Jon Fitzgerald - Filmmaking for Change: Make Films that Transform the World [2nd Ed.]

Filmmakers can broaden their audiences and create powerful learning experiences for hundreds of thousands of students who might not otherwise see a particular film. This book helps to provide resources to filmmakers looking to impact both teaching and learning in the classroom.

Joanne Ashe, founding director www.Journeysinfilm.org

We believe in the power of film to inspire social change. With this book, emerging filmmakers now have a resource to help them develop engaging stories and tools to help activate audiences around the world.

David Linde, CEO, Participant Media

Films can have such a profound impact on how we view the world and they can truly create everlasting, positive change. This book will help you create a blueprint for empowering action.

Morgan Spurlock, Academy Award nominated filmmaker: Super Size Me; POM Wonderful Presents: The Greatest Movie Ever Sold

I have never seen anyone handle a wider variety of demands with more grace and skill than Jon Fitzgerald. He has earned the respect and support of everyone involved with the film community. This book is a great tool for filmmakers to produce and distribute projects that can make a difference in the world.

Steven Soderbergh, Academy Award winning filmmaker:
Traffic; Erin Brockovich

Filmmaking has become the most powerful weapon in the world, what I call a weapon of mass construction. Filmmaking for Change is this new movements instruction manual.

Louie Psihoyos, Academy Award winning filmmaker:
The Cove; executive director, Oceanic Preservation Society

Covers how to create a documentary from start to finish... important aspects of filmmaking, such as developing ideas, applying narrative structure, production scheduling, marketing, distribution options, film festivals, and more. A great book for filmmakers who want to create change.

Tom Farr, blogger: A Journey of Faith and Creativity

This book reminds us that film schools should concentrate not just on the technique of filmmaking, but the content as well, and how these stories can inspire audiences to take action.

Tom Pollock, former chairman MCA/Universal, former chairman of the board AFI, executive producer: Up In the Air

Jon Fitzgeralds Filmmaking for Change is an invaluable guide to making and marketing movies that can make a difference. By critically examining case studies of five different movies and how they were developed, produced, and distributed, Jon has provided great insight into a process that confounds many filmmakers. This is an essential and practical guide for filmmakers wanting to make social issue movies.

Mark Litwak, attorney, producers rep, author: Risky Business Financing & Distributing Independent Films; Dealmaking in the Film & Television Industry

Filmmaking for Change is a marvel, a revelation, and a must-read for film buffs, indie filmmakers, film festival programmers, studio heads, film distributors, and screenwriters.

Elizabeth English, founder, executive director, artistic director Moondance International Film Festival

As a reviewer of documentary films, I have become passionate about the power they have to inspire much-needed social and individual changeand I have become intimate with the challenges documentary filmmakers face in producing and distributing their films. Like a powerful documentary film, I have no doubt Filmmaking for Change will change and expand the world of documentary filmmakingas well as narrative films based on critical issues of our time.

Don Schwartz, CineSource magazine

Its hard to say exactly how to make a documentary, due to its unpredictable nature, but Filmmaking for Change manages to give useful tips, as well as touch on the very important aspect that should be focused on from day one: How do I get my film actually seen once it is finished (distribution)? As someone currently filming a documentary, this was exactly the kind of book I was looking for!

Erin Corrado, onemoviefiveviews.com

Published by Michael Wiese Productions

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Manufactured in the

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Copyright 2017 Jon Fitzgerald

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without permission in writing from the publisher, except for the inclusion of brief quotations in a review.

This book was set in Scala and Gotham

Cover design by Johnny Ink.

johnnyink.com

Interior design by Debbie Berne

Copyediting by Sherry Parnes

ISBN: 9781615932771

With so many different levels of independent film production, filmmaker styles, and stages of the game, this book is structured to serve multiple functions. Whether you are an emerging or established filmmaker, film student or professor, industry professional or philanthropist, these pages will speak to you. Presumably, you are interested in the core concept and purpose of this book, which is to demonstrate the power of film to make a difference in the world. While Planet Earth is seeing many changes, so too is the film business. As industry veteran Peter Broderick says, Welcome to the New World of distribution, where independent filmmakers chart their own path to audiences.

With that in mind, I present the three primary stages of the life of a movie, from the seed of an idea (Development), to the making of the film (Production), through the final delivery to the audience (Distribution). Throughout these general sections, as you will see in the Table of Contents, there are subcategories, where you will discover information on specific topics. For this 2nd Edition, we have added Activation as a category under Distribution, which will cover they key bases for engaging and measuring change.

At the end of each section, you will find Case Studies for five different films, presented as Question and Answer sessions from filmmakers on topics applicable to each respective category. And on the heels of the Case Studies, I have included Words of Wisdom, insights and important tips from industry professionals.

I have had the opportunity to produce and direct five documentaries since 2010 (The Back Nine, The Highest Pass, The Milky Way, Warrior One, and Dance of Liberation). Each of these projects has had a profound impact on me, and based on audience feedback, has had a positive effect on many viewers. It was the cumulative effect of these experiences, combined with recognizing that we are living in a time that calls for change, which led to the writing of this book. Therefore, whenever applicable, I have included examples from my work on these films. These Authors Notes will be in italics for the purpose of simple identification.

In addition, there are a number of industry terms used throughout the book, and I have put them in bold to indicate that a definition can be found at the back of the book in the Resources section under Glossary of Terms.

Finally, there are some terrific documents, articles and templates for you in the Resources section at the back of the book. These tools apply to various stages of the journey that is filmmaking. Some filmmakers may have been thinking about making a movie for some time and just need this extra push, or the right resource. Others may have already started the process, or have the film in the can but are seeking some final words of wisdom before they bring the film to the world. Wherever you are on this path, please see