Event

Serial Documentaries … Changing the Rules of Documentary Filmmaking

What makes a compelling serial documentary? Join the producers of top Netflix and PBS serials as they discuss storytelling techniques, subject matter, and the challenges of making serial documentaries.

Serial documentaries now pepper our visual landscapes. Everyone from Netflix, to Showtime, from PBS to HBO, has jumped on-board with nail-biting crime dramas, and in-depth historical storytelling. They have engaged audiences with an almost cult-like following with each cliff-hanging episode. But can these mini-series documentaries work in other genres or are they relegated to crime and history alone? What makes them different from binge watching 48 Hours or the new crime channel? What gives these serials the power to engage an audience? Subject? Notoriety of event? Or something else? What makes a compelling serial documentary?

As filmmakers, we rely on a good story, but do our storytelling techniques change to fit such a large canvas? Three producers will discuss these challenges and solutions: Caroline Waterlow (Producer, O.J. Made in America), Jessica Hargrave (Executive Producer, The Keepers), Vanessa Roth (The Girl and The Picture, Daughters of Destiny) and Lynn Novick (Producer, The Vietnam War). The panel will be moderated by Kahane Cooperman (Documentary Filmmaker and Television Producer).

 

Free for students; more info and registration can be found here.