Micro-Documentaries

09/04/2018

We heard you - here are your Top 3 insights.

If you participated in a workshop with us recently, we heard you - loud and clear.

1. It's not just for video. We heard you when you told us that these strategies and techniques apply to all visual storytelling not just videostorytelling. You're right - they do.
Budget is not always available to produce as many short films as you would like - so it's nice to know that you can be more engaging with your audience even when your images are still ones.

Whether you're updating your organizational narrative to better engage your audience, or bringing that narrative to life through storytelling, or improving the way you collaborate with creative professionals - the skills the lessons that apply to compelling short films are certainly going to be relevant for photo essays & social media storytelling.

So - we are owning that and the workshop is now going to emphasize this more clearly.

2. Show us what NOT to do. You said that these examples are as helpful to learning as seeing cases that you should model, so we will be including more of these as well.

Do this - Not this. Got it.

3. Give us more time to hangout! The people who show up to these workshops are a mighty-awesome bunch. They are the sort of people that renew your hope that we have a chance to get ourselves out of all the messes we have put this world into.

You just asked for more time to get to know them and for more time to get their eyes on your work during our workshop. Heard and understood. Our newer version has more time for you to make new friends and for you to get their thoughts on your evolving organizational narrative and your ideas for how to bring it to life visually.

BONUS: Let's keep getting personal. You moved us to tears with this one. We knew getting personal is key for good visual storytelling - but we didn't realize how thirsty you were for this in your everyday life. We will keep carrying this flag, we will keep nudging and keep encouraging - until all of our discomfort and awkwardness and perceptions of "unprofessionalism" around this topic dissolve into the air. Phew.

Thank you so very much.

Our next workshop on Visual Storytelling Strategy will be hosted by our friends at Cosmic in Santa Cruz. Early-bird expires on Wednesday. And scholarships are available as well. Can't wait to see you there!

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/visual-storytelling-strategy-for-purpose-driven-organizations-tickets-44653593099

26/02/2018

How to get the best video stories from your filmmakers.

14/11/2017

Bay Area friends - Join us this Thursday at the Reel Impact Film Festival hosted by ONE WORLD in Menlo Park to celebrate the intersection between social impact & filmmaking.

They will be honoring a couple of our films featuring Lava Mae and Ecologic Brands! I’ll also be teaching a 1-hour session on distributing your films to expansive audiences.

Join us for an extraordinary afternoon as our community comes together to celebrate social entrepreneurs and impact organizations through filmmaking, storytelling, and networking with like-minded people. How do social impact organizations (both for-profit and not-for-profit organizations) strategica...

14/11/2017

Bay Area friends - we hope you’ll join us this Thursday at the Reel Impact Film Festival hosted by ONE WORLD in Menlo Park to celebrate the intersection of social impact & filmmaking.

They will be honoring a couple of our films featuring Lava Mae and Ecologic Brands. I’ll also be teaching a 1-hour session on distributing your films to expansive audiences.

Join us for an extraordinary afternoon as our community comes together to celebrate social entrepreneurs and impact organizations through filmmaking, storytelling, and networking with like-minded people. How do social impact organizations (both for-profit and not-for-profit organizations) strategica...

13/11/2017

“Thank you for sharing this story with the world,” audience of 3 Boys Manzanar. Can’t wait to share it with you once it comes off the festival tour! Thank you Napa Valley Film Festival for screening it - we were so grateful for the warm reception it received. Preeti Mankar director, speaking on stage with Masha Karpoukhina, field producer, and Akemi Ooka, producer.

11/11/2017

Come join us to watch this amazing selection of short films, including our own Three Boys Manzanar at Napa Valley Film Festival on Sunday at 10 am at Jam Cellars Ballroom in downtown Napa. Tickets are available at the door.

DOCUMENTARY SHORTS 1 Q&A with expected guests Preeti Deb, Akeemi Ooka, and Maria Karpoukhina (Three Boys Manzanar), Erin Wright (A Few Things About Robert Irwin), Lewis Wilcox and Maria Scileppi (Before the Bridge). ADDITIONAL SCREENINGS: WED, NOV 8 | 1:30 PM | Charles Krug THU, NOV

12/10/2017

Chagrin Documentary Film Festival was fabulous! Staying at a local family's home, and getting to spend time with the film loving volunteers and staff made it uniquely intimate. And yet, the film-makers and the quality of their work was world-class. I feel lucky to have been able to premier Three Boys Manzanar here, and I hope to be back again with our next documentary.

12/10/2017

For last 3 days, in the Bay Area we have been engulfed in a cloud of smoke and in this disaster of the Sonoma and Napa fires, like in all disasters, it is people like you - working in purpose-driven organizations - who courageously and compassionately step up to the task of relief. In the darkness of tragedies you also see the best of humanity and that is why it is our deepest honor to support you in your storytelling efforts. Today we pray for all the people currently affected by the disasters of the world and for all those tirelessly offering relief to them.
Photo: Elijah Nouvelage, Special To The Chronicle

10/10/2017

The Sonoma Red Cross is in urgent need of 500 masks for the people in the shelters after the devastating fires in Sonoma County.

Many hardware stores and paint shops are out of stock. So far we have been able to locate and purchase 130 masks and have indentified 370 additional masks available for purchase immediately.

With your contributions, we will purchase and deliver the masks to the Red Cross in Sonoma.

The Sonoma Red Cross is in urgent need of masks after the devastating fires in Sonoma County. Many hardware stores and paint shops are out of stock. So far we have been able to locate and purchase 130 masks and have indentified 1400 additional masks available for purchase immediately. With y...

29/09/2017

Our dear friend and co-worker Alex Reiter lost his life on Monday, September 25. Alex worked with us since 2010, traveling across the globe to capture precious stories. He will be remembered as a kind, gentle soul, with floppy hair, who sometimes got mistaken for Bob Dylan. As a filmmaker, he was always searching for the human connection - the spark that infused his stories with soul and light. Today, we light a candle to celebrate his life. We wanted to share this gorgeous little film that he shot for us in Italy a few years ago. As you watch it, you can't help but notice how much fun Alex was having as he composed these poetic shots.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uKCGREEl9Bg

22/09/2017

We know what it feels like to pour your heart into a beautiful video only to get 200 views on YouTube. It’s deflating and depressing, knowing that the power of video — the most influential online medium today — is passing your organization by.

It takes a specific new skillset for purpose-driven communicators to flip the script and reach more people than you ever have. And now you can do just that.

We’re excited to unveil a first-of-its-kind online course, Short Films - Big Impact. The course gives you the step-by-step guidance and methodology for getting the best videos from your filmmakers and reach more people than you ever have before. We’ll work through detailed examples, case studies, strategies, plans, worksheets and exercises over the course of 15 video lessons.

You have one week to sign-up.

REGISTRATION CLOSES ON SEPT. 29.

We hope you’ll join us!

how to get the best videos from your filmmakers & reach bigger audiences than you ever have before