BASEBALL (dir. Ken Burns)
6) DOGTOWN AND Z-BOYS (dir. Stacy Peralta)
7) THE KING OF KONG (dir. Seth Gordon)
8) BLACK MAGIC (dir. Dan Klores)
9) HANDS ON A HARD BODY (dir. S.R. Bindler)
10) ENDLESS SUMMER (dir. Bruce Brown)
Let’s discuss. As much as I think HANDS ON A HARD BODY is a great film, does a contest to win a truck count as sports? Or playing video games in KING OF KONG?
Tuesday night, Docurama launched its 10th Anniversary celebrations with a sold-out screening of the rare cinema verite classic JANE. The evening featured a star-studded Q&A (Bob Drew, D.A. Pennebaker and Hope Ryden) and audience of documentary all-stars (above photo, L to R: STF host Thom Powers, Susan Margolin (co-principal Docurama Films), filmmakers Hope Ryden and D.A. Pennebaker and Robert Drew (founder of the legendary doc company Drew Associates).
During the Q&A, Robert Drew spoke about how impressed he was with the filmmaking behind JANE. Watching the film anew, he appreciated how much of Hope Ryden and D.A. Pennebaker was in every shot and every cut. When discussing editing, D.A. Pennebaker said “the process of editing brings out your most tender. It’s actually very Jungian: the fabrication of a fantasy in your head that you must tell people about or you’ll die.”
Ryden and Pennebaker also discussed the challenges of filming in the early days of sync sound. While Pennebaker was capturing all the shots (often not even hearing what was being said), Ryden was trying to get as close as possible to the subjects with her mic. Ryden explained that when shooting this film, they went through everything with Jane Fonda. “Whether she was on a train, waking up or reading her review – we were there with her and she knew we cared.”
An interesting piece of documentary gossip – when Ryden (the only woman at Drew Associates) was tasked by Drew with making a film about a prominent women – there were two other female celebrities that were initial targets for this documentary: Raquel Welch and Liza Minnelli. With Welch, things didn’t work out; with Minnelli, her agents said she didn’t photograph well from every angle and tried to impose shot limitations. And then they met Jane Fonda and knew she would be a perfect subject. Ryden cleared the request with Actors Equity and they started shooting.
This fall, STF passholders can show their cards to attend Docurama’s weekend matinee series at the IFC Center free of charge. For a complete list of films and show-times, click here.
Eight days after CAPITALISM: A LOVE STORY had its North American premiere at TIFF, the film had a special screening presented by the New York Film Festival on Monday night. Special guests were then bussed downtown to the Esquire Soho penthouse where we spotted a handful of documentary makers among the advertising and branding specialists who sponsored the shindig.
Michael Moore poses with TIFF and STF programmer Thom Powers
September has been an invigorating month for hashing out independent distribution issues. In case you haven’t been closely following the reports, here are the highlights:
The Oct 5 issue of 
Tuesday night, Docurama launched its 10th Anniversary celebrations with a sold-out screening of the rare cinema verite classic 
Michael Moore poses with TIFF and STF programmer Thom Powers