Writer’s Guild East Web TV Master Class

WIFTI Summit 2012 and ScriptDC
University of California, Washington Center in Washington, DC
Panelists: Julie Anne Emory, Timothy Cooper, Thom Woodley
Moderator: Ursula Lawrence
Sunday, December 2, 2012

Writer: Heather Godwin, Writer and Producer

Since I’m no longer twenty-four, I decided to jump on the chance to take the Web TV Master Class at the WIFTI International Summit to ensure I was staying current. Okay, the truth is I didn’t have a clue. What the heck is this Web TV I keep hearing about, and why can’t I keep blissfully ignoring it?  It turns out that Web TV is something no independent producer, amateur video geek or artist should ignore. It is an exciting new platform to share ideas, the new way for writers and producers to introduce the world to their work, and for the first time EVER – a platform for indie episodic TV.

According to Web TV pioneer Thom Woodley (who is also the writer of those brilliant Dos Equis commercials), the whole thing began in 2005 when YouTube came out and we got broadband.  The creator of the ground-breaking webisode series,  Greg and Donny, Thom played the teaser for his new Webseries  called All’s Faire,  a send-up on the cultish world of Renaissance Fairs.  The closing shot is of a sword plunging through a laptop with the titles, “Coming soon to a Computer near you.”  A sharp reminder of this changing world we live in.

Thom’s comprehensive presentation gave an overview of what he does (LOTS–check out the photo above) and the what and why of the Webseries world.  What is it? Episodic video entertainment on the web delivered via the Internet instead of through satellite, cable or broadcast.  What it is not is film or TV. He then broke out the many differences between the conventional platforms and the new web platform, from format style to how people watch it (on a small screen, for one) and provided interesting statistics.  For instance, in thirty seconds up to 33% of your audience is gone, in one minute 44% are gone, and almost 60% have abandoned it completely by the two minute mark.  Boy – better have something that grabs and keeps their attention.

The why was simple – because you can.  Web TV is indeed an indie producer’s paradise. You can shoot your project on an iphone, make something twenty seconds or twenty hours long (the longest YouTube video is two days) and it can be just about ANYTHING you want. The trick, of course, is to drive the number of views. Right now the winner is Gangnam Style at over eight hundred and sixty eight MILLION views.  Poor Justin Bieber had to take a backseat to the Korean dance marvel.  But seriously, what TV show has those numbers???

Next up was screenwriter and director, Timothy Cooper, whose newest web series was nominated for the WGA Award for Outstanding Achievement in Writing Original New Media in 2011.  His newest web series, Concierge, stars comedians from Saturday Night Live, 30 Rock and other well-known shows.  Timothy walked us through the process of producing a webseries, which was very much the same as producing an indie film – find friends with gear, don’t make something on a spaceship, feed everyone, and spend your money on good audio. Of course, the trick with a web TV show is – you have less than 30 seconds to start your story.  Forget the first five pages – the show is over by then. “Don’t be precious,” he advised. “Less is more.”  His creative slide presentation (see above photo) broke down even the most basic production elements for those who haven’t stepped foot into the world of production. Because the truth is, even though YouTube is truly available to everyone who wants to upload a video, it’s still production.

Next up was Julie Anne Emory, an actress who writes, produces and directs her own award winning webseries, called Then We Got Help! Julie’s presentation covered the marketing aspects of not only how to get people to view your video, but also how to use Crowd Funding sources like Kickstarter (above photo is Julie showing the group her Kickstarter video) and Indiegogo to raise money.  Social media plays a huge part in the marketing of these series, since it is a web-based viewership. She also graciously included a chart of different companies that you could approach to help you create, distribute and monetize your project. She then broke it down into four categories: Old School, (i.e. NFL, Amazon.com, Ikea); Digital Majors (i.e.YouTube, Aol, Netflix); Digital Indies (i.e. deca, blip, BrightRoll) and Big Names (i.e. The Fine Brothers, vimeo, Digital Video Ecosystem) The overarching thing I got from Julie’s presentation was – like any independent project, to really get viewership, raise money and make money – you had to put in the time to become your own marketing, PR and distribution company.  But that shouldn’t stop those from posting something just for fun.

