Doc Talk
I spent most of last week at Doc Talk, (aka Hot Docs Forum-West), with Barry Lank. The purpose of Doc Talk is "...to highlight the Western Canadian documentary production community to broadcasters from around the world," and to "... promote Western Canada as a centre for excellence in leading-edge documentary production."
The centre piece of the whole event is the pitching forum. Twelve projects are selected, from God-only-knows-how-many submitted from the Ontario-Manitoba boarder to the far western shore of Vancouver Island, and pitched by the filmmakers to a round table of broadcasters representing every major television and digital cable channel in North America. Each project is given fifteen minutes, out of which you get seven minutes to pitch and the broadcasters get eight minutes to respond and/or offer criticisms and feedback. The 'round table' is actually a series of tables arranged in a big circle on the floor of the Roundhouse theatre. Doc Talk 'delegates,' (other filmmakers), look down on the grim gladiatorial proceedings from the relative comfort of the bleachers as you pitch your film-in-the-making to these gatekeepers.
Barry and I actually performed very, very well despite the fact that we have not seen each other in over two years. He flew in to Vancouver about 36 hours before our pitch, and we worked out our routine over my notebook computer in his hotel room. The project has evolved since I wrote the original concept nearly four years ago, and since CTV committed development funding back in June of this year. The current working title is, 'Marked for Life.' It's a film about people who have chosen to be decorated not disfigured by their scars and will explore how their scars have transformed who they are and become part of their persona.
Thank you.
The centre piece of the whole event is the pitching forum. Twelve projects are selected, from God-only-knows-how-many submitted from the Ontario-Manitoba boarder to the far western shore of Vancouver Island, and pitched by the filmmakers to a round table of broadcasters representing every major television and digital cable channel in North America. Each project is given fifteen minutes, out of which you get seven minutes to pitch and the broadcasters get eight minutes to respond and/or offer criticisms and feedback. The 'round table' is actually a series of tables arranged in a big circle on the floor of the Roundhouse theatre. Doc Talk 'delegates,' (other filmmakers), look down on the grim gladiatorial proceedings from the relative comfort of the bleachers as you pitch your film-in-the-making to these gatekeepers.
Barry and I actually performed very, very well despite the fact that we have not seen each other in over two years. He flew in to Vancouver about 36 hours before our pitch, and we worked out our routine over my notebook computer in his hotel room. The project has evolved since I wrote the original concept nearly four years ago, and since CTV committed development funding back in June of this year. The current working title is, 'Marked for Life.' It's a film about people who have chosen to be decorated not disfigured by their scars and will explore how their scars have transformed who they are and become part of their persona.
Thank you.
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