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This week on the blog, a podcast interview with Director/Editor Roger Nygard on his new book, “The Documentarian.”LINKSA Free Film Book for You: https://dl.bookfunnel.com/cq23xyyt12Another Free Film Book: https://dl.bookfunnel.com/x3jn3emga6Fast, Cheap Film Website: https://www.fastcheapfilm.com/Buy “The Documentarian” Here: http://applausebooks.com/books/9781493086221Roger Nygard Website: http://rogernygard.com/Eli Marks Website: https://www.elimarksmysteries.com/Albert's Bridge Books Website: https://www.albertsbridgebooks.com/YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/BehindthePageTheEliMarksPodcastTRANSCRIPTWhere did you first get the documentary bug?Roger Nygard: It was a big mistake. I didn't plan for it. It is sort of like, “Oh, I'll try one bump of heroin. What could hurt, right? Just once.” I made a documentary called Trekkies because an actress I met named Denise Crosby (who was in my first feature film), we had lunch a few years later and she pitched the idea to me. “Hey, someone should make a documentary about these Star Trek fans.” Because she'd been going to conventions as an actor and said these people are entertaining and we couldn't believe no one had done it yet. It seems so obvious and “Yes, of course.” So, we brainstormed a little bit. We'd never done this before. How do you, uh, we have no idea how to make a documentary. But, you know, as the naive often say, how hard can it be? And then you dive in and it's really hard, especially if you don't know what you're doing.And we just stumbled into it, watched a bunch of documentaries, absorbed what we could, made a lot of mistakes, which I learned from, and then put in a book about how to make documentaries, I made the mistakes, so you don't have to. So, I just kind of stumbled into it. What was the biggest challenge you faced on that one, looking back on it? Roger Nygard: It's always, the biggest challenge is always finding the money to pay for it. Every time. Even for Ken Burns, he said it was a challenge raising money. You'd think a guy like, in, in his career at this point, with dozens of films, they'd be writing him checks, but he says he still has to go searching for the finishing funds on every project. One of the things when I saw Trekkies for the first time I was really impressed with--well, first the humanity that you treated every subject in it with. But also, your balance of the humorous and the serious elements within it. I imagine you found that in the editing, am I right? Roger Nygard: I guess so. I mean, it's something innate. I don't really consciously set out to be, “I'm going to be balanced,” or “I'm going to be funny.” It's what I look for in my own viewing. I look for films where the filmmaker is not lying to me. I want a genuine take on something. They can take a position. In fact, it's better when you take a position with a documentary. You should have a point of view. If you are just presenting both sides equally, you're much less likely to have an audience than if you take a stand, make a position and lay out the evidence and let the audience decide.But I look for that in a film, and so my films, I guess, are an embodiment of me. I'm the filmmaker. You're getting my perspective on the world. Any piece of art is the artist's perspective on the world. They're saying, “here's how I see the world.” And my documentary is me looking at people. I'm amused and I'm obsessed and I'm interested in human behavior.I find it fascinating and really funny. And so that's what happens when I process what I'm making. And then, of course, then in the editing, that's where I'm refining that point of view. So, when you sit down with someone, what techniques do you use to make your interview subjects comfortable and willing to open up to get the sort of responses you need?Roger Nygard: First, you want to start off with some flattery. Obviously. “Thank you for being here. I loved your book. It's such a good book. I loved your movie. I loved your acting. I loved whatever. I love that broach.” You, find something to compliment.And people love it. You bond with someone who likes you. We like people who like us. And so that interview is going to be a connection between two people and it's nice when it's like a friendly connection where they're not hiding their true selves. So, you want someone to feel comfortable enough so that they'll open up and give you the real stuff and not try to present, to pre edit their image. Those interviews don't work so well when someone's trying to make sure that they're going to come off a certain way. They need to be open and you're gonna take what they give you and edit it and make them look good, ideally, or at least give them a genuine, honest portrayal. But you want them to feel comfortable.Another way to do that is to share something about yourself, before you start. Maybe a tragedy you experienced, if you're talking about their tragedy. Or a funny event that happened to you. But keep it short, because they are there to talk, you're there to listen.So, mainly, you ask a question and then just shut up and let them fill the space. How long did it take you to learn to shut up? Because I'm not sure I've learned that yet. Roger Nygard: