OK, so we talked in Tip # 10 about not submitting at the final deadline.  Part of not waiting to submit late is about planning. Filmmakers are expected to spend a lot of time in planning their documentaries - from researching and planning what you want to film to how you are going to raise funds for it to your shooting schedule and shot list to logs and transcripts to your editing script or EDL to your added materials like music and archival. Often less time is planned for how the film is actually going to get out there. The plan often consists of "Get into Sundance. Get it into theaters. Sell it to a broadcaster. Move on to Next Film."  But even the minority of filmmakers who are lucky, talented, and savvy enough to actually follow through on this plan don't do so without a lot of research and planning.

It€™s been a few years since I€™ve been to Full Frame in Durham, North Carolina. America€™s first all-documentary festival, Full Frame is now entering its 13th year. As in the past, it draws documentary industry from across the United States, as well as a healthy number of locals from the Research Triangle area who appreciate documentary film. This is my fourth time at the festival in the past 10 years and I must say that Full Frame continues to be one of my favorite film festivals for the fact that, as it grows larger, it remains true to its small-town spirit.