Both sides have claimed early victories in the case of documentarian Joe Berlinger vs. Chevron over access to the raw footage he shot for his expose “Crude” on Amazonian oil exploitation. I’ve blogged about the case and the filmmaking community reaction here.
On Thursday, the appeals judge ruled that Berlinger must turn over Crude [...]
Tags:crude·Documentary·film distribution·Filmmaking·first amendment·freedom·freedom of the press·Future of public media·independent film·joe berlinger·journalism·Public Affairs
I’m thrilled to have been selected to attend the 25 person “CPB/PBS Producer’s Academy” at WGBH in Boston in late June. As students we have already been assigned quite a bit of homework and have learned who are classmates are. A very accomplished lot!
Here is a short video about the most recent work of Chelo [...]
Tags:CPB/PBS Producer's Academy·Documentary·social change·social issues·transmedia storytelling·video gaming
Throughout the ongoing transition from analog to digital broadcasting, we’ve struggled with the multiple formats that our servers, sat receivers and master control equipment have to contend with.
One of the worst developments is to find 4:3 (original TV ratio) programs showing up “postage stamped” with black bars at the sides AND the top and bottom. [...]
Tags:aspect ratio·David Lynch·digital·Digital Television·digital transition·editing tricks·Interview Project·postage stamp
This group is looking worldwide, but I wonder how PBS might respond to this group’s plea.
Lobby group wants to make docs a priority for PSBs
by Kelly Anderson
At the recent Hot Docs festival, MercuryMedia CEO Tim Sparke took the opportunity to announce the launch of the Documentary Distributors’ Association, a group [...]
Tags:Documentary·film distribution·Future of public media·Hot Docs·PBS·public television
This ruling represents a shocking setback for investigative documentary journalism. The IDA and filmmaker Patrick Creadon (I.O.U.S.A., Wordplay) are circulating an open letter to show suport for freedom of the press. More info to come in this space about how to sign on to the letter.
Juan Diego Pérez/Entendre Films An Ecuadorean cancer [...]
Tags:chevron·court case·crude·Documentary·freedom of the press·IDA·joe berlinger·patrick creadon·ruling
Dispatch from Toronto | Hot Docs ’10: Pitch Perfect at the Toronto Documentary Forum
by Basil Tsiokos (May 7, 2010)
The scene at the Toronto Documentary Forum. Photo courtesy of Hot Docs/Joseph Michael.
Hundreds of broadcasters, funders, filmmakers, and other observers convened this Wednesday and Thursday morning for the Toronto Documentary Forum, North America’s largest documentary market, [...]
The Japanese I-400 Class Submarine was an underwater aircraft carrier — a top-secret weapon so potent that it very nearly changed the course of the war. JAPANESE SUPER SUB answers many questions that still surround this unusual weapon: How did the Japanese create this technological marvel? How dangerous was it? Could it really have changed [...]
Tags:Documentary·Education·Educational Programming·Filmmaking·Mountain Lake PBS·PBS·PBS History
Tribeca looks to expand notion of film festival
By JAKE COYLE (AP) – 6 days ago
NEW YORK — When British director Mat Whitecross was growing up in Oxford, only so many movies screened in his local cinema — and not the intriguing movies he read about playing at film festivals or elsewhere.
Whitecross estimates [...]
Tags:Documentary·Filmmaking·guerilla marketing·independent film·Online video·Tribeca Film Festival·Video on Demand·VOD