Introduce Yourself: Sign In Here First

And we're equally delighted, make that even MORE delighted, to have you joining our virtual doc shindig, Victoria.

Having been one of the lucky duckies to have seen "House of BOnes," (I'll spell it your way, it's more fun) I can attest to the enormous talent of Ms. Campbell.

However, one demerit for posting a photo so dark we can barely see ya.

Hiya, my name is Tessa! I'm Belgian and currently working as an executive producer on a film noir about time travel in Venezuela. More than the scifi aspect, we focus on the Cuban exiles in Venezuela and the issues of dealing with a constantly changing environment, both as an immigrant and a timetraveller. As a setting we decided to use downtown Valencia (VE), to put the old colonial houses in a bit of a different light. This is our Prezi: http://prezi.com/fafeiphjnbx0/almost-midnight/

Seeing Casi Medianoche (Almost Midnight) is my first production, I joined D-Word to learn, look, read and discuss. I look forward to meeting people here!

Greetings, Tessa, it's great to have Venezuela represented here. Glad you found us, even if you seem to be working more in the fiction than doc world. Do you have a film background or do you come to film from another path?

Someone who had been giving me advise on legal matters, told me about D-Word. I myself come from a completely different background. I worked for a while as an assistant in training and education, than did my masters in education. After univ, I met an old friend from Venezuela who was assembling a team to make this movie... I happily jumped at the opportunity and left for South-America.

Both of us are interested in a variety of topics, so joining D-Word is a logical choice for me. My partner has done an as yet unpublished documentary for the Venezuelan state. We've been designing (and dreaming about) about doing a documentary on teaching workers in heavy industry about film, an emancipatory project... but at the moment, our fiction film takes up all of our time.

Well, any friend of Richard Lee's is a friend of ours. We've upgraded you to Professional status so you can take better advantage of all the different discussion topics in here. Hope you find it helpful and best of luck on your film.

Thank you very much Doug!

Hi everyone! Am a Canadian documentary filmmaker and freelance journalist, currently based out of Liberia, West Africa (where I've worked for much of the past three years). Although the majority of my film work has included pieces commissioned by NGOs, I have also completed a couple of independent documentaries, and am currently working on a third – a short to be filmed in Monrovia next month.

As I often work solo or with a small crew, I've had experience in most areas of production and post-production – and currently shoot with a couple of Sony HVR-A1s and edit with FCP. Working across West Africa and mainly in post-conflict countries, I'm used to dealing with somewhat difficult filming conditions – charging cameras off generators or car batteries, building makeshift 'sound rooms' in closets, cursing humidity's effects on electronics, etc. As you might guess, I don't have access to a lot of fellow filmmakers where I am, so I'm very excited to be able to join this community, and look forward to following along with the discussions. And of course if anyone is keen on projects in my part of the world, would always love to hear from you!

You're very welcome, Arwen. The D-Word is here 24/7, so do check in regularly.

Welcome, Arwen! Lucky you to be in Africa. I love the nature and the colors there (more the plants part of nature than the insects part though!)

Glad you found your way here, Arwen. Welcome to The D-Word.

I am new to this forum. I have been producing segments on the kiteboarding community in New England and I am looking for help in reaching a Cable Television audience with these engaging films. Also I enjoy editing other people's films, my portfolio can be viewed at DunoyerFilms.com

Welcome, Jean. Hope you'll find it helpful here.

Hi my name is Ferdinand Casido. I live in the SF Bay Area. I'm a currently working as a producer on my first Documentary Feature called "Two Blind to Ride" which is about two blind adventurers cycling their way from Argentina to Alaska. Along the way they'll stop over at blind schools to tell their story.

Our indiegogo campaign:
http://www.indiegogo.com/Two-Blind-To-Ride

Website:
http://www.twoblindtoride.org/

This looks like a great website for networking, getting advice and finding resources.

I am already in love with this project, Ferdinand. Looks like a great human story to be told :)

I will share the link to your indiegogo campaign with my facebook friends. Keep us posted (And apply for professional membership if you didn't do it yet :) )

Thank you Niam! The riders and I appreciate anyone spreading the news of their journey.

Hey, everyone. Last year I produced Old School New School, a documentary exploring how we can tap into our full creative potential. Features actor Brian Cox, legednary cinematographer William Fraker, jazz great McCoy Tyner and many more world class artists. Check it out, and please share the link with colleagues and friends.

http://www.snagfilms.com/films/title/old_school_new_school

I'm a newbie and I've already learned so much reading on D-Word. Thanks for this great resource and community. I'm a recent graduate of the program at Duke University's Center for Documentary Studies. I'm in post-production on my first film entitled "Granny's Got Game". It is the story of an amazing senior women's basketball team here in North Carolina. These women were pioneers of the game in the 1950s and are still playing now in their seventies! They've been together for almost two decades, so the team has become a support-system and they've become a family. It is such an inspiring story. I'm trying to do it justice despite my inexperience, and I'm glad to have D-Word to ask for advice.

http://www.grannysgotgame.com/

Hi Everyone! I am from New York City – making a film called – Star in the Ring – it tells the close to forgotten story of when Jews DOMINATED the sport of boxing. While this can be seen as a film geared to one group – it really tells the story of so many new Americans. So – it is an important part of Jewish history, American history and sports history. I am proud to say I have received a grant from The Righteous Persons Foundation and am close to finishing all shooting – heading for post. I can sure use help from those that have been through this adventure. Please take a look at my website and trailer:

http://www.pugilistpictures.com/Pugilist_Pictures/Home_Page.html

and get in touch with me with any input. I am going to post questions and look forward to the groups help! Thanks so much!

