Why do we make docs, anyway?

[IjabaFilms]

I love people. I make docs because I'm fascinated with the lives people lead. With my last two docs I even came to the conclusion that I'm going to most likely start only filming positive docs. That is ones that don't have a "gut puncher" in them. It's just a preference. I also think because I find docs extremely easy to shoot, that makes them more appealing to me as well.

I make a living on just one documentary. So I can't really say I agree that docs are not financially lucrative. It depends on what your financial goals are. Mine were simply to bring in a minimum of $2,800/month in DVD sales which is what I was making working an IT job. I was able to do that with my first doc (filmed with a consumer camcorder). I didn't even make it your standard length. It's three volumes (with each volume sold individually and then offered as a 3 disc set). So I was able to buy a DVX100b and some other good equipment and film two new docs well. I think they too will be financially lucrative (and I'll be releasing two versions of it - general audience and academic). But my idea of financial success is simply having enough to live comfortably on and at the same time have enough to continue making more docs.

 

[timbook2]

I love people. I make docs because I'm fascinated with the lives people lead. With my last two docs I even came to the conclusion that I'm going to most likely start only filming positive docs. That is ones that don't have a "gut puncher" in them. It's just a preference. .

I just got back from shooting a doc in India, its not finished yet. Strangely you are using almost the same words I use: my bread and butter job is journalism, so negativity prevails, which is why WHEN I MAKE MY OWN DOC, I want to tell POSITIVE stories

I think more and more people are sick from seeing the negativeness in day to day journalism. btw I just saw a nice Swiss doc in India about hippies who remained in India.
Its called Hippie Masala and I would like to highly recommend it for its sensible way of avoiding ANY voiceover/comment.
http://www.snagfilms.com/films/title/hippie_masala/

Another one which I liked:

Himalaya - Dem Himmel nah HIMALAYA, LE CHEMIN DU CIEL (Originaltitel), L (Land) Frankreich, J (Jahr) 2008, Dokumentarfilm, P (Produktionsfirma) Zed, Länge: 65 Minuten, FSK: , Erstaufführung: 9.12.2008 arte R (Regie) Marianne Chaud, B (Drehbuch) Marianne Chaud.

I hardly ever watch movies, if I watch TV I ONLY watch documentaries ( but not the discovery channel crap).

 

[grinner]

I like to document.
I have no short term memory so now video is an awesome way for me to actually remember.
But I was documenting far before the ole noodle was dinged too many times. I enjoy story-telling.

 

[IjabaFilms]

I think more and more people are sick from seeing the negativeness in day to day journalism.

I would like to highly recommend it for its sensible way of avoiding ANY voiceover/comment.

Yeah, documentaries have become "x" amount of minutes of bad road. What kind of culture has art that takes you to the abyss and never brings you back?

I recently did a doc on indentical twins (who are from a large Cuban family) and I had someone look at one of the trailers and ask "what is this film about?" and I had to look at the trailer again. I thought perhaps I may have failed at conveying my message. But when I watched it again... nope. What the film was about was clearly stated in the first 20 seconds. but then the person said they couldn't get a feel for the film and told me about their film on the struggle of Cubans coming to the US. And it occurred to me that this person was looking for something that wasn't there. They were looking for the "gut punch" that never came.

Anyway, I also don't share many filmmaker's attitudes about narration in docs. Being a musician/spoken word artist first, I have a different perspective on the use of audio for storytelling. Again, just a preference. Creativity knows no limits.