Everybody's a critic. But now there's a chance for your opinions to be heard.
That is exactly what Fresh Docs, a monthly event held at the Center for Documentary Studies, is about. Since 2002, the CDS and the Southern Documentary Fund have teamed up to host this workshop-style gathering to engage in ongoing conversations between filmmakers and audience members.
While SDF provides fiscal sponsorship for filmmakers around the Durham area, CDS serves as an outlet for educational outreach that makes Fresh Docs an ideal collaboration for up-and-coming filmmakers seeking input from the community.
Featuring works from students completing certificate programs to that of professional filmmakers, Fresh Docs brings in an assortment of people wanting some insight into their projects. Documentary artists show films at all stages of editing, said April Walton, the CDS Learning Outreach director.
"Most people feels it works best if they have something beyond a rough cut, but they are still open to feedback in terms of sequencing," Walton said.
Since the editing process is so complex, documentaries will most likely undergo a lot of changes before completion. Often, finished films that gathered input from Fresh Docs are re-shown as a final product at Fresh Docs.
Because film editing is frequently much more expensive and time-consuming than aspiring directors expect, Fresh Docs is a great opportunity for filmmakers to get honest feedback about how well the documentary is working before things are set in stone.
"Documentary artists have a story they feel an urgency to tell, and sometimes you are really close to telling the story, [but] you are not telling it in a way that is the best for the audience," SDF Board President Diana Newton said. "Hearing from the audience on what really touches them is invaluable."
Filmmaker Melanie Hibbert, a Chapel Hill native, is showing her work on Friday and hopes to gain perspective on her current project. Originally hoping to finish the editing in six months, she has instead dedicated over a year-and-a-half to A Yukon River School.
After spending time in rural Alaska, Hibbert felt compelled to document the relationship and role schools played within the community, exploring "the clash between westernized curriculum and indigenous knowledge." Because the topic itself is multifaceted, she is not sure how well the film will be received.
"I hope to get some honest feedback about my documentary-my project is about a complicated subject and relies a lot on narration to tell the story," Hibbert wrote in an e-mail. "I hope that it's not boring (any artist's fear), that there's a good balance of perspectives and that it's not too self-indulgent (because I tell several stories about my own experience living there)."
Naturally, audience members play the largest role in shaping the documentaries. Because these films are ultimately meant for a general audience, the suggestions of Fresh Doc attendants will help filmmakers decide what flows and what is still confusing.
"Not only do you see great new work, but you get to impact the projects," Walton said. "A lot of people really do take in those changes to make stronger projects."
Walton and Newton help facilitate many of the feedback discussions, along with instructors and guests from the community who have expertise in a specific area.
However, it is not to say that only individuals with background knowledge of filmmaking should attend the events. If anything, Fresh Docs hopes to bring in a diverse group of viewers to provide different perspectives. If a film is only as good as the audience's reaction to it, then the more people who can offer pointers, the better.
"We are all more sophisticated than we can imagine because we are all media consumers," Walton said. "We don't all have to be knowledgeable in order to offer feedback."
Fresh Docs is held on the last Friday of every month at the CDS. The next screening will be Friday, Feb. 29 at 7:30 p.m. Anyone seeking to submit a film or get more information can visit the CDS Website at cds.aas.duke.edu.
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