That’s the beauty of this new format – you can be serious about it, but it’s equally as accessible for those who want to do it just because. No beating down a door to get someone to see your personal masterpiece, simply join YouTube and make your own channel.

Ursula Lawrence concluded the three hour workshop with information about the East Coast Writer’s Guild of America and what a terrific resource it is for writers of all kinds. They now have an active Web TV component, also invite documentarians and have a really active chapter that hosts workshops, meet-ups and numerous resources any producer and writer can take advantage of.

I left inspired that the creative world has been handed a new universe to play in called the World Wide Web.  This is probably the most innovative, inviting and forgiving opportunity video artists have ever had to express themselves and make art for art’s sake.  What an exciting world we live in – I say dive in and swim with the geeks.

About the Writer: Heather Godwin, Writer and Producer

Heather Godwin freelances in television production, writing and events.  Her short documentary film, Ode to Treasure Hammock Ranch – A Film about Cows and Creativity screened at the Global Peace Film Festival and Bellamy Road Gallery in Florida under Spiritpaddle Films.

Past is Prologue: Finding New Audiences for Existing Footage

WIFTI Summit 2012 and ScriptDC
University of California Washington Center in Washington, DC
Saturday, Dec. 1, 2012 – 11:45a – 1:15p

Panel: Pamela Yates, Skylight Pictures; Grace Guggenheim, Guggenheim Productions
Moderator: Peggy Parsons, National Gallery of Art and Woman of Vision 2012

Writer: Heather Godwin, WIFV DC Member

I admit I was intrigued by the title of this session. As an emerging documentary filmmaker, I have boxes of tapes with (what I think is) fabulous footage that’s never been used and I have devotedly hung onto it, thinking, maybe some day…

Pamela Yates is a co-founder of Skylight Pictures (with Peter Kinoy), a company dedicated to creating films and digital media tools that advance awareness of human rights and the quest for justice by implementing multi-year outreach campaigns designed to engage, educate and activate social change.

Right off the bat, I was humbled by the work these women have done.  Pamela Yates, of Skylight Pictures, is a filmmaker dedicated to making films that advance the quest for human rights. Four of her films were nominated for the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance, and When the Mountains Tremble took the Special Jury Award in 1984.  Grace Guggenheim is an Academy Award-winning producer and the daughter of renowned documentarian, Charles Guggenheim. Many of her films are in use at museums and libraries across the US, and she currently manages the preservation of her father’s legacy at The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences/Academy Film Archive in Los Angeles, the JFK Presidential Library in Boston and advises the programming committee for The Charles Guggenheim Center for Documentary Film at the National Archives.  Seriously heavy hitters.

Pamela started the session recounting how she came to make When the Mountains Tremble, a film about a then unknown genocide occurring in Guatemala.  She heard about a “hidden war” while she was there working as a film recordist and was compelled to begin documenting the story on 16mm in 1982. The film was finished and screened around the world, received awards, and brought to light a human rights atrocity that no one knew was happening.

It was many years later that Pamela learned the film had actually never officially screened in Guatemala.  She arranged to make that happen, and was approached by a lawyer who asked if she still had her outtakes. Apparently two of the generals in the film were currently being investigated for war crimes. The outtakes became crucial evidence in convicting two of the generals for genocide. Suddenly an incredibly profound purpose came to light for footage that initially landed on the cutting room floor.

Pamela also learned that the current generation of children in Guatemala had never been taught about the genocide in school, many of whom had family members that were victims.  She realized there was yet another purpose for the hours of unused material. Utilizing the outtake footage of herself making When the Mountains Tremble, coupled with newfound evidence that helped identify victims of the hidden war, Pamela created a new film called Granito. She also began an interactive program to help bring to life the memories of those family members the children were never given the chance to know. These were truly powerful examples of using existing footage for new audiences.

