The Library

So I have been a bit quiet about my filmmaking progress since my big proclamation a couple of months ago. I have been reading a lot on my topic, taking notes, and reading some more. I am to a point now where I have hit a bit of a wall. I’ve done my research and now I need to start actually planning a production schedule which will begin with finding interview subjects. I have a few in mind, but I still feel myself getting really nervous when I am about to compose an email to any of them. Something I will have to overcome soon if I actually want this film to become anything more than a notebook full of scribbles.

Another stumbling block that I have encountered recently is finding a school willing to let me visit their playground and interview their students. I have never had to deal with obtaining school and parent permissions for including children in a film. Has anyone had experience with this? If so, I would greatly appreciate any advice. 

P.S. Kino-eye.com is a great resource for documentary film students. I know I will be referring to it a lot in the coming months.

I began researching my documentary several months ago knowing very little about the subject or even what exactly I wanted to accomplish through making a film on the subject. It was daunting to say the least. I decided to plunge ahead by reading everything I could find and then start a list of questions I wanted to answer through the film. I ended up with a very solid list of questions and a nice little elevator pitch that summarizes what I am going for:

“Playground songs are an aspect of children’s folk culture seemingly unbound by time or geography. This film will explore these songs, where they come from, how they are transmitted, and how they evolve. These songs, transmitted orally from generation to generation are a reflection of the creativity and playfulness of childhood.”

Next I will be working on a proposal and treatment for the project. I am not planning on using the proposal to seek funding but it is certainly helping me get my brain in order and figure out what and when I need to shoot. Solid pre-production planning is soooo important in making a film, any film. As is a lot of research. here are a few links I found helpful when doing my research and proposal writing. Have any other tips for my pre-pro journey? I would love to hear them.

Writing a documentary treatment

Lights Film School: How to write a documentary treatment

How to write a documentary script

My name is Carson and I am a filmmaker who hasn’t made a film in a very long time. Very long. This is my confession.

I began volunteering with NW Documentary shortly after moving to Portland five years ago because I thought that being a part of the documentary film community would inspire me to continue making films. I have had many amazing experiences working with NW Documentary but they unfortunately have not included working on my own documentaries. This leads me to a second confession, the reason I have become a defunct filmmaker is because I am afraid of failure and the longer I have gone without making a film the more terrified I have become. Whew. 

The reason I am blogging about this here on the Library @ NW Doc blog is two-fold. First, my primary goal for this blog is to be a a resource for filmmakers, in particular, student filmmakers. I have a feeling that I am not the only one out there struggling with confidence issues and I hope that sharing my experiences will help someone out. Secondly, I have decided to be defunct no more and have been working on research for a short documentary that I will be making over the next several months. I hope to use this blog to chronicle my journey and hopefully pass along wisdom and resources that I find along the way. 

The first bit of wisdom I will pass along to any of you out there that would like to make a film but have a pile of excuses standing in your way—find a support group. NW Documentary will soon be launching monthly meetings that invite NW Doc alumni, students, and any one else looking for support and feedback to come together and share ideas. If you are interested in joining in on the fun at NW Doc and are living in the Portland area let me know. 

Stay tuned for an introduction to the film I am working on and links to pre-production resources.