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Documentary First — History
Documentary First

The craft and business of documentary filmmaking, from people who actually do it.

Documentary First is a weekly podcast for working and aspiring documentary filmmakers who want honest, in-depth conversations about how documentaries get funded, made, and seen. Listen Notes ranks the show in the top 5 percent of all podcasts worldwide.

Hosted by Christian Taylor, award-winning director of The Girl Who Wore Freedom (25+ international awards, distributed through Virgil Films, Swank, and Canal+), the show draws on 295+ conversations with documentary filmmakers, editors, producers, distributors, and composers across HBO, Netflix, PBS, and the independent doc world. Past guests include Ken Burns, PBS American Masters creator Susan Lacy, Emmy and Peabody Award-winning editor Charles Olivier (HBO’s The Jinx, The Redeem Team), and Emmy-nominated director Nick Bruckman (Netflix’s Minted).

Every week, Documentary First delivers two formats in one feed. The main show is a long-form interview about how filmmakers approach their craft, handle distribution, and build a career that lasts. On alternating weeks, Documentary First: The Deep Dive takes a single insight from a recent guest conversation and goes further, drawing on psychology, philosophy, and hard-won experience to find the lesson underneath the work.

Christian hosts from inside the work, not from the sidelines. She has films in production right now, so she asks the questions a working documentary filmmaker actually needs answered, because she needs them answered too.

Topics include: documentary directing, documentary producing, documentary distribution, film festival strategy, fundraising for documentaries, storytelling craft, documentary cinematography, documentary editing, film music and scoring, sound design for film, entertainment law for filmmakers, archival footage and rights clearance, and building a sustainable career in nonfiction filmmaking.

New episodes every week. Subscribe and leave a review.

Instagram: @documentaryfirst | Facebook: @documentaryfirst | X: @Doc_First | TikTok: @documentaryfirst | YouTube: @DocumentaryFirst | LinkedIn: documentaryfirst | documentaryfirst.com

Copyright: © Documentary First, all rights reserved.

Latest Episodes:

Episode 101 | Michèle Phoenix - Translation Troubles Feb 11, 2021

Show notes

Today we’re joined by Michèle Phoenix! But first, as usual, an update about film, distribution, deliverables and an update from Josh and Jason. We talk about the challenges of working on a multi-lingual film, particularly if you don’t speak all the languages. We talk through the workarounds they’ve used to live translate, and work through problems. We talk through Michèle’s history, how she came to work on the film and overcoming obstacles.

Christian and Michèle recount several translation stories from making the film, and the beautiful moments they got to experience. Michèle then fills us in on the book she wrote after her experiences on the film.

Check out her books and website here: https://michelephoenix.com/，Fragments of Light: https://amzn.to/2PyDNZz

Episode 100 | Party Time! Feb 04, 2021

Show notes

It’s Episode 100, and we’ve got a whole mess of people on the show. We’ve got Jason Hoban, Jonathan Liu, Bradley Stair, and Jeff Kurtenacker! We’re celebrating 100 episodes of the podcast, and some big news for the film.

We get some background on how Documentary First is made, then we dig into some exciting news!

We talk through the learning experience of the film, the amazing experience of “Just doing it”. The process of discovering if you can do something. Making something creative.

Episode 99 | Rudy, Call Sheets and Scripts! Jan 28, 2021

Show notes

Sandy Gordon is back! But first we have to get some updates about the film, and film festivals.  Sandy brought some show and tell today, she brings out some scripts, notebooks, etc from previous projects. Then Sally runs down all the information included on a Call Sheet, how it’s organized and why it’s included on the sheet. Then we talk through how Rudy filled a football stadium.

Episode 98 | What is a Line Producer? Jan 21, 2021

Show notes

Sandy Gordon is back, today we’re talking about Line Producing, the Hudsucker Proxy, and how she got involved with their production.

Then we dig into line production, what is line production? How does their job affect the budget, and production? Sandy gives some great examples of how line producers help production save time and money.

Sandy walks us through all the different things that go into even just planning craft services (food) on the set, the difference it makes to have healthy options vs junk food, and how that changes production.

Episode 97 | Industry Pro Sandy Gordon Jan 14, 2021

Show notes

Today we’re joined by Sandy Gordon, Emmy Award winning producer and published author. We talk about her history in film production, how she got started, and what she’s been working on since.

Sandy tells us about her first BIG break working on the movie Rudy, how she got involved in TGWWF and then enlightens us about Chicago’s tax incentive for film and TV production. Lots of stuff to learn in this one!

Episode 96 | Appreciation & Anticipation Jan 07, 2021

Show notes

In this year end podcast, we look back on what we appreciated about this crazy year and what we’re anticipating for 2021. Jason talks about being a workaholic, Josh talks about his business this year, and Christian takes inventory of her blessings.

Then we dive into what we’re anticipating. Josh talks about his plans for next year. Jason talks about agents, managers, and meetings, and Christian lists out everything happening with the film in 2021.

Episode 95 | Hopes for the New Year Dec 31, 2020

Show notes

The podcast crew share hopes for the new year by thinking about the limitations, lessons, and innovations they have faced traversing the film-making and voice-over world. Also: Jason is insightful and hilarious? Find out more in this episode.

Episode 94 | What's Next? Dec 24, 2020

Show notes

Today we talk about “the next thing”. What will that look like? Financially, distribution wise? Production wise? When is Christian no longer a first time filmmaker?

And what in the world is going on in the film industry right now?! It's like the Wild West out there! What’s the ongoing trend for filmmaking and movie studios, film festivals, movie theaters and what does that mean for independent filmmakers?

Christian, Josh and Jason talk through some of the different streaming services, distribution plans, changes to movie theaters, and speculate about the future of traditional distribution. They don't seem to have any definitive answers but they are good questions for any filmmaker to ponder!

Happy Holidays!

Episode 93 | Biz Advice That Doesn't Suck Dec 17, 2020

Show notes

This is an interview with Mark McClain the author of Joy and Success at Work: Building organizations that don't suck (the life out of people).

This will be a tie into our recent business conversations... how do you build a business that will be a blessing to the employees and investors.

Episode 92 | Graphic Design for Films? Dec 09, 2020

Show notes

Today we’re joined by Emily Mixter, The Girl who Wore Freedom’s Graphic Designer. Emily fills us in on on how she joined the project, why she does volunteer graphic design, branding, and any place graphic design was needed.

We talk through Emily’s process, picking color palettes, fonts, and how she makes decisions based on future designs, like for Social Media, Posters, Clothing, etc.

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