Female Documentary Filmmaker at RTR this year :-)

[OutdoorFT]

I wasnt there, but Id be interested in watching.

 

[Ballenxj]

I'd be interested in seeing it as well, but I hope it will be on youtube, or similar that can be watched online. I don't generally watch TV anymore.

 

[highdesertranger]

I have been thinking about it too. but I realize there is probably a lot of editing which takes a lot longer then actually shooting. highdesertranger

 

[PaigeB]

Greetings, Paige, from a fellow Iowan...

Was this you?

 

[PaigeB]

Hi Everyone!

Sorry for the late update; I have been meaning to write here and let you all know what is happening with the film. 
The documentary is not finished yet. I do have a TON of footage and am going through it and finding the story.
I had pitched some smaller video stories from RTR to some outlets but no bites yet. I will, however, be editing a half hour piece at some point this year and will keep you all posted as to what happens with it, as well as any shorter pieces I might be able to place.
I had a blast at RTR and so enjoyed meeting so many of you and getting to hear your stories.
Meanwhile, here is a little clip of Randy Vining you all might enjoy.

[video=vimeo]https://vimeo.com/212288021[/video]

Thank you,
Paige Bierma

 

[Goshawk]

Nice Paige !


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Ballenxj]

Silly question, why was this named a "Female" documentary Filmmaker at RTR?

 

[Tomcor]

I am reposting this.

So what happened with the Filmaker at the RTR. She took tons of video footage. Would be nice to see the results. PBS or ?

RTR 2017 was filmed professionally but this filmmaker. Still waiting for some of info about if this footage will ever be released.

 

[tx2sturgis]

Sometimes the result takes awhile.

In 2010 I contributed some video content to a film project and the final result took almost 2 years to end up where it was view-able on the web.

Hmmmm....maybe I need to make a call...

 

[akrvbob]

Nothing has come of it yet. In the high-end video world, things move very slowly.

 

[CityWoman]

Feature-length documentaries can take quite a long time to complete. Years, even. All the YouTube vids out there might lead one to believe that making a doc is quick and easy, but it's not like that if you are a pro working with professional equipment, want high production values, and need to find the hook in the story that gets it sold. And with scripted projects, at least you know what the beginning, middle, and end are. But with docs, you gather the footage and the story reveals itself in the logging and editing stages, and can keep changing as you go. In documentary filmmaking, patience is key.

 

[CityWoman]

... with docs, you gather the footage and the story reveals itself in the logging and editing stages, and can keep changing as you go.

Oh, I wanted to add that it can even take a long time to manage the media in the workflow process (backup, RAID storage, cataloging every clip, etc.) before it even gets to the editing stage.

And also, consider that the filmmaker might look at the footage and decide that the RTR is part of a bigger story which needs additional footage shot. So, for example, she might want to log and store all the media and then get on the road to interview nomads she meets at campgrounds, Walmarts, or other kinds of events and smaller get-togethers. She might want to interview relatives and employers of vandwellers, van conversion companies, police departments in places where there are a lot of vandwellers, product manufacturers, or RV organizations, all for their perspectives. And she might decide to shoot at the next couple of RTRs as well, so that the story spans a few years.

Each of those could be different chapters of whatever story she wants to tell, or whatever story she can get into festivals or sold to distributors, which is another time-consuming process, especially if you want the right festival (only certain kinds qualify for the big awards), and the right distributor.

It ain't always easy, nor simple.

 

[tx2sturgis]

By gawd you're hired!

 

[CityWoman]

By gawd you're hired!

I wish!

Making a documentary is a labor of love. Most documentarians pour all their money and resources into it but make very little, if any, back.

 

[tx2sturgis]

And the many, many hours of video (or film) that are shot, plus all of the audio, and all that, maybe hundreds of hours, has to be edited down to a half hour to an hour or so.

That's not always easy, and its rampant all over youtube as I have seen any number of videos where a 15 minute video could have been done in 5 minutes.

I have seen some videos where the person just rambles on about...mostly nothing....for 45 minutes.

I dont do much of that stuff anymore, but I used to keep hacking away with the delete button until my video was under 7 minutes...if at all possible.

I figure a significant number of youtube viewers (the ones I'm aiming at) are not interested enough to even click on videos that are over 10 minutes or so....but most of us will click on 5 or 6 minute videos many times a day.

And for documentaries, you have all that post production stuff......fact checking, re-dubbing, foley, acquired media and the rights to use it...legal issues, licensing, etc etc etc...

And when its all said and done, it takes a LONG time to count the piles and piles of money you made...

 

[CityWoman]

What you're talking about is called shooting ratio. Shooting ratio will depend on the filmmaker and the type of media used, but an oft-cited average for contemporary feature-length documentaries is a shooting ratio of about 25:1. That means that every 25 minutes of footage shot will result in 1 minute onscreen in the completed project, approximately. Since the filmmaker who started this thread hopes to sell her project to PBS and get it into festivals, I'm assuming it will be feature length, at approx. 1.5 to 2 hours long. So that would mean she needs at least 37 to 50 hours of footage to work with. However, lots of documentaries have much higher shooting ratios. 50:1 is not uncommon. It depends on the story.

For comparison, a narrative (scripted) feature-length film generally has a shooting ratio of about 15:1 or 20:1 because there is a level of control during a shoot that does not happen with documentaries. Short docs of 10 to 15 mins will have a lower ratio, as will any project shot on film (film stock is expensive!).

I agree that most videos I come across on YT would benefit from more cutting. As they say, characters onscreen should "enter late and leave early." We don't need to see someone get up out of their chair, walk across the room, and open the door - just cut to them at the door!

 

[tx2sturgis]

I'll get back to you on that....still counting my piles of money!

 

[CityWoman]

. . . still counting my piles of money!

All those piles must be heavy. Let me help you with that! {evil grin}

 

[tx2sturgis]

Are you in the filmmaking business? It sure sounds like it!.....

A few years ago, I was contacted by a lady in Manhattan in the reality show industry...they wanted to use a clip I had on youtube....but we did not agree on the terms so the deal was a no go...

So I guess that 'pile' of money is actually a bit shorter than I would like!

 

[Reno]

CityWoman/tx2sturgis:

One or both of you should be giving a seminar at the RTR on how to make compelling, consise videos. This seminar should be mandatory for all attendees with a YT channel !