Documentary Filmmaking Master Class: Tell Your Story from Concept to Distribution

by Betsy Chasse

"A realist with a sense of humor, Chasse is both stringent and encouraging as she covers every aspect of creating a successful production." — Booklist starred review

How to Make and Distribute a Documentary without Losing Your Mind or Going Broke Documentary filmmaking requires more than just a passion for the subject, whether it be one’s personal story or that of someone else, a historical event or a startling discovery, a political movement or a heinous crime. Making a documentary and getting it in front of an audience requires determination, careful planning, money, and a strong production team. With over thirty years of experience in filmmaking, author Betsy Chasse mentors readers every step of the way with a down-to-earth approach and invaluable advice. Chapters cover topics such Both novices and experienced filmmakers will benefit from this all-inclusive guide. With the right knowledge, persistence, and The Documentary Filmmaking Master Class in their camera bags, readers will not only turn their visions into reality, they’ll be able to share the results with others and navigate the process with confidence.

Genres: Film

216 pages, Paperback

Published November 19, 2019

About the author

What happens when the least spiritual person on the planet gets hired to make a movie about spirituality? You're about to find out.

Killing Buddha is a delightfully irreverent, LOL read. Sara Wells and her crew are exactly what we need to remind us that life is a journey best enjoyed with authenticity, vulnerability and laughter. I couldn't stop laughing even as I soaked up the wisdom this hilarious tale has to tell. Enjoy this total page turner.

Elaine Hendrix, Actress (What The Bleep Do We Know!? Parent Trap, Dynasty), Activist

When life is in chaos we are forced to change, a lesson successful-but-not-the-way-she-wants-to-be film producer Sara Wells reluctantly learns when her seemingly perfect life comes crashing down.

Desperate for work and a new life, she takes on a documentary project about spirituality and the New Thought movement.

Will Killing Buddha mark her triumphant return to the riches she thinks her life once contained? Or will

she and her mismatched crew of seekers, believers and cynics find that, in the end, it's not what you have and what you believe in, but who you ultimately

become that counts?

Funny and light-hearted, Killing Buddha is a thought-provoking, mostly fictional tale based on the experiences of Betsy

Chasse, award-winning filmmaker of the international hit indie film What the Bleep Do We KnowI? which ignited the New Thought industry for the new millennium. The book explores the world of New Age / New Thought spirituality and personal growth, exposing both the ridiculousness and the sublimity of the spiritual journey in an authentic and humorous way.

Betsy Chasse is an award-winning filmmaker, best known for her role as co-writer, director and producer of What The Bleep Do We Know?!. The

best-selling author of Tipping Sacred Cows, she has produced over 30 feature films and documentaries. (And yes, some of those would

be considered porn...) She is a mom to two spirited and opinionated teenagers, still loves wine, but has decided to leave the Tequila on the top

shelf where it belongs.

Reviews

[Bernie Gourley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book focuses heavily on the business aspects of making a documentary – including legal, financial, and marketing issues [as opposed to the technical and creative aspects.] I suspect that makes it the perfect guide for many would-be filmmakers who learned the art and technique of filmmaking elsewhere, but who may be lacking insight into how to raise money, manage a team, and get the film seen by the right people – or just any people. On the other hand, if you’re expecting in-depth instruction on how to shoot or edit your film, this book doesn’t discuss those topics in great detail. [And would probably need many more graphics to do so. The author presents concepts like narrative arc and discusses interview questions, but that’s all conveyed readily by text.]

The book consists of 19 chapters arranged into seven sections. Section I is, quite logically, about what questions one should ask and answer before putting significant resources into a film. These are questions that one would logically expect a filmmaker to consider, but that could be overlooked in the heat of passion. For example, are there many films on the same subject (and, if so, did most of them flop?)

Section II discusses the business plan. Once one has preliminarily concluded it’s worth pursuing the project, the business plan involves outlining the project soup to nuts so that one isn’t making it up as one goes along, and running into the problems that improvising creates.

Section III explores various approaches to financing one’s project and what is required of each. There are chapters that compare and contrast investor funding, crowd funding, and grants and alternative funding, and which discuss what is needed for each. There is also a chapter about whether a sizzle reel is likely to be worthwhile. [A sizzle reel is somewhat similar to trailer, but cobbled together from existing footage.]

Section IV is about production. While I said this book is light on creative and technical material, it does address how to go about interviewing, and how to obtain b-roll, music, and other necessary material. Still, a lot of space is devoted to legal and human resources type issues. Section V is about post-production and is also a mix of technical and creative material related to assembling one’s film.

Like Section III, Section VI is one of the cornerstones of the book. It explains how to market one’s film and how to get it distributed. The pros and cons of being shown in a theater versus other platforms (e.g. streaming services, internet sites, etc.) is considered in detail. There is a lot of discussion of legalities and whether it is better to hire someone to handle these tasks or be involved with them oneself. The final section the conclusion.

There isn’t much in the way of ancillary matter in this book, though there are sample contracts and agreements where relevant, that – again – I imagine could be quite beneficial for those entering the field.

As a complete neophyte to the subject, I didn’t know what to expect. I did learn a lot of interesting information about the business and legal considerations involved in filmmaking. Chasse offers a great deal of insider insights. I don’t know how many surprises there would be for someone who’d gone to film school -- or even for a dedicated autodidact, but there were certainly a lot of interesting tidbits for an outsider.

I’d highly recommend this book for someone who is interested in making a documentary, though if you haven’t spent a lot of time studying the technical and creative aspects (or at least making iPhone videos,) you’ll probably need to supplement this book with other information sources.

[Rachel Matsuoka · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you're looking for a book that covers the artistic or technical aspects of documentary filmmaking, this is not that book. A better title for this book would be The Documentary Financing Masterclass.

[Lisa Hagan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This fascinating book is chock full of knowledge of where to start, how to create magic and not spend all of your savings. You will learn not only the nuts and bolts of how to make a documentary, from fundraising to actual production, post production and distribution, but also the psychology of producing. She shows you how to get your brilliant idea out of your head and into the world. She inspired me to get off my duff and get started. I will be taking the first step, putting my fear of failure aside and forging ahead. This book was just what I needed. THANK YOU!!!!

[Akasha Coral · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is an easy read. If you don't know much about how a production works, it definitely gives you a good framework for what to look for. However, I was seeking more thorough knowledge on making a documentary with solid cases and examples and I could not find them here. Half is more like a memoir and half is useful for me.

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really handy reference for aspects that aspiring filmmakers and documentarians might not have in the front of their heads. Of course, everyone has the IDEA but there's so much else that has to be considered. There's sections devoting to acquiring funding, building a (professional) team, marketing, post production, and the big ugly.... legal.

[Stephanie Katz · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is fantastic. It concise, incredibly practical, has tons of helpful strategies, sample legal contracts, and advice on the business of documentary filmmaking.

[John Abrahamson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very high level overview of the filmmaking process, in general. I wouldn't call it a master class, but had some decent tips or reminders. Some of the tools were helpful, like the budget, etc.

[Eric Grant · Rating 3 out of 5]

Had to read it for a class.

[Audrey T · Rating 4 out of 5]

So practical and actionable - a rare one in the universe of filmmaking tomes