It's so hard. Especially for men. Men are the worst. I mean, I made a documentary about relationships, and that's almost the number one thing I learned from marriage therapists is that your partner needs to be heard. And men typically try to fix things, because that's what we do, right? But your partner doesn't need you to fix them usually when they're telling you something. Let's say you've got a wife, she's complaining about her boss, she doesn't want you to, to say, “Oh, why don't you quit? Why don't you do this? Why don't you do that?” That's going to make her feel worse. She wants you to just, just show empathy. And so in an interview, you want to do the same thing—show empathy—but don't intrude, just nod, “hmm, hmm, yeah, oh that's, that must have been awful, tell me more about how that felt.”Instead of interrupting and trying to guide them, just ask the question, leave the space, provide silent empathy, because you don't want your voice all over their soundtrack. How much pre-interviewing do you do and do you like that or not? Roger Nygard: I used to do a lot of pre interviewing. On Trekkies, we did a lot because it was expensive to shoot film. We made that in 16mm film. Oftentimes, we would rehearse what they're going to say and get the soundbite we needed kind of ready. And then say “action,” have them say it, and then cut, and then move on. Or maybe say it in a couple different ways. But now, it's much more typical to just let the camera roll, because we're shooting video, with maybe multiple cameras.And I think that's a better way generally, because you might get things you didn't expect. I'd rather have a lot of extra footage that I can't use and yet get that moment that I wouldn't have had otherwise, than if I'm trying to save video. But that said, you want to know what you're going there to get. You don't want to shoot a bunch of things that are useless, because you've got to sit in the editing room, or your poor editor has to go through all of this stuff. So, you do need to plan it out, and there's nothing wrong with preparing the person, pre interviewing them. You know, early in my career, I was a PA on a documentary that HBO was doing here in the Twin Cities. It was about hockey goalies, I think, and suicide. And I'd never been on a documentary set like that. And the director of it literally would say, “when we talked on the phone, you said the following sentence, would you say that again?” Which appalled me at the time, because I thought, “let him really talk.” But then like you say, he was shooting 16 and he had to get what he had to get. But now, a million years later, having done hundreds of corporate interviews, while I'm absolutely on your side of let the camera run, you also need to know what it is you want to get. But also, I remember, we were wrapping up an interview with a father of someone who, I think she had become ill, but she was fine now. And I said, “OK, well, that's just been great, Dave. Thank you for talking to me.” And the sound man—I was about to say cut—and the sound man said, “John, um, I just feel like Dave wants to say something else.” And I said, “well, yeah, we're still rolling. Go ahead, Dave.” And then he said the sentence that we needed for the whole video. And the sound man had seen that because he was paying attention to the person that I was interviewing. I had not seen it. And I got better later on at seeing that, but it's finding that balance between we're done and we're almost done, but you're about to do something brilliant that I guess you can only get from having done it.Roger Nygard: I agree. Yes, I've oftentimes said to someone, “That was a great story or a great thing you just said. Could you say it again? Because it's so important, I want to have you try again. And maybe we'll get it a little more concise this time?” Or if in your mind, you're thinking they didn't quite deliver it the way you wanted.I might even suggest, “Why don't you start by saying ‘That time I was riding my bike …' and finished the sentence.” I'll guide them, because I'm editing, I'm pre editing in my head. How am I going to use this soundbite? Can I use it? Is it usable? Or should we try again? That's very common and they like that, because they want to come off well and they want a second chance to say the thing better. So, everybody wins. And by the way, did you meet Gump Worsley? I did not. This was a high school hockey thing, it wasn't a professional hockey video. But I was surprised that at the end of the day they gave me all the film to take over to the lab. I'm just a PA. You're giving me everything to take to the place? It seemed like they were giving an awful lot of trust to this kid who didn't know what he was doing. But you raise an interesting point, because as you're interviewing, you are both directing and editing at the same time. I think if you're good at it, you're figuring out, yes, no, yeah, I can use, no, I can't. And that's a weird dichotomy. How do you balance both those things? Be in the moment, but also be in the editing suite at the same time in your head?Roger Nygard: That's the hardest thing, especially if you're a one-man band, or a one-person band, or maybe it's you and a sound person. But often, it's been just me with the person that