We've been in scenarios where we haven't paid, and whenever we have paid the subject, it's been part of the film. Barbato cites their doc Monica Lewinsky in Black and White , which opens with a card that states that Lewinsky had been compensated.
Barbato admits that they got criticism for this, but defends the film. We had final cut, Monica didn't. She got compensation for her time, and we said so up front. I doubt very much it would have changed things one way or another. There are ways to do that that don't compromise the film you're making. One way is to include it in the film, to be up front about what you've done.
Another way is to compensate someone after the fact, so it's not a deal-it's not, 'I will pay you to do this. When you make the choice to enter that world, you're entering a very complex scenario. If I say, 'It's not right to give them money,' then Many filmmakers spoke off the record about their ambivalence around the question of compensating subjects. One can make the case that we're making our living off our work one hopes ; we're building careers; we can leverage the current film for the next job.
At the very least, we're getting creative satisfaction from our films. So who is to say that these people who open up their lives to us shouldn't be compensated in some way? But in what way, so that the film is not compromised? Or so that people are not tempted to participate in a documentary because of financial incentives, even against their better judgement? The doc profiles three teenagers who "age out" of the foster care system and find themselves becoming parents and battling addiction and homelessness, but also finding their own resiliency and self-sufficiency.
Roth ran into a classic documentary dilemma when David, one of the subjects in the doc, called her toward the end of filming. He'd been in jail, then he'd disappeared. I thought I wouldn't see him again, and then he called and left me a message, saying 'I want to tell you where I am, but what I really want is for you to give me money to go to Seattle. It was a real dilemma for me-I knew I was his only resource, and it really was a chance for him to better his life.
And a great ending for the movie. But it would step in and change the course of his life. Sometimes that has to come into account, some kind of moral obligation. Not to repay them, but to honor their commitment. I don't know if that's my social worker background. She made herself available to the kids at any hour, giving advice when asked, and providing resources and contacts she knew the kids needed.
I helped how I could, when they asked. Several filmmakers told me--off the record--that they are often asked for payment when doing broadcast celebrity profiles, especially in the UK.
Learn how to sell your documentary to Netflix. Selling your film to the educational market is also an option for the right kind of film. So of course, there is the opportunity to make some money from a documentary. There are just a number of factors involved that determine just how much the quality of the film, the appeal, the marketing effort, size of audience, etc.
Quick update, we've had so much interest in this topic that we've created a brand new 3-part series on "How To Make Money With Video And Documentaries". Get free weekly documentary tips sent straight to your inbox.
This is our special gift to you to help you stay motivated and inspired. Just enter your info below and let's get started! This is our special gift to help you stay motivated and inspired. Speaking of a film she made with a first-time director, an HBO co-production, Goldman explained that HBO Documentary head Sheila Nevins thought the film needed to be recut, so she was going to take it in-house. The filmmaker resisted, which miffed Nevins, but when the filmmaker brought back the cut Nevins ended up liking it.
As the panel ended, a series of horror stories about how hard it was to balance all the needs of various funders came up. Sign Up: Stay on top of the latest breaking film and TV news! Sign up for our Email Newsletters here.
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