Filmmaking Resources
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Fundraising
Fundraising resources
Filmmakers Collaborative SF: Guide to Grants for Filmmakers in California
Filmmakers Collaborative SF: Fiscal Sponsorship FAQ
Filmmakers Collaborative SF: A Conversation with Fundraising and Distribution Consultant, Steve Ladd
Filmmakers Collaborative SF: A Conversation on Grant Reviewing and Proposal Tips with Brenda Avila-Hanna
Filmmakers Collaborative SF: A Conversation on Fundraising as Storytelling with Theresa Navarro
Impact Partners: Sources of Documentary Financing
Impact Partners: 10 Principles of Pitching
Hot Docs: Pitching Tool
IDA: Documentary Grants Directory
Women Make Movies: Funders
Nonprofit Law Blog: Fiscal Sponsorship and Films (Part 1, Part 2)
Documentary Core Application: Proposal Checklist
Schoolhouse Rocked: Documentary Proposal Example
Film Independent: Supercharge Your Crowdfunding Campaign
Seed & Spark: Answering Every Single Common Crowdfunding Question
Seed & Spark: Maintaining Momentum During Your Crowdfunding Campaign
Fundsurfer: 8 tips for film crowdfunding
Crowd Sourcing Week: How to Leverage Crowdfunding for an Indie Film
PBS: Producing for PBS Guidelines
No Film School: How to Get Your Documentary on Public Television
Ethical Filmmaking
Ethical Filmmaking Resources
Re-Present Media: Resource List for Practical and Ethical Considerations for Working with Film Participants
New York Times: The Unraveling of an Award-Winning Documentary
Documentary Accountability Working Group: From Reflection to Release: A Framework for Values, Ethics, and Accountability in Nonfiction Filmmaking
The Irina Project: Putting the Human into Human Trafficking Reporting: Tips for Interviewing Survivors
Active Voice Lab: The Prenups: What Filmmakers and Funders Should Talk About Before Tying the Knot
IDA: Money Changes Everything–or Does It?: Considering Whether Documentaries Should Pay for Play
Vulture: Doc Filmmakers Reckon With the Industry’s Murky Ethics
Production
Production RESOURCES
IDA: Introduction to Documentary Budgeting
Center for Media & Social Impact: Fair Use
Safe and Secure: Handbook
American Documentary: Filmmaker Resources
Forbes: A Guide to Legal Entities In The Film Industry
Hot Docs: Guide to Co-Production
Lawyers for the Creative Arts: The Keys to Film Law
Lawyers for the Creative Arts: Upcoming Seminars
IDA: Producing with Care in the COVID Era: Considerations from the Community
California Arts Council: COVID-19 Resources
Documentary Producers Alliance: COVID-19 Resources
Documentary Producers Alliance: Negotiating Contracts for Independent Documentary Producers
Filmmakers Collaborative SF: A Conversation on Collaboration for BIPOC Filmmakers in the Bay Area
Filmmakers Collaborative SF: Understanding the World through Documentary Storytelling
FWD-Doc: A Toolkit for Inclusion & Accessibility: Changing the Narrative of Disability in Documentary
Film
Metropolitan State University: Best Practices for Writing Closed Captions
PBS
PBS RESOURCES
Filmmakers Collaborative SF: Tips on Working with PBS from Donald Thoms
PBS: Producing for PBS
PBS: Production Guidelines (Producer's Handbook)
PBS: Underwriting Guidelines
Independent Producers Association: Station Relations List
PBS: PBS Announces New Multi-Platform Strategy to Showcase Independent Film
PBS: Audience Insight 2022 Annual Report
Aggregator Platforms
NETA - National Educational Telecommunications Association
APT - American Public Television
PBS Plus - syndicated programming service
Indie friendly national and syndicated series
Co-Production/Funding Partners for PBS Projects
PBS syndicators such as World Channel, Create TV, PBS Digital Studios
Diverse Voices Initiative
Distribution
Distribution RESOURCES
Filmmakers Collaborative SF: Distributor Guide
Filmmakers Collaborative SF: A Conversation with Educational Distributor, Video Project
The Impact Field Guide - This is an extensive guide made by The Doc Society. You can access the download by creating a login with your email address. We highly recommend checking it out!
Impact Guide: Case Studies
IDA: Distribution Terminology Guide
Film Festival Secrets: Press Kit Essentials
IDA: A Guide to Documentary Distributors
IDA: The Ins and Outs of Educational Distribution
IDA: Getting Your Film Ready for School
Women Make Movies: Independent Film Distributors
The Film Collaborative: Distributor Report Card
Sundance: We Spoke to Dozens of Distributors; This Is What They Want in a Film
IndieWire: Attention, Filmmakers: Here’s the Distribution Strategy You Need Before Sundance (Or Any Film Festival)
IndieWire: How We Made $1.5 Million Self-Distributing Our Doc: The Six-Step Playbook
New York Times: The Movies Are Back. But What Are Movies Now?
CMSI: The State of the Documentary Field: 2018 Study of Documentary Professionals
DOC: Roadmap to Creative Distribution
Hollywood Reporter: Inside the Documentary Cash Grab
Distribution Advocates: Let’s Make a Deal—Or Not. More than 80% of Docs Don’t Sell at Top-Tier U.S. Film Festivals
Distribution Advocates: US Film Festivals as a Point of Sale for Documentaries
Distribution Advocates: A Cheat Sheet For Approaching Distribution
Distribution Advocates: Podcast
Peter Broderick: How Not to Negotiate a Distribution Deal
Filmmaker Magazine: Producer Data: The Numbers Don’t Lie (The Truth about Independent Film Revenue)
Active Voice Lab: Horticulture Tools
Variety: Documentary Community Contends With Distribution Challenges: ‘Incredible, Urgent Films’ Are ‘Not Getting Those Kind of Platforms’
Mission Driven Filmmaking
Mission Driven Filmmaking RESOURCES
Filmmakers Collaborative SF: Guide to Mission Driven Filmmaking
Filmmakers Collaborative SF: Case Studies
Nonprofit Quarterly: Using Video in Your Online Campaigns
Nonprofit Quarterly: 10 Mistakes Nonprofits Make with Video
Classy: Social Media Videos: Lessons Learned From 778 Nonprofits
Classy: How to Nail Your Nonprofit’s Story and Drive Action