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Join me for Making Media Now 2013 in Boston, May 3, 2013
Written by David Tames on April 24, 2013
Filed Under Events & Screenings, Filmmakers, Filmmaking, New Media

I hope you’ll join me this year on Friday, May 3rd at Massachusetts College of Art and Design for Making Media Now 2013, the annual must-attend conference for documentary media makers presented by Filmmakers Collaborative. I’m...  Continue Reading...

Sound for documentary, Part 1: Eight fundamental concepts
Written by David Tames on March 4, 2013
Filed Under Documentary, Featured, Filmmaking, Sound, Video Production

Between widespread access to affordable camcorders and the rising ubiquity of mobile phones with good video cameras, along with the ascendancy of YouTube as a major media diffusion platform, it’s never been easier to produce and...  Continue Reading...

FiLMiC Pro transforms iPhone into sweet and respectable video camera
Written by David Tames on February 23, 2013
Filed Under Camera, Documentary, Featured, Filmmaking, Mobile devices, Tools, Video on the Web, Video Production

The iPhone is capable of producing surprising good video and as a result, quite a few documentary makers are using their iPhones as their go-to B camera and in some cases even as their primary camera. In order to get the best video...  Continue Reading...

Principles of Interaction Design for Interactive Documentary Makers
Written by David Tames on February 13, 2013
Filed Under Books, Design, Documentary, Featured, Filmmaking, Media Literacy, Mobile devices, New Media, Web

Content production methodologies are converging with the strategies and tactics of interaction design. The latest mobile phones and tablets provide a wonderful platform for delivering intimate interactive documentary experiences. Where...  Continue Reading...

Making Media Now 2012: Thriving in a Changing Landscape
Written by David Tames on May 1, 2012
Filed Under Business, Events & Screenings, Filmmakers, Filmmaking, New Media

The Making Media Now conference organized by Filmmakers Collaborative has become the annual must-attend event for New England media makers. This year the event will mark Filmmaker’s Collaborative’s 25th anniversary and...  Continue Reading...

Whitney Dow: When the Drum is Beating
Written by David Tames on November 30, 2011
Filed Under Documentary, Featured, Filmmakers, Filmmaking, Films, Interviews

I had the pleasure of seeing When the Drum is Beating at the New Hampshire Film Festival (NHFF) recently. The documentary, directed by Whitney Dow, weaves together the history of Haiti with the story of Orchestre Septentrional, Haiti’s...  Continue Reading...

Researching Macro Trends
Written by David Tames on October 15, 2011
Filed Under Business, Filmmaking, Media Technology, Sticky

While I was preparing my presentation, “Seven Macro Trends,” I reached out to people I thought might have some ideas and/or examples I should weave into my presentation. I’m indebted to their wonderful and generous...  Continue Reading...

Seven Macro Trends (RioSeminars 2011 Presentation)
Written by David Tames on October 15, 2011
Filed Under Business, Distribution, Filmmaking, Handout, Media Technology, Presentation, Sticky, The Media

I promised during my keynote presentation on Monday, October 10, 2011 at RioSeminars 2011 that I would post my slides and some notes before Sunday at midnight, so here it is: 7 Macro Trends, RioSeminars 2011 (5 MB, PDF), and below...  Continue Reading...

Ten glimpses into the crystal ball: the future of documentary
Written by David Tames on June 18, 2011
Filed Under Business, Distribution, Documentary, Film Festivals, Filmmaking, Media Technology, New Media, Television, The Media, Web

I’ve been contemplating the evolution of the documentary this summer and I was delighted to see that The MediaGuardian’s recent Sheffield Doc/Fest 2011 coverage includes ten articles providing a refreshing perspective...  Continue Reading...

Cinema will eventually become a flexible means of writing
Written by David Tames on November 22, 2010
Filed Under Art, Camera, Critical Theory, Filmmaking, Music Video, New Media, Sticky, Writing

In 1948 Alexandre Astruc, a filmmaker and theorist, suggested the notion of caméra-stylo (camera pen) in his essay, “The Birth of a New Avant-Garde: La Caméra-Stylo,” which appears in the book, The French...  Continue Reading...

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