This is a guest post by Tristan Pelligrino, co-owner of 522 Productions. He’s on the Board of Directors of Docs in Progress and loves connecting with area filmmakers on social media.
The DC area is thriving with hot startups tackling the world’s greatest challenges in energy, health, education and urban communities. This week’s Challenge Cup, which is powered by the 1776 community, is a testament to the increasing impact of our region.
Despite the excitement around startups, many people may not realize DC is the nation’s third largest documentary community. There are thousands of filmmakers right here in the DC area making films that reflect a diverse range of topics and viewpoints.
On May 20th, Docs in Progress will host the Decade of Docs event at George Washington University. This event, which celebrates Docs In Progress’ 10th anniversary, shall host hundreds of filmmakers and include a panel discussion from documentarians featured on HBO, PBS and other major networks. One of the major themes of the event shall be a discussion on how much the web & social media have changed the documentary landscape and what’s in store for the future.
If you’re looking for a glimpse into what you should expect at Decade of Docs, here are just a few ways social media has impacted documentaries in the last ten years:
Testing Concepts – For many documentarians, it’s important to test out an idea before committing a year or two years of time towards production. Social media now plays a key role for many filmmakers in the pre-production phase of a project. In fact, many Producers use Twitter as a soundboard. Twitter is especially useful for connecting with organizations that may have a stake in a documentary topic.
Obtaining Funding – Crowdfunding is a very common way for documentary filmmakers to capture support for their story. One of the major components to a successful crowdsourcing campaign is the use of social media. Docs in Progress frequently features workshops on crowdfunding and how to use platforms such as Kickstarter for a documentary.
Building Audiences – Once a project is in development, it’s important to build an audience throughout the process. By allowing people to come along for the ride as the film progresses through the stages of production, followers become invested. For instance, filmmaker (“Helvetica,” “Objectified,” “Urbanized”) asks advice from social media users, getting them invested in the outcome. The logical last step is to see the finished product.
Influencing Distribution – Social media can be used to expand distribution reach by tapping remote markets. It’s also a chance to directly access an audience, without having to rely on traditional distribution channels to do the job. For instance, speaking at , photographer Teru Kuwuyama pointed out that social media allows artists to sidestep gatekeepers and editors.
Expanding the Story – After a documentary launches and is in distribution, it’s vital to maintain momentum – especially if you want the story to have an impact. One of the best examples is how Blackfish’s Director, , uses social media and speaking engagements to speak out against Sea World.
Uniting Around a Cause – Social media has famously been used to unite people around political action. Similarly, it can be used to unite people behind a documentary’s cause. Oscar-winning documentary “The Cove,” for example, used social media to tap into Japan’s communities and create transparency about dolphin hunting. Most importantly, transparency comes from not only the filmmakers, but those connected to the film through social media.
Ultimately, if you’re looking to see what type of an impact social media will have on the future of documentaries, be sure to attend the Decade of Docs event on May 20th at George Washington University.
Bonus: Digital District members and friends will be able to get tickets to the Decade of Docs event at a special reduced rate of $35. Just select the “special groups” pricing when checking out.
