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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 31 | Homecoming Oct 11, 2019

Show notes

Director Christian Taylor shares an emotional story of serendipity as she reunites two long lost brothers and brings together veterans, French families, and high schoolers for a memorable focus group event in Stoneybrook, NY.

Want to help us make the film? We're looking for volunteers and need donations. Please visit http://normandystories.com/donate and help us tell the veteran's stories!

Episode 30 | How NOT to Make a Documentary Oct 04, 2019

Show notes

If you're planning to make a documentary, be prepared for a lot of failure and unexpected setbacks. It takes someone like Thomas Edison (or Director Christian Taylor) to spin "1,000 mistakes" into "1,000 small steps to success". Learn some of the mistakes The Girl Who Wore Freedom has already made and what hope to do about it.

Want to help us make the film? We're looking for volunteers and need donations. Please visit http://normandystories.com/donate and help us tell the veteran's stories!

Special Edition | Upcoming Screenings Sep 27, 2019

Show notes

In this special edition episode of Documentary First, we bring you important information about upcoming screenings for The Girl Who Wore Freedom. Listen in and see more at https://www.normandystories.com/screenings.

Want to help us make the film? We're looking for volunteers and need donations. Please visit http://normandystories.com/donate and help us tell the veteran's stories!

Episode 29 | Killing Your Babies Sep 27, 2019

Show notes

How many times do you have to watch your dear film before you decide that it really will be okay to cut some things out? In the industry, this is referred to as "killing your babies". In this episode, Christian Taylor, Director of The Girl Who Wore Freedom shares what it's been like to respond to feedback and her own convictions about needing to shorten the film.

Want to help us make the film? We're looking for volunteers and need donations. Please visit http://normandystories.com/donate and help us tell the veteran's stories!

Episode 28 | Rejection Sep 20, 2019

Show notes

What is something you shouldn't do when running a focus group event? In this episode, Director Christian Taylor talks about what she's learned from her recent experience attending four focus groups for The Girl Who Wore Freedom in Colorado earlier this year.

One tip: don't be afraid to ask for donations even if you'll get rejected. Speaking of which, have you considered donating to support the film? Visit http://normandystories.com/donate and help us tell the veteran's stories!

Episode 27 | Volunteers & Partners Sep 13, 2019

Show notes

Projects like The Girl Who Wore Freedom need volunteers to exist. Volunteers who are hungry for growth have many opportunities to gain real-world experience and do work they'd be proud to show others. It's a win-win situation for both parties. When should someone start getting paid for the work that they do?

And how do you find social media influencers and partners to cross-promote your work? Find out how this plan began and how we were approached by the folks at Ike's Soldiers (ikessoldiers.com).

Do you know someone with fundraising experience? The Girl Who Wore Freedom needs help and we're willing to share a percentage of proceeds to get that work done. Contact us for more information: https://www.normandystories.com/contact.

Episode 26 | Miniseries Sep 06, 2019

Show notes

When the idea for The Girl Who Wore Freedom was conceived a lot had to happen in a short amount of time. Now that there is a documentary of the film out there, we take stock of what we have and consider the format. What if a documentary would really work better as a three-part miniseries? What steps are necessary to get listed on Netflix, Amazon Video, or even a cable network like The History Channel? Should a documentary even consider that?

Episode 25 | More Focus Group Events Aug 30, 2019

Show notes

Christian has had a chance to catch her breath and is ramping up for focus group events in Denver, Colorado Springs, New York, Branson, and beyond! Find an event near you: https://normandystories.com/events.

These focus groups are being organized and spearheaded by people who are passionate about sharing The Girl Who Wore Freedom in their city and helping us raise funds to finish the film.

If you're looking to support us and get some cool clothing or souvenirs, check out the new Girl Who Wore Freedom shop: https://normandystories.com/shop.

Episode 24 | Fatigue Aug 23, 2019

Show notes

Creating a film is exhausting. Is it even possible to take a break when you're in the midst of creating a feature-length documentary? And what do you do when you want to finish the film, but don't have the money to pay the editor and other team members to get the work done? In this episode, Christian Taylor, director of The Girl Who Wore Freedom, shares the struggle through fatigue and satisfying rewards that shine through it.

Episode 23 | Getting Feedback Aug 16, 2019

Show notes

Getting any kind of feedback is hard. If the feedback is only positive, you worry that they're just trying to make you feel good and not being authentic. But it's also really difficult to receive negative feedback! In this episode, podcast host Josh Lindsey and director Christian Taylor talk about how the Chicago focus group event went and how real-world feedback has influenced the development of the film.

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