I'm interviewing. And so I've got to make sure it's in focus, I have to remember to turn off the autofocus, I've got to ride the levels, ride the volume, I've got to remember to ask the question, and I have to listen to what they're saying, in case I want to go with a follow up. Doing all these things at once. I've got to remember that—if the lighting changes during the shot—I've got to fix the lighting because the sun moved. So many things are happening. And so, you just practice. You get better every time you do another one, and it starts to become second nature. But the most important thing, after making sure it's in focus and the sound is good quality, is to listen to what they say, exactly like your sound person. What a great advantage to have someone who is paying attention like that and a good team member to remind you.Every interview should end with, “Is there anything else you'd like to add? Is there anything that we missed or is there anything else you'd like to say?” Many of the best soundbites I've collected came in those moments when it was unprompted by me. They gave me what they needed to give me. I remember being on one shoot for an NCAA athlete. She was a basketball point guard, I think. And we're about halfway through the interview and I asked a question and her response was this. She said, “Well as I said before, oh wait, I shouldn't say ‘as I said before,' because I bet you're going to cut this up. Let me redo that and I won't say ‘as I said before.'” And then she said the statement. She finished the statement, and I turned to the crew and said, “You guys do this much more than I do. Has a subject ever said that? And they said, “No, no subject has ever been that aware of the process that they were in that they fixed on the fly what they're saying, because they knew you couldn't use it.”Roger Nygard: Those interview subjects are rare. One technique you talk about in the book is something that started with Errol Morris and ended up being used in corporate America, corporate videos quite a bit. We called it The Interrogator, but that's not quite the word that he used. What did he call it? Roger Nygard: Oh, the Interitron. We call it just the Interrogator, and it's where you've set up a system wherein they're not looking at the camera, they're looking basically at a screen, which is in front of the camera, and they see your face, and so it is a conversation. And with many subjects, I found that that really helped break down any sort of barrier, because it's really hard to talk to a camera, it's much easier to talk to someone sitting next to the camera, and the closer they are to the camera, the better your shot's going to be. But having them look right at your face was hugely helpful. Roger Nygard: There is a connection that happens, according to Errol Morris, that brings unexpected, well, I don't know, what do you want to call it, electricity between you and your subject. Maybe that you might not have when the camera's intruding on the relationship. Have you ever run into situations where there wasn't a pre-interview and it becomes very apparent very quickly that this isn't going to go anywhere? If you have, what's your response to that and how do you handle that? Roger Nygard: Oh, yeah, there are many times. Especially when I was shooting The Nature of Existence. I had 450 hours of footage. I interviewed 170 people. Something like that. Because I was fishing, I don't know what I'm going to get. And everyone is qualified to have an opinion on why do we exist. So, it's worth casting my lure into that part of the lake, even though I'm not sure that there's fish there, I didn't pre fish it. And when that happens, I just do the interview, and then I thank them and tell them it was great. And then I just don't use it, because there's nothing usable in there and it's part of fishing, right? Not every cast brings in a fish. Your Minnesota viewers are going to understand this metaphor. Well, I think fishing's internationally understood. I've never seen anyone do it outside of Minnesota, but I've seen pictures. So, you mentioned, The Nature of Existence. We've talked about Trekkies, you've talked about the relationship documentary. Where do you get your ideas for what to follow? What's going to be your next project? Where does that come from? And how do you know when you, when you have a good fish on the line? Roger Nygard: When you become obsessed with an idea, you have a message that is bursting to get out of you, and so you are compelled to see this through to the bitter end. Because it might take two years, or four years, or seven years.The Truth About Marriage took seven years. Trekkies took one year. Trekkies 2 took 18 months. The Nature of Existence took four years. The idea has to captivate me enough, and obsess me enough, get me there. And then I'm hoping the audience will be just as interested in what I'm obsessed with as I present it to them. That's probably the most important ingredient to the success of a documentary, is your choice of subject matter. What do you mean? Roger Nygard: Because otherwise you might be making a whole movie that's something no one else is gonna be interested in. Or you're doing it for some reason other than you are captivated by it. Because you're