Grace Guggenheim has been producing films for more than twenty years. As a Producer for Guggenheim Productions she oversaw production for Berga: Soldiers of Another War, A Place in the Land, The Johnstown Flood and Harry S. Truman:1884 -1972, among others. Many of her films are in use at museums and libraries across the US and several received Academy Award® awards or nominations. Ms. Guggenheim is managing the preservation of Charles Guggenheim’s legacy at The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences/Academy Film Archive in Los Angeles and The John F. Kennedy Presidential Library in Bostonand advises the programming committee for The Charles Guggenheim Center for Documentary Film located at the National Archives.

Grace then followed with a more light-hearted story to tell, but no less interesting and imperative. She began by presenting what she believes to be the first film her father ever made – as a teenager at a dude ranch in Wyoming. The 8mm gem was sent to Grace after her father passed away. The sender was his partner in crime at the time, and wanted the family to have the reel.  Titled, Sagecoach, it was a knock off of the John Wayne era westerns shot with the teenage campers in full regalia playing the roles, and Charles driving the stage coach (See photo above).  Done as a silent film, it was hilarious to watch how these teenagers fashioned their own mini-western. Grace had so many questions she wanted to ask the “co-producer” of the film about the hand her father had in its making, but Charles’ camp buddy died a short six months after sending the reel and Grace never had the opportunity.

As a filmmaker and archivist, she deals frequently with the transition of analog media to digital media – a complicated and delicate process.  The film her father made in 1965 for the completion of the St. Louis Arch still screens today for the hundreds of thousands of visitors that visit the famed arch.  At one point, the National Park Service finally surrendered to the notion of transferring the film onto a digital platform.  This was no easy task, since the film had been recorded in mono, was decades old and since historical in nature, also comprised of a combination of archival footage and material.  Grace talked about the ethical issues behind altering the sound from its original state, enhancing the picture quality through modern digital techniques and even re-doing credits and title pages.

In the business of archiving and preserving historical films, Grace is often approached by clients looking to modernize or resurrect films made in previous years. The challenges are many. Sometimes an historic photo critical to the storytelling can’t be found – perhaps it was originally loaned to the filmmaker and the original owner can’t be located. Or the picture itself has gone missing, forcing difficult compromises.

Because of her father’s legacy in making historic documentaries, Grace has become vigilant in cataloguing and organizing everything the family business produces now.  From the stories both these talented and accomplished women shared, it became clear that we should all follow their examples and treat our footage as diamonds in the rough that may one day become polished gems. Maybe I will crack those boxes open someday…

About the Writer: Heather Godwin, WIFV DC Member

Heather Godwin freelances in television production, writing and events.  Her short documentary film, Ode to Treasure Hammock Ranch – A Film about Cows and Creativity screened at the Global Peace Film Festival and Bellamy Road Gallery in Florida under Spiritpaddle Films.

It Happened One Night: Documentary Structure and Storytelling

WIFTI Summit 2012
University of California Washington Center
Saturday December 1, 2012; 4:15-5:45 pm

Writer: Heather Godwin, WIFV DC Member

Every battle is won, before it is ever fought.
Sun Tzu, Chinese Military Strategist (544BC-496BC)

Adele Schmidt is an award-winning film producer, educator, and consultant. In the past 15 years she has produced eight long format award-winning documentaries, all broadcast on national public television. As a co-founder of Rockville, MD based production company Zeitgeist Media LLC, she is currently producing a series of documentaries on progressive rock music

