The most unique value of the April 21-22 Chicago Documentary Summit “is bringing together a wide variety of experts to discuss a wide variety of topics relating to documentary film,” says Summit originator Andrew Zinnes of Los Angeles.
Zinnes, author of The Documentary Film Makers Handbook, is a former development executive for Norman Lear (All in the Family) and reality TV production manager, Zinnes produced the country music doc Paper Promises.
The two-day, all day program features panels on storytelling from the point of view of commissioning editors, producers, and directors, selling to public TV, cinematography, editing, grants, crowd funding, social media, distribution, and archival footage, with an emphasis on emerging trends in the industry.
And the lineup reads like the who’s who of the city’s nonfiction filmmakers, including John Siskel and Greg Jacobs, Gordon Quinn, Jeff Spitz, Ruth Leitman, Tod Lending, Bob Hercules, Shuling Yong, Alicia Sams, Erin Sorenson, Tim Horsburgh, Julie Keck and Jessica King, plus intellectual property attorney Thomas Leavens.
More will get a little in reality trend
One of the trends Zinnes has been seeing as the Summit tours major filmmaking cities is “a rise in non-fiction TV over pure documentary, and I’m not sure it’s good or bad,” he says.
”I think it’s starting to really take hold where networks want series rather than one-off docs to program because they can make more money that way.
The good news is that an enterprising documentary filmmaker can use this trend to his advantage. He can make money working on these shows so he can live while working on his longer indie documentary projects, which will feed his soul.
“The budgets for the networks haven’t really increased much over the last ten years and yet they want more non-fiction, so there’s less to give to filmmakers, but more will get a little.”
Zinnes high on new funding sources
Outside of traditional network and foundation funding, Zinnes sees a number of technological developments that lower the barriers of entry for doc funding, production and distribution, at the same time placing downward pressure on budgets and sales figures.
“Filmmakers can use social media to raise money for their film without having to get grants or a network to go through their long cycles,” Zinnes says. “Or they can at least get the money together to make a trailer to get grants or sell it onward.
“All the social media outlets are brilliant for creating awareness about the film, but you still have to have the human touch by meeting the community leaders first. Once you do that, the gates open tremendously.”
Distribution models rapidly changing
Zinnes sees distribution undergoing a similar process, as traditional models concede market share to newer, less certain structures.
“VOD and streaming are going to surpass DVD in the next 10-15 years (if not sooner) as a main distribution platform, but perhaps the biggest and most exciting news are DIY distribution platforms like Dynamo Player and Distrify,” he says.
“Now you don’t have to wait at all to start monetizing your film. You can put it up right away and start charging per download in minutes.
HDSLR has the biggest impact on doc making
And on the production side, he posits the advent of HDSLR as the technological development with the biggest impact for doc making.
“Now that people have the ability to use great lenses on cameras that have fantastic sensors for reasonable amounts of money, there’s no excuse for a film to look bad visually,” Zinnes says.
“Cameras like the Red Epic are taking DSLR technology and putting them into slightly larger bodies that allow you to have the great lenses, record onto one unit and have a bit more stability. Still, without the DSLRs, this wouldn’t have happened.”
Filmmakers have more control over their projects
Filmmakers are able to take the means of funding, production and distribution into their own hands more now than ever before, Zinnes argues.
“Since the technology has gotten cheaper and the means to raise funds is more immediate, it’s leveled the playing field significantly. The same goes with distribution as there are more platforms to put media on, but they aren’t paying as much as they once did.
”But if you are effective at building a community around your film, you can use the DIY platforms to cut out the middle man and keep all the revenue for yourself,” Zinnes states.
These are some of the topics that will be examined at the Documentary Summit, April 21-22, 9 a.m.-6 p.m. at Columbia College Film Row Cinema, 1104 S. Wabash Ave., 8th floor. Ticket price is $149.