Welcome, Steven, Angela and Holden! Holden, feel free to register as a Professional member.

Hello everyone! I work for the Scottish Documentary Institute in Edinburgh (www.scottishdocinstitute.com). We produce and distribute short and feature docs; we also run training programmes and organise an annual international pitching forum, The Edinburgh Pitch. I look forward to sharing all the opportunities our Institute offers... But first things first, I'm going to start exploring the impressive D-word resources!

Welcome from across the room!

Hi there,

I'm a voice from the broadcaster's side of the biz. I currently work at CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corp) assisting the senior producers with commissioning original Canadian documentary programming for "Doc Zone," CBC-TV's flagship documentary series.

I produce trailers, promote our docs via social media, vet proposals, provide critical feedback on rough cuts, represent CBC at festivals and more. www.cbc.ca/docs

I also package-for-air acquired documentaries for CBC's "The Passionate Eye."

I'll be attending Hot Docs this year – my last official hurrah before I take a year off for maternity leave. Hopefully during that year I'll be able to sift through this incredible website!

Welcome, Flore and Ilka (much congrats on the pending addition)! Look forward to seeing you both at Hot Docs (Flore, over many fine whiskeys at the annual Interdoc revelry). And great to have you online with us here.

Doug – Flore won't be at Hot Docs. Noé and Sonja and Finlay are going to be there.

Welcome Ilka!

Oh, too bad, Flore. Well, see you online then. We'll just have to drink to your health at Hot Docs.

Now I regret not going to Hot Docs! I would have loved to see your pitch Doug.

Hi Folks,
Greetings from Dublin.
Hope to meet some of you at Hot Docs. We've a short screening at it and very excited to be attending.
Ross

Hope to see you there, Ross. Meanwhile, welcome to The D-Word.

Thanks Doug – would be great to meet up.

Hello Everyone,
My name is Brendan. I'm a sound designer and audio engineer based in Seattle, Washington. I have produced a few short documentaries for radio but what I enjoy most is collaborating with film makers.
I work independently and with a world class post facility in town called Clatter&Din studios. Recently I served as lead sound designer on the feature films "Safety Not Guaranteed" and "Eden". Both excellent films. I also recently did sound design, audio editing and mixing for the documentary "Uncertain Ice" by Cory Kelly. There's a clip from this in my demo reel on my website – www.brendanjhogan.com.
I'd love to find some more people to collaborate with and hope to find some interesting discussions on the role of sound in documentaries.

Brendan, welcome and feel free to register for professional status as it will give you access to many more of our discussion topics.

Hi there : )
I'm Lara, a student at Bournemouth Uni in England. I'm hoping to do a documentary abroad for my final project in 2013. Trying to work out ways to fund it! Any advice would be very helpful.

Hi,
I'm Homer. I'm pleased to join you at D-Word.
I'm a spanish-iranian filmmaker.
My film NATION will be premiered at Full Frame Documentary Film Festival:
http://www.fullframefest.org/films/one_film.php?filmId=1356
Hope to see you there...

Trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KnvOi4SfDUo

Welcome, Lara & Homer :)

Ditto. Congrats and hope to see you at Full Frame, Homer. Check out our Full Frame topic to find other D-Word members who are going.

Thanks everybody! Sure we'll enjoy with great films in Durham. See you.

Hi guyz, any of you interested in making documentaries in Nepal? Looking for collaboration.We do have a hell of interesting topics that will keep you riveted on the spot.

Hello! I am Dieter Bartels, a German-American Cultural Anthropologist and filmmaker specializing in Muslim-Christian relations in Indonesia and worked also extensively with Moluccans in The Netherlands. Together with Helen Huwae I have made a full-length documentary, called Maju Terus! Go For It!, about the failure and success of four generations of Moluccan exiles in The Netherlands. We have been screening the film at film festivals and are on the way to show it at the Fort Myers Beach Film Festival (Florida) and the Ethnofilm Festival in Rovinj, Croatia.

If interested you can find out more about the film and my anthropological pursuits on my website www.nunusaku.com

Dieter

Hello Hello!

I'm Jon, I'm currently working as a director/producer at Collective Eye Films in Portland, OR.

I'm a filmmaker and a father of a 1-year old daughter. I've worked as a producer for the past 3 years on the documentary feature, QUEEN OF THE SUN: What are the Bees Telling Us? Queen of the Sun was theatrical released in 2011 and we're now out on DVD & Digital in the US & Canada.

