How to get Ahead in Documentary - A DFG Guide in Resources on DFGDocs

by DFG

Documentary filmmaking is one of the best, most exhilarating jobs in the world – but brace yourself, because this industry can be very difficult to break into.

Increasingly there is a trend towards multi-skilling in documentaries, where you direct, shoot and produce your own film. With that in mind, here are a few pieces of wisdom that we’ve learned over the years to tell you what you need to know if you are looking to make your own documentaries in the future.

There are three main ways to approach a career as a documentary filmmaker:

1. The Television Career Ladder

This involves getting a job as a runner or Production Assistant with a production company, and then working your way up to researcher, AP etc. Watch television, and approach companies that make the programmes you like, or check out job-finding websites like Production Base, Mandy or Broadcast Freelancer.

Pros: It might take a while to get where you want to be, but your career progression is almost guaranteed unless you’re really rubbish. Eventually, someone will take a chance on you and give you directing gig.

Cons: You’ll find that you have little choice in the areas that you work in, and as factual entertainment and formatted docs become ever more popular, the chances are that this is what you’ll be working on. You might also find yourself pigeonholed as someone who ‘works in factual entertainment’ or ‘someone who works on history programmes’.

If you take this route, it’s worth noting that the old saying ‘it’s not what you know, it’s who you know’ definitely applies here. Production companies are inundated with CVs every week, so you need to be out and about networking (more on this below). As it's only fair to give you a complete picture, you might like to check out the word on a career in tv from the sagelike Charlie Brooker.

You also have to ask yourself if you want to dedicate this long to building up a career. If you’re coming at this from another career, or simply don’t feel you have the five or so years needed to build up the experience, then this might not be the option for you. This brings us to:

2. Jumping straight in as a director

If you have a sterling idea and you really want to direct straight away, then you need remember that the odds are stacked against you if you have never directed a broadcast film. You can:

Take it to a production company and negotiate with them. Commissioners are reluctant to risk their money on unknown quantities, and production companies are reluctant to put their reputation on the line. You might not be able to direct if you don’t have sufficient experience, but you can negotiate a deal where you work on it as AP. If you take it to a company like Mosaic Films, which is committed to nurturing new talent, you will also get a share of the rights. Having said that, if you are one of the lucky few who gets a production company to take the chance, do make sure you’re aware of your rights first.
Try one of the various New Talent schemes (for example, Channel 4’s 3 Minute Wonder and First Cut strands, BBC’s Fresh strand (sign up as a Member to be kept informed of when this is open for applications), Current TV). Bear in mind that New Talent rarely actually means NEW talent in this instance. You’ll be expected to have some experience so it’s worth building up your showreel by making shorts and getting them screened in festivals or on sites like FourDocs or BBC Film Network.
Go it alone. (but read the next section first!)

War Feels Like War 3. Going it alone

If it’s your baby and you really have to make it, without any compromises, then you can always do it off your own back (and credit card). And there are ways and means. Check out the fantastic examples of Franny Armstrong’s McLibel and Esteban Uyarra’s War Feels Like War. But before you do, ask yourself the following questions:

Can I direct? (Not ‘would I love to direct’ but am I really any good?)
Can I shoot? (I might take a good photo, but do I have the skills to actually make a film?)
Does the idea work? Is anyone going to want to see this film other than me? Has it already been made recently?
Where will my film be seen? It is vital to know your market and make your film for it. Don’t make a ‘film festival film’ thinking that they’re just the sort of stuff you don’t see on TV. Most films shown at festivals are there to be sold, or already have distribution.

This last point is increasingly important as the world of documentary changes with the new opportunities afforded to us by non-broadcast funding and digital distribution. Whether it's your short film that you're using to launch your career, like filmmaker Isis Thompson did with her film What If I Told You... or whether you're doing a credit card feature for your labour of love, you need to be thinking of how to use the tools at hand to their best advantage. We're talking YouTube, Facebook, Myspace. It ain't just for watching clips of kittens falling off motorbikes or making pub plans with your mates!
This leads us back to the importance of networking, both physical and virtual; make sure you attend film festivals, like the Sheffield DocFest – particularly the DFG Newcomers Day of course. You can also access the documentary filmmaking community all year round, through events run by DFG, like 10x10. For more information on upcoming events and opportunities just visit www.dfgdocs.com/events

And remember, if any of this seems daunting, then that’s why people like us (DFG) are here. The chances are we’ll have the course that’s right for you, or an event that will get you plugged in to the world of docs, plus we have a whole wealth of resources available online, on this very site.

Good luck – it’s well worth it.

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