Have you been too busy to keep up with what's been going on in the world of documentary? Here are a few tidbits from online articles and blogs we think you should check out.
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Notes on Bad Documentaries (Or, Can a Documentary Be So Bad It’s Good?) (Filmmaker Magazine)
The Joys of the Regional Festival: Why You Should Attend Small Market Festivals (And How to Pick Out the Great Ones) (MovieMaker)
10 Production-Saving Tips for Filming in Remote Locations (No Film School)
In the Mix: A Practical Guide to Navigating the Post-Production Audio Process (Documentary Magazine)
How to Promote Your Film on Social Media Without Being Annoying (No Film School)
Oregon Doc Camp: A Weekend in the Woods with Documentary Filmmakers (Filmmaker Magazine)
OTHER RELEVANT ARTICLES AND BLOGS (ORGANIZED BY TOPIC)
Art and Ethics of Documentary
Make It Real: Dramatic License (Film Comment)
When Perspective Unseats Objectivity in Documentary Filmmaking (Sundance)
The Politics of Fake Documentaries (Slate/Zócalo Public Square)
Whose Film Is It, Anyway? The Trusted Exchange between Filmmaker and Subject (Documentary Magazine)
Nick Fraser: 'Documentaries transform reality, and are transformed by it.' (The Guardian)
Documentary filmmakers need to be accountable to their sources and viewers (Washington Post)
How to Teach the Ethics of Using Eyewitness Video (MediaShift)
How to Keep Your Subjects Safe: Nanette Burstein on Dangerous Documentary [PODCAST] (No Film School)
When Perspective Unseats Objectivity in Documentary Filmmaking (Sundance)
The Politics of Fake Documentaries (Slate/Zócalo Public Square)
Whose Film Is It, Anyway? The Trusted Exchange between Filmmaker and Subject (Documentary Magazine)
Nick Fraser: 'Documentaries transform reality, and are transformed by it.' (The Guardian)
Documentary filmmakers need to be accountable to their sources and viewers (Washington Post)
How to Teach the Ethics of Using Eyewitness Video (MediaShift)
How to Keep Your Subjects Safe: Nanette Burstein on Dangerous Documentary [PODCAST] (No Film School)
How an award-winning documentary was allegedly blacklisted by Netflix (Business Insider)
Budgeting
First-Time Filmmakers: Beware of Financial Pitfalls (FlowState Films)
How We Made $1.5 Million Self-Distributing Our Doc: The Six-Step Playbook (Indiewire)
Career Sustainability
The Messy Truth Behind a Day Job as a Documentarian (Documentary Magazine)
Documentary Pays? The Price of Filmmaking (Real Screen)
Documentary Pays? The Price of Filmmaking—Part 2 (Real Screen)
It’s Not Always About the Money (Filmmaker Magazine)
Documentary Pays? The Price of Filmmaking (Real Screen)
Documentary Pays? The Price of Filmmaking—Part 2 (Real Screen)
It’s Not Always About the Money (Filmmaker Magazine)
Distribution
Projecting Outside the Echo Chamber (Filmmaker Magazine)
How to Build Your Documentary's Distribution Strategy (Filmmaker Magazine)
Reality Checks: How the End of Al Jazeera America Will Affect Its Documentaries (indieWIRE)
Short Docs Enjoy Longevity Online (Documentary Magazine)
How Field Of Vision's Quick Production Turnaround Is Changing The Way Documentaries Are Made And Seen (IndieWire)
CreateSpace becomes Amazon Video Direct: What Does it Mean for Filmmakers? (focuspulling.com)
Reality Checks: How the End of Al Jazeera America Will Affect Its Documentaries (indieWIRE)
Short Docs Enjoy Longevity Online (Documentary Magazine)
How Field Of Vision's Quick Production Turnaround Is Changing The Way Documentaries Are Made And Seen (IndieWire)
CreateSpace becomes Amazon Video Direct: What Does it Mean for Filmmakers? (focuspulling.com)
List of International Sales Agencies and Companies for Film and TV (Magda Olchawska)
Diversity
#DocsSoWhite: A Personal Reflection (IDA)
Navigating the River: The Hidden Colonialism in Documentary (IDA)
Oscars Gender Gap: Docs, Foreign Films Twice as Likely to Have Female Directors (The Wrap)
