The State of the Documentary [Panel]

[Martin Weiss]

Coffee and Celluid has a nice post summing up a recent panel on documentary production. A recommended read for anyone working in the doc genre.

http://coffeeandcelluloid.com/2008/07/15/the-state-of-the-documentary-panel/


Biggest mistakes:

• Not writing name and phone on DVD
• Go for best quality you can afford. Sometimes stuff is turned down because quality doesn’t meet standards.
• Picking subject that doesn’t sustain the length.
• Not pushing hard enough. Push the subject.
• Being too long
• Subject covered a lot of times before
• Unrealistic expectations with music licensing.
• Not enough stills for Press Kit
• High Quality (True HD) if possible
• Follow the delivery schedule companies have. Missing a few elements can make a film unreleasable.