Video Maker - USA (2019-06)

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30 VIDEOMAKER >>> JUNE 2019

ponents.” Thus, Bergman stresses the

need to elevate the journalistic prac-

tices of independent filmmakers.

Of course, there are other work-

shops, labs, fellowships and confer-

ences that also offer guidance to

documentary filmmakers. Highly re-

garded existing programs include Sun-

dance’s Documentary Film Program,

Film Independent’s Documentary Lab,

and the International Documentary

Association’s Master Classes. However,

the IRP Professional Workshop for

Independent Documentary Filmmak-

ers is one of a kind. It is the only pro-

gram centered on applying the best

practices of investigative journalism to

documentary film.

I applied the moment I heard about

the workshop and participated in its

inaugural edition.

The workshop

The workshop begins as any event for

starving artists should—with wine,

beer and a good meal. Then, during

dinner on opening night, each par-

ticipant introduces his or her project.

After some brief remarks and a trailer

or scene from their work-in-progress,

the process begins.

Twelve filmmakers are selected for

each installment of the program. This

creates a relatively intimate format

that allows each participant to explore

questions and challenges particular to

their current project. Over drinks and

dinner, we also meet the workshop

instructors and, to put it simply, they

are an impressive bunch.

In addition to Bergman and Temple

(former managing editor at The Wash-

ington Post), they include consum-

mate professionals. Present are folks

like Kerry Smith, Senior Vice Presi-

dent for Editorial Quality at ABC News,

and Gary Bostwick, one of California’s

leading media and entertainment

attorneys. In addition, our advisors

include Dawn Porter, acclaimed direc-

tor of the documentaries, “Gideon’s

Army” and “Trapped.”

The filmmakers

The filmmakers come to Berkeley

from all over the US, attracted in

part by the intensive two-day format.

respondent for Frontline. His role was

later dramatized in the 1999 major

motion picture “The Insider.”

Bergman received numerous Em-

mys, Peabodys, and other awards for

his hard-hitting work. He is now the

Reva and David Logan Distinguished

Chair at UC Berkeley’s Graduate

School of Journalism. There, he

founded the Investigative Reporting

Program (IRP), and most recently, its

independent production company,

Investigative Studios (see below).

The solution

With support from The John D. and

Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation,

The John S. and James L. Knight

Foundation, and ABC News, Berg-

man and IRP director John Temple

launched a crash course intended to

give independent filmmakers a boost

in journalism know-how.

According to Bergman, while

“independent filmmaking is flourish-

ing,” the documentary form demands

higher standards. In Bergman’s words,

“Documentaries can be undermined

if filmmakers don’t bulletproof their

stories against powerful critics or op-

I’m not forging full steam ahead down

the wrong track? It turns out I am not

alone. Most artists ask themselves

some version of these questions.

Moreover, as filmmaking tools have

become more accessible to more

people, the documentary community

has widened. Nowadays, tinkerers,

artists, self-taught filmmakers and

others with little or no prior journal-

ism experience make many successful

documentaries.

The problem

One obvious benefit of this broader

community is that documentary film-

making now includes a wider range

of styles and points of view. However,

veteran journalists like Lowell Berg-

man have noticed that many of these

documentaries have lacked journalis-

tic rigor. As a result, they (perhaps un-

knowingly) blurred the line between

journalism and advocacy.

Bergman saw this trend and de-

cided to do something about it. Best

known for his work investigating and

exposing Big Tobacco as a producer

for “60 Minutes,” Bergman worked

for many years a producer and cor-

At the IRP Professional Workshop for Independent Documentary Filmmakers, instructor Lowell

Bergman shared his insight and expertise gleaned from a long, successful career as an investi-

gative journalist.

UC Berkeley offers professional workshop for documentary filmmakers

385 F06 I.R.P. Professional Workshop.indd 30 4/23/19 2:03 PM

VIDEOMAKER >>> JUNE 2019 31

Jacqueline Olive’s “Always in Sea-

son” explores the possible lynching

of African-American teen Lennon

Lacey. The 17-year-old was found

hanging from a tree in North Caro-

lina in 2014. “Always in Season,”

brings attention not only to this

single horrific event, but also to the

larger cultural context in which the

event occurred.

This condensed schedule makes it

more feasible for out-of-town fi lm-

makers than an occasional class or a

weekly lab. In various iterations of the

workshop, the topics tackled by the

fi lmmakers are as varied as they are

consequential. While one fi lmmaker

investigates patterns of sexual assault

on a prestigious college campus, an-

other fi lmmaker is creating a portrait

of whistleblowers exposing corruption

at the Offi ce of Veterans Affairs.

And there is another work-in-

progress on the possible lynching of

Lennon Lacey, a 17-year-old African-

American found hanging from a tree

in North Carolina in 2014. This project

became the framework for fi lmmaker

Jacqueline Olive’s fi lm “Always in Sea-

son,” winner of a Special Jury Award

at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival.

UC Berkeley offers professional workshop for documentary filmmakers

385 F06 I.R.P. Professional Workshop.indd 31 4/23/19 2:03 PM