Struggles of Women Directors in America are Universal—A Nod to the Gender Disparity Conversation in Africa (Shadow and Act)
‘Respect the Feathers’: Who Tells Standing Rock’s Story? (New York Times)
Documentary Appreciation
50 Documentaries You Need to See (The Guardian)
How Lucy Walker is Using VR to Write Herself Into the Film History Books (Indiewire)
Editing
Enter the Edit: The Challenges of Being Both Director and Editor (POV Documentary Blog)
Enter the Edit: The Challenges of Being Both Director and Editor (POV Documentary Blog)
Festivals
When to Say No to a Festival (The Film Collaborative)
The Art of the Doc: The Festival Programmers' View (Documentary Magazine)
“Shorter is Better”: Sundance Programmer Mike Plante Offers Advice on Short Film Strategy at the Sundance NEXT Festival (Filmmaker Magazine)
Why film festival submission fees may just be the hidden gatekeeper for undiscovered indie filmmakers, and how to fight back (IndieWire)
Why film festival submission fees may just be the hidden gatekeeper for undiscovered indie filmmakers, and how to fight back (IndieWire)
The Seismic Shift in the World of Film Festivals (Stephen Follows)
Documentary Film Festivals Feel Push on Accuracy (New York Times)
Why Filmmaker Penny Lane Stirred Up the Tribeca 'Vaxxed' Controversy (No Film School)
Documentary Film Festivals Feel Push on Accuracy (New York Times)
Why Filmmaker Penny Lane Stirred Up the Tribeca 'Vaxxed' Controversy (No Film School)
Fundraising - Crowdfunding
Three Ways to Get a Crowd Into Crowdfunding Your Indie Film (John T. Trigonis)
Fundraising - Grants
Documentary Filmmakers Find That an Agenda Helps With Financing (New York Times)
MacArthur Expands its Commitment to Journalism and Media (MacArthur Foundation)
How Creative Capital Replaced the NEA and Taught Artists to Be Ambitious (The Stranger)
How Creative Capital Replaced the NEA and Taught Artists to Be Ambitious (The Stranger)
New Survey Reveals Current Cost of Making Documentaries in Today's Audiovisual Market (Whicker's World Foundation)
Legalities
Documentary Filmmakers Fear More Legal Challenges in Trump Era (Columbia Journalism Review)
Why Documentary Filmmakers Must Take Care of Legal Business Early and Often (indieWIRE)
Photographer Files $1 Billion Suit Against Getty for Licensing Her Public Domain Images (Hyperallergic)
Photographer Files $1 Billion Suit Against Getty for Licensing Her Public Domain Images (Hyperallergic)
Outreach and Marketing
Documentary Activism in the Age of Alternative Facts (Fast Company)
How to Cut a Trailer, "Audiencing" as a Verb, and Branded Content: A Report from DOC NYC's Marketing Bootcamp (Filmmaker Magazine)
11 Essential Twitter Follows for Documentary Filmmakers (No Film School) [P.S. @docsinprogress should be #12)
11 Essential Twitter Follows for Documentary Filmmakers (No Film School) [P.S. @docsinprogress should be #12)
Pitching
How To Successfully Pitch Your Documentary, According To Filmmakers Who Have Done It (indieWIRE)
How To Successfully Pitch Your Documentary, According To Filmmakers Who Have Done It (indieWIRE)
Production
One-Person Crew: The Pros and Cons of Making a Documentary By Yourself (Indiewire)
A Couple Filmmaker Tips for the Pre-Interview (POV)
17 Ways to Hide a Lavalier Mic (Premium Beat)
Essential Lighting Tips All Filmmakers Should Know About (No Film School)
Storytelling
Marjan and Kristina: the Thrill of the Hunt (FRANK)
Documentary is the Fiction of Reality: Behind the Scenes of the Doc Edit and Story Lab (Sundance Institute)
Technique
Expert Tips for First-Time Documentary Filmmakers (Like Myself) (Filmmaker Magazine)
7 Tips on Becoming a Better Editor & Mastering Your Craft (No Film School)
7 Tips on Becoming a Better Editor & Mastering Your Craft (No Film School)
This $250 LED Lighting Kit is Ideal for Filmmakers on a Budget (No Film School)
How to Break Common Compositional Rules to Make Your images Better (No Film School)