IWOSC Does Docs at Panel “Documentaries: The Writer’s Vision Illuminated”

IWOSC presents a panel discussion: “Documentaries: The Writers’ Vision Illuminated” This event is free for IWOSC Members; $15 per person for non-members

The journey from concept to production, distribution and sales presents quite the challenge. Documentarians possess the devotion to their subject and a certain single-mindedness that, if the fates allow, lead them to a worthy finished product. Documentaries can inform, misinform, soothe, infuriate, stimulate, or they can be a yawn. Our panel of experts will address these issues, of course with a decidedly strong focus on the writing.

If you look at the list of documentaries in the past several years, you will find almost every subject, from the political, to health, to the obscure, and more. A unique collaboration is enjoyed with this form.

We will cover, as time permits:
Concept
Writing, rewriting
Collaboration
Finding information sources
Permissions and legal hurdles, ownership
Getting it noticed, promotion
Why did you do this documentary
Budget, number of staff needed, money raising
Distribution
How ideas morph during the process
What makes the documentary successful, and how do you define this success?
Plus your questions!

Monday, July 25, 2016
7:30 p.m. (to 9:15; networking follows the program)

Veterans Memorial Building
4117 Overland Avenue (at Culver)
Culver City, CA 90230
Free parking; enter on Culver

Moderator Susan Karlin is an award-winning science and technology journalist based in Los Angeles, covering the nexus of science and arts, with a fondness for Sci-Fi and comics. She’s a regular contributor to Fast Company and IEEE Spectrum, and has written for Newsweek, Forbes, Wired, Scientific American, Discover, The New York Times, NPR, and BBC Radio. She has also traveled to every continent, reporting from such diverse areas as Vietnam, the Arctic, and the West Bank.
Follow her @SueKarlin.

 

ADMISSION: IWOSC members – free; General public – $15

E-MAIL RESERVATIONS REQUIRED — Email [email protected] to make your reservation for this event. Please write “IWOSC Reservation July 25” in the subject line. You will receive a confirming email from IWOSC, and your name will be on a list at check-in. Please arrive by 7:15 p.m. to be seated. Doors open to everyone at 7:15 and people will be admitted as space permits. Walk-ins permitted, if there is space. Information: (310) 773-8075.

Please note: The reservation deadline, space permitting, is 5:00 p.m. Sunday, the day before the meeting. If you reserve and cannot attend, please email the office to let us know, [email protected].

IWOSC, the Independent Writers of Southern California, is a nonprofit association providing support, tools, and resources to help self-employed professional writers in Southern California since 1982.