The Documentary Filmmaker's Roadmap

The Documentary Filmmaker's Roadmap is a concise and practical guide to making a feature-length documentary film-from funding to production to distribution, exhibition and marketing. Using her award-winning film Musicwood-a New York Times Critics' Pick-as a case study, director Maxine Trump guides the reader through the complex lifecycle of the documentary Film. Her interviews with lawyers, funders, distributors, TV executives and festival programmers provide a behind-the-scenes look that will assist readers on their own filmmaking journey. Written from the perspective of a successful documentary filmmaker, the book covers mistakes made and lessons learned, a discussion on the documentary genre, crowdfunding, pre-production through post, test screenings, the festival circuit distribution, legal pitfalls, fair use and more. Perfect for documentary filmmaking students and aspiring filmmakers alike, this book emphasizes the skills needed to succeed in a competitive production market. An appendix includes useful web links for further study, a list of films for recommended viewing and sample release forms. This concise guide is ideal for the classroom or as a quick reference out in the field, at a budget meeting or in the editing room.

Maxine Trump got her start in radio and television, working for seven years in development and commissioning for BBC Comedy in the UK. She emigrated to the US in 2003 to become a director of television commercials and has received both Gold and Silver BDA awards for her work. She went on to direct short documentaries and TV shows for various networks including TNT, the Sundance Channel and Discovery.

Introduction; 1). Research: Choosing Your Story; 2). Archive or Third-Party Materials; 3). Pre-Production; 4). How to Choose Documentary Genres; 5). Budget; 6). Filmmakers' Costs; 7). Production; 8). Funding; 9). Social Media and Print Assets; 10). Crowdfunding; 11). The Edit; 12). Case Study - Cartel Land Edit; 13). Copyright Law, Third-Party Material, Archive; 14). Brain Trusts, Test Screenings, and Outreach; 15). In Conversation With: Fork Films Funder; Women Make Movies Distributor; DOC NYC Festival; PBS POV Television Strand Exhibitor; 16). Festivals; 17). Distribution (or Selling and Income); 18). Theatrical; 19). Press and Marketing; 20). TV and Streaming; 21). In Conclusion; 22). Appendix; 23). About the Author