How to make money as a documentary filmmaker

With so much enthusiasm for nonfiction filmmaking, more affordable filmmaking tools, and a plethora of compelling content, it might arguably be the best time in the history of film to be a documentary filmmaker.

How to Win an Oscar for Best Documentary Or At Least Try. The United States of America v. Every year, I do one or three or four TV commercial projects. On the upside, filmmaking is cheaper than ever. Berlinger recalled how expensive it was to shoot on film back when he was starting out two decades ago.

But with the lower cost comes another cost: Of course, being a documentary filmmaker has never been an easy or lucrative trade. But when a friend inquired if he might be interested in shooting wedding videos, he jumped at the chance.

Filming weddings was the ideal gig to support his documentary filmmaking career because not only did it pay well, but it also helped him hone his craft as a documentarian.

It also eventually culminated in a feature film. Block, who has been filming his own projects sinceagrees with Berlinger and Curry that making a livelihood out of documentary filmmaking is becoming increasingly challenging. But how many of those first-time filmmakers will be able to make a second film or sustain a career? This Article is related to: Festivals and tagged DocumentaryDoug BlockFilmmaker Toolkit: Americans have nothing interesting to say, and are crowding the market with self-absorbed rubbish.

We need higher quality, lower volume. I am an independent documentary filmmaker.

The longer you survive, higher the chance is! A 25 year career working my way up the ranks, through movies and commercials, to become a producer, and now I am working on documentaries for less money than I was making 20 years ago. There is love and then there is reality. A very few lucky people can earn a decent amount of money making documentaries, but that is far and few between.

The rest of us have to have day jobs in order to support the passion projects. And this has definitely been made worse by technology, low budgets and a plethora of film students graduating every year who will work for free.

Been making mostly indie docs and some television for 30 years. We indie filmmakers — non-fiction filmmakers — documentarians — whatever we call ourselves — are subject to the same macroeconomic forces as the folks who serve our fast food…as our academic brethren, etc. Lower barriers to entry, supply and demand, technological innovation, changing market forces.

I have no answers, only forex trading volume definition. We how to make money as a documentary filmmaker laying the groundwork for a comprehensive quantitative study and analysis of our field. While we cannot change market forces, we can analyze and assess how they can be dealt with. Qualitative information is essential, however, follow the money — it often sheds light on the issues how to get a lot of money in ac4 grapple with in terms of sustainability, ageism, racism, gender disparity, classism, unintended exploitation, bad business practices, etc.

We as a community need to look at ourselves long and hard to find ways to make excellent work that will be seen by audiences, while being responsible to our families, children, communities, fellow workers….

The list goes on. In the meantime, check out the Future of Music Coalition.

They are leap years ahead of us. I know plenty of doc makers who work in reality tv, which pays the bills. There's no disgrace in having a day job. My gear was stolen when i was forced to move to a bad neighborhood. My girlfriend broke up with me when weddings and birth videos were how much do you make on savings bonds enough to get us out stock cd changer aftermarket radio forclosure crisis reliably.

I live in my airstream now and I'm living on student loans and charity while scrambling for work that pays less than I made in the s. Yes, the market is glutted, but it's also the lack of government support for the arts that simply typifies the USA's continued slide in crass oligarchy. It's not class warfare when one side can barely fight back. But like Nick says it was never about the money for me.

It's just that my beater car doesn't run on dreams, and I can't feed children on integrity. In how to make money as a documentary filmmaker perfect world that'd be a great sentiment, Nick, seriously.

But when you have to pay the bills, mortgage, etc.

Docunomics: The Money, Markets and Business of Nonfiction | International Documentary Association

I have an answer. Create because you love it and because you feel that you have something you want to express. Making a career of your art is and should be secondary. Stop worrying about being renowned and making money and create because you have to. The best artists create because they need to express something inside of themselves, not because they need to be rewarded for it.

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Making a Living as a Documentary Filmmaker Is Harder Than Ever. Paula Bernstein Jun 11, 9: Share This Article Reddit LinkedIn WhatsApp Email Print Talk.

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5 Lessons Learned from my Profitable Indie Documentary

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