This was the quote that documentary dynamo, Adele Schmidt, began her session with for the WIFTI International Summit’s hour and a half session on documentary storytelling. Boy did that hit home for me.Having recently completed my first documentary film ever (after what seems a veritable lifetime of starting and stopping numerous projects) my battle scars from mental head banging, technical turmoil and high artistic anxiety are still throbbing.  I refused to let this project end up in yet one more pretty box, holding precious footage going nowhere. I stubbornly persevered, determined to win this time and I am now the proud owner of a twenty-seven minute film called, “Ode to Treasure Hammock Ranch”. Even though I managed to finish one, I was thrilled to see the topic of documentary story structure listed on the summit’s offerings. Maybe the next one wouldn’t be such a fight, I thought, if I at least had a map of the territory. “It Happened One Night, Documentary Structure and Storytelling” proved to offer just that. Adele’s class gave us a clear and concise battle plan for the murky business of telling the stories of life.

“If you go into it with the right morale – that you are going to make it and going to win – you can win that battle by planning and having solid story structure,” said Adele, who is an award winning documentarian and teacher at American University.  Of German descent, Adele used a powerpoint presentation and clips from the film, Threading the Needle to illustrate documentary story structure as she vivaciously led us through the process and charmed us with her thick, German accent.

She began briefly with pre-production management; mentioning budgeting, crew selection and timeline, then quickly jumped into the heart of it all.  Naturally the first step is to gain access to your subject. Then scout the location, get to know your characters and do the research to become an expert on the chosen topic.  Only then are you ready to take control of the story. Yes! Control! The endless hours of wrestling with my footage and my viscous mind to merely find my story still haunts me. Starting a project by taking control of it? Holy cow. Then she put up the slide that felt like salve on my fresh wounds: The Curve. The Curve! (See below for Adele and the legendary curve).

“Follow this!” she declared, pointing at the slide that showed the upside-down U-shaped curve of a story arc. “Keep the curve in mind while you are filming,” she said. “You have to think about what the end of the film is going to be when you are shooting!“  “But this is life,” we countered. “What if things don’t go as we hope they will?”  “Always have a Plan B,” she replied.  “But keep shooting with The Curve in mind.”

The Curve begins the story with the Inciting Moment. What’s the film about? This is where you ask questions, and show something new and unexpected.  Then it moves up to Exposition, with the introduction of the main characters and their mission.  Next comes The Complication, where the opposing force becomes evident. What is the character trying to get? What is keeping them from getting what they want? For Adele’s first documentary, it was the slum her character lived in – the outside force that has to be overcome. For my film about ranching, I recognized that one opposing force was the dilemma of one herd mixing with another herd because someone left a gate open.  The mix-up made it impossible to recognize the cows they needed without spending all day separating them. Whew – at least I had that.

At the peak of The Curve is the Climax, the moment of great intensity where opposing forces clash. Well, hmmm – I guess that would be my scenes of the zaniness when the cowboys have to part out the calves, check every cow’s number and get this all done before they can even start their day.   From there the arc starts downward towards The Reversal, where the conflict between protagonist and antagonist unravels.  Moving further down is Falling Action, with a moment of last suspense, and at the bottom is The End, where conflicts are resolved and there’s a release of tension and anxiety. From there I was stumped – the cow mix-up story did resolve, but the film then moves into the other life my rancher lives, that of an accomplished painter and poet.  I decided not to stress and just listen.

Adele then moved on to techniques for moving the story forward, such as Character Development, Management of Time and Management of Space. There I discovered I had used all of those techniques to move my story forward. Yay!! Organic success.  She concluded the session with clips from the beginning, middle and end of “Threading the Needle”, a beautifully done documentary about a Holocaust Survivor who created elaborate embroideries of family memories to help heal a lifetime of pain. The clips clearly illustrated the story arc and made the process come to life.

I left the session pleased to learn that my short film had not strayed far from this technique, and armed with a powerful new weapon for the next time I pick up my camera and head into battle – knowing I will win again. Perhaps this time with less angst.

About the Writer: Heather Godwin, WIFV DC Member

Heather is an active member of WIFV DC, and recently completed her first documentary film, Ode to Treasure Hammock Ranch.