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Making Your Documentary Matter:
Outreach and Impact Strategies that Work
Hosted by American University's Center for
Social Media
February 7, 2005, 1:00-8:00 p.m.
Background Materials and Links:
You may be interested in examples of successful outreach
projects or even articles on why outreach is important. Below you’ll
find links to case studies on projects big and small, with a wide
variety of objectives. You will also find links to organizations
that can help you design an outreach plan and strategic use of your
project.
Articles
 Katy
Chevigny and Kirsten Johnson and Deadline: Outreach as
a Central Element in Documentary Production
Co-directors Chevigny and Johnson discuss the integration of outreach
plans in the production of their film Deadline, which aired
on NBC's Dateline in July, 2004.
Why
do I Need an Outreach Campaign?
By Julia Pimsleur
Veteran social issue filmmaker and co-founder of MediaRights explains
how an outreach plan can help producers extend the reach of a documentary,
and why it is beneficial to think about it early in the process.
Making Change, Making Movies
By Judith Helfand
This is a transcript of Helfand's presentation at the Center for
Social Media, March 2003, on the evolution of her work, and building
partnerships that form the nucleus of community engagement campaigns
surrounding Uprising of '34, A Healthy Baby Girl
and Blue Vinyl.
Media
and Metanoia: Documentary "Impact" Through the Lens of
Conversion
By Pamela Calvert
Three examples of outreach efforts for social documentaries illustrate
the author's argument that outreach efficacy can be evaluated as
a change in belief, using literature from religious studies.
 The
Television Race Initiative: Sparking Dialogue That Can Lead to Action
By Carole Ashkinaze
From the Making Television Matter book listed below, a
successful project using television programming to spark dialogue
leading to action, the POV/The American Documentary's "Television
Race Initiative" shows stations how they can create relationships
with local organizations to facilitate problem solving
Filmmakers
with Purpose: An Interview with the Filmmakers of The Heart
of the Matter
By Catherine Gund
From the Making Television Matter book listed below, the
authors outline the challenges of defining a film's target audience
and the creation of an outreach strategy that is flexible but goal-oriented.
From
the Broadcaster's Corner: A Success Story in Coalition Outreach
By Kristi Laguzza-Boosman
From the Making Television Matter book listed below, coalition
outreach campaigns are not only good mediums for strengthening the
impact of a film's message, but a successful coalition engages all
community members to give a common voice to a project.
Grantmakers
on Funding Social Issue Media Projects
By Victoria Rodriguez Thiessen and Raymond Rigoglioso
From the Making Television Matter book listed below, the
Ford Foundation by Victoria Rodriguez Thiessen and the Robert Wood
Johnson Foundation by Raymond Rigoglioso write on the importance
of outreach campaigns and the need to cultivate partnerships with
local organizations, from the viewpoint of funders of social media.
Making
the Media Your Partner
By Geoffrey Knox
From the Making Television Matter book listed below, focus
on the challenge producers, activists, nonprofits, and public television
stations face in developing media interest on local social issues,
and how to respond to different obstacles outreach campaigns you
may run into.
Evaluating
Your Outreach Efforts
By Ellen Schneider and Melaine Piersol
Ellen Schneider and Melaine Piersol discuss the importance of outreach
campaign evaluations. They move past the primary successes and failures
of projects to the reassessment of how filmmakers and outreach coordinators
develop new programs and redefine goals and objectives.
Docurama
Docurama, a leading distributor of documentaries on DVD, provides
a market analysis of documentary distribution in 2004-2005, with
trend analysis.
Books
Making
Television Matter: How Documentaries Can Engage and Mobilize Communities
Edited by Karen Hirsch
This link will take you to a chapter-by-chapter summary of the essays
that capture the experience of creative outreach organizations,
which have used documentaries for engagement on issues ranging from
racism to environmental toxins to community redesign.
Why Fund
Media
Edited by Karen M. Hirsh
This link will take you to a chapter-by-chapter summary of the essays,
written to help grantmakers see the benefits of funding media and
strategies that have been used to make the reach as wide as possible.
Case Studies of Outreach &
Community Engagement
 Reentry
National Media Outreach
Based on the belief that diverse media play an
essential role in motivating and mobilizing community action, this
ongoing outreach campaign expands public awareness and works in partnership
with local organizations and initiatives on prisoner reentry issues
using various documentaries and strategic engagement. Read
"Bridge-Building Strategic Questions."
 The
Forgetting: A Portrait of Alzheimer's
By National Center for Outreach
An impact assessment of the outreach activities organized around
The Forgetting: A Portrait of Alzheimer's.
Blue
Vinyl and the My House is Your House Consumer Organizing Campaign,
2002-2003
By Working Films and Toxic Comedy Pictures
Blue Vinyl co-directors Judith Helfand and Daniel Gold "hit
the road to tell the truth about America's favorite plastic."
After the film, the makers formed partnerships and turned the film
into an organizing tool called My House is Your House.
Read a report on the results to date of this ground-breaking campaign.
 Report
from the Road: Two Towns of Jasper
By Working Films
Linking the film with community change is the goal of the outreach
campaign surrounding this highly acclaimed documentary from the
POV series on PBS. Read this report on the film’s outreach
campaign to find out how Two
Towns of Jasper is "sparking change one city at a
time."