I've been working with the director of Queen of the Sun, Taggart Siegel (The Real Dirt on Farmer John) producing and editing the film for 2 years and as on the distribution leg for the past year and a half. We're now developing two new feature projects.

As I'm sure many of you know, filmmaking is a busy, busy business– and the past few years been WOW levels of busy. I'm just now beginning to feel the time opening up again. I definitely know a few here already (pst Danielle Beverly) and I'm excited to meet more of you.

I'm looking forward to reading up and contributing where I can. So far my experience lies in all of the hats it takes to get a doc made, but Queen being my first feature, I'd say I've had the most recent relevant experience with grass-roots distribution techniques, which we've done a consider amount of.

http://www.queenofthesun.com
http://www.collectiveeye.org

Hi all, Douglas Lyon here. I am based in Paris, France and have been working for almost 20 years all over Europe and Africa as Producer, Production Manager, Line Producer, Field Producer, Journalist and Director for all the major Japanese television networks. I have worked in broadcast news, documentaries, live satellite broadcasts, variety shows, reality shows, sports events coverage, TV films, commercials, etc.

In the world of Japanese television I have come to be known as an "Africa specialist", but actually I began with Fashion and News, then Variety shows and Reality Shows, and although I love it all, but I must confess a particular passion for Broadcast News, Documentaries, and... well, you guessed it : Africa !

I have been working almost exclusively for the Japanese market, and would love to branch out to the English speaking production world as well... Please have a look at my website, and I am sure you will know me MUCH better with just a quick glance ! :

http://www.excelman.com/

our alternate website is here :

http://www.excelman.jpn.com/

and we can be found on LinkedIn here :

http://fr.linkedin.com/pub/douglas-lyon/2a/b93/988

best wishes to all !

Douglas E. Lyon

Welcome Dieter, Jon and Douglas! Good to have you all with us here.

In reply to Jon Betz's post on Fri 6 Apr 2012 :

Hey Jon, was a big fan of farmer john. After much research, the UK govt panel just published a report on bees. Having taken the tests out of the lab and into the field – more than a decade it took, they have realised the true impact of pesticides on the decimation of the bee population. Duh!

In reply to David Herman's post on Sun 8 Apr 2012 :

Hey David---Yeah just this past week there has been a bunch of "more conclusive" info making pesticides the culprit. Something the rest of us have known for quite some time. I see that you're living in a Camphill community! We have worked with biodynamic beekeepers and the camphill and waldorf communities have been incredible to get to know more. Are you familiar with the Center for Discovery in the US? They do a lot of farm-based work with the disabled.

Hello everyone. I'm new to this and I have no experience in filming/producing any kind of work. I am currently training for a bike trip across the country which will begin late next month. My good friend and I will be raising money for a charity in the process. I would love to film this and create a documentary to show an audience what it's like to travel across the country (NY to LA) with just your bike and a few things. We will have no support vehicle which will make this trip a bit more interesting. I was going to create a project on Kickstarter until it asked me for a goal. Like I said before, I have no experience in this but I think it's an amazing idea. We have a website and that's where we've started. If anyone knows where I should begin or recommends I do anything, PLEASE, feel free to reply. Any advice is greatly appreciated. We really hope this happens. We just want to show people that anything is possible, promote healthy living and raise some money for a charity in the process. Traveling for a cause. Thank you and much love to all.

Since you are riding without support you need a very small set up. I recording cycling with a gopro, and would think that is your lightest/easiest/cheapest camera choice. Do you plan on bringing a laptop?

Fund raising for something like this is whole other story that I can't help as much with.

In reply to Peter Brauer's post on Fri 13 Apr 2012 :

Hey, thanks for replying! I will not be bringing a laptop. I've thought about purchasing the go pro. Do you think we'd need a gps or will road maps do just fine? Also, can we contact the local news stations or any other place tothat might find our story interesting? Thanks for the help.

I have never done anything like what you are trying to attempt. So I got no idea about the GPS. I would say, it will be very hard to carry enough SD cards without the ability to dump them onto a hard drive. You can always reach out to the news, but I would think FB would be the best way to build an audience for your ride. http://www.facebook.com/pianoacrossamerica Take a lot at this FB page for a guy who drove around america with a piano for inspiration.

My son and his mates did a similar in the UK 2 years ago. Lucky them had padre along to shoot. They made quite a bit of money hitting tourist buses arriving in rest stops, especially when the camera was recording the hit.

That's awesome! Thanks for all the advice, guys! We have a website (AAFSO.org) as well as a facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Across-America-For-Special-Olympics/229855320432108) if you guys wanna check us out! We'll be posting pics and hopefully a documentary. Thank you all.

Incase you guys were not on the 'Hot Docs 2012' thread ... I'll be attending the entire festival and would love to meetup with any d-worder. Also as Im based in TO, I can meet after the festival, if you intend to stay back!

Cheers
Azfar
azfarali@gmail.com

(double posting ... sorry!)