ITVS
Community Connections Project
Case studies of seven Independent Television Service (ITVS) outreach
projects are archived on this website. The films' broad range of
issues includes war, immigration, parenting, and the arts. Click
here for direct links to community engagement summaries for The
New Americans, Be Good, Smile Pretty, Daddy &
Papa, Refrigerator Mothers, The Good War,
and Poetic License.
Enhancing
Education: A Producer's Guide
By WGBH Boston
This comprehensive website contains 12 case studies documenting
how producers have integrated educational outreach into their productions.
The archived broadcast projects range from children's programs,
to one-off documentaries, and to nonfiction limited series. The
list includes programs such as Africa, Building Big,
Culture Shock, and Cyberchase, among others.
Outreach
Extensions: National Legacy Outreach Campaign Evaluation
A report by Applied Research & Consulting LLC evaluating the
social impact of the independent film Legacy. Also, read
an interview with filmmaker Tod
Lending on Legacy>>
 Well-Founded
Fear: A Case Study
By Barbara Abrash
This case study of the POV documentary A Well-Founded Fear
analyzes how filmmakers Shari Robertson and Michael Camerini moved
the project from idea to broadcast, and how it impacted audiences.
Impact
of Uprising of '34: A Coalition Model of Production and
Distribution
By David Whiteman
As much an article as a case study, Whiteman examines George Stoney
and Judith Helfand's film as an example of a project that raised
awareness about lost history.
Using
Grassroots Documentary Films for Political Change
By David Whiteman
This is a list of planning suggestions for filmmakers, again using
Uprising of '34 as a model.
Nonprofits
on Using Media to Reach Constituents
From the Making Television Matter book
listed above, The American Red Cross by Darlene Sparks
Washington and The Greater Hartford AIDS Fund by Beverly
Boyle are case studies showing how nonprofits can have a greater
impact in their community by getting involved.
The
Television Race Initiative: Sparking Dialogue That Can Lead to Action
By Carole Ashkinaze
From the Making Television Matter book
listed above, a successful project using television
programming to spark dialogue leading to action, the POV/The American
Documentary's "Television Race Initiative" shows stations
how they can create relationships with local organizations to facilitate
problem solving around the issue of race relations.
Take
this Heart: A Coalition Model
By Jackie Conciatore
From the Making Television Matter book
listed above, the outreach campaign for Take the
Heart demonstrates the potential for collaboration between
funders, filmmakers, television stations, and community organizations.
Positive:
Life with HIV: When a Film Doesn't Receive a National PBS Broadcast
By Janet Cole
From the Making Television Matter book
listed above, the outreach campaign for Positive:
Life with HIV is detailed, recognizing both the obstacles between
independent filmmakers and public television and proposes new ways
to overcome them.
DIY: Putting Together Your Outreach
Plan
 MediaRights
& AIVF Independent Producer's Outreach Toolkit
Using the ideas assembled on this page, you can design your outreach
plan. But, if you want a little help in the form of template guides,
MediaRights and AIVF have put together a comprehensive guide. The
toolkit is available for a nominal fee of $125 with discounts available
for members of AIVF, IFP and FAF.
The
Secret Life of the Brain - Outreach Toolkit
This is a five part-series from David Grubin Productions, aired
in 2002. The downloadable outreach kit provides detailed program
information, publicity materials, lesson plans about brain development
and health topics, and action ideas to increase awareness of the
neurosciences. Among the materials are unique ideas for workplace
activities, career fairs, and parent education screenings.
P.O.V.
Community Engagement Event
In addition to assessing the impact of screenings, this document
from the Elderhostel Institute Network and P.O.V. gives step-by-step
directions for community planners interested in hosting a screening.
There are examples of feedback forms that audiences can fill out
and publicity materials to help advertise events.
National
Center for Outreach National Community Events Calendar
A comprehensive calendar for planning outreach efforts that take
advantage of national celebrations of awareness and culture.
Links to Organizations
Active
Voice
Active Voice is a team of strategic communication specialists who
put powerful film to work for personal and institutional change
in communities, workplaces, and campuses across America. Through
practical guides, hands-on workshops, inspiring events and key partnerships
nationwide, Active Voice moves people from thought to action.
National
Center for Outreach
An organization that supports public broadcasting stations with
outreach for programming, including funding for outreach initiatives.
Working
Films
Working Films is a national organization that links independent
documentary filmmaking with community education, organizing and
direct action to support social, economic and civil justice.
National
Video Resources
National Video Resources designs and implements projects that enable
individuals and organizations such as public libraries, colleges
and universities, and other non-profits to acquire and use independent
film and video.
Roundtable
Media
A production company that specializes in Public Engagement Media.
Check out the Public Engagement Media Center for more tips and resources.
Outreach
Extensions
Founded by Judith and Ken Ravitz, Outreach Extensions specializes
in national outreach campaigns.
Making
Connections Media Outreach Initiative
Supported by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, many of the film outreach
projects that you find articles and case studies about above are
part of national campaigns organized as part of the Making Connections
project. On the left are a list of the national campaigns.
Docurama
A distribution company for documentaries on DVD. Many of your favorite
titles are available here.
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