the filmmaker, you're the artist. It's your enthusiasm, your excitement that's going to come through and be felt by the audience. But while you're doing that, in your case, you are producing, directing, and editing your projects. When do you know that it's done? I mean, on The Nature of Existence, you said you interviewed, what, 170? How do you know, “Well, that's it, I've got all the pieces?” How do you make that decision? Roger Nygard: Yeah, it's hard sometimes because I had no idea where I was going to end up in with some of these films. I'm sort of like an investigator setting out to solve a crime, and so once I solved the crime, then I know where my ending is and I know how to get there, where to get to. I just have to answer the question. For example, The Truth About Marriage. My question was, Why are relationships so hard for people? That's the mystery I solved. And once I had solved it for myself, by talking to enough marriage therapists, and couples, and married people, and divorced people, a divorce attorney, etc. I had settled in on an answer. And so that's what I present at the end of the film, is what I learned while seeking out that question. That's a concept documentary. With a narrative documentary, it is easier to know your ending because it's a story of someone's life, probably, or a slice of someone's life. Or a trial with a verdict. Okay, the verdict is the ending. Or, maybe it's basketball. And so, do they win or do they lose at the end? That's your ending, and you're working backward from that. If it's a biography, if they've lived a good three act structure in their lives, you've probably got a good documentary there.If they haven't, you either have to manufacture it or find a way to present it. And many documentaries have succeeded despite a lack of a story structure and despite a lack of a solid core question. It's better to have the insurance of a solid story structure, but if you don't have it, you might yet still succeed.Like, I think Trekkies is an example of this. It's a flawed documentary, which does not have a narrative structure. And there's no solid core question asked at the beginning. But it was a grand slam as a documentary because it was so funny. And it had a core group of people that were going to automatically be interested in the film. So, we had those two high cards despite the fact that we didn't have what typically a great documentary has, which is a narrative structure just the same as a screenplay has.It feels like sometimes you're just rolling the dice, not you, but a documentary filmmaker, that you're gonna go into something and something's gonna happen and you're gonna end up with either The Jinx, where he confesses on tape at the end of your documentary, which you certainly could not have put in your pitch if you're that director. Or the folks who were working on the Alec Baldwin documentary about his trial, where the judge threw it out on the first or second day. At that point, you no longer have a documentary.What would you recommend someone do when they're going out to pitch a documentary to investors or the network or whatever on the idea of something? How do you sell something that doesn't exist yet, even in anything more than like a one page document? Roger Nygard: The best way to sell it is to make them feel the story in the room. You act it out and you bring the excitement because you're excited by it. And maybe you've done one interview already as a test. That's often where I get the feel when I'm interviewing that person. I feel it. I feel like I've got something here or I feel like it's not going anywhere. I started a documentary about Scott Hanson, local Minneapolis comedian, and we did one interview, and I just didn't feel it, because I think he was trying to present an image of himself. He wasn't willing to be open. And so I didn't get excited, and we didn't really keep going. The first interview, the first footage we shot of Trekkies, we felt it. We knew we had something. The first interview I did about this existentialist question, Why do we exist? I loved talking to people about this the way you do in a dorm room in college when you're talking about the big questions Why are we here? And what's our purpose? And what am I supposed to do with my life? That gets me excited. It gets people excited in life and death talking about death. What happens when you die? Does the soul exist? If so, where is it lodged inside your brain? Is there a compartment? You know, just fun, fun questions So, I knew, I had a sense that that was going to turn out okay, even though I didn't know my ending when I started because the idea was so gripping.I mean, it's gripped people, existentialist philosophers, for centuries. I'm not the first person to ask this question or try to figure it. I'm just one of thousands or millions, who knows? So, I was tapping into something I thought, it felt like to me. I felt it. But when you're in a pitch meeting, as you're asking, you have to make them feel the excitement either through your core question or the character description. If it's a character piece, then you are going to tell a story about this person. Who is this documentary about? I asked Ken Burns about that. How do you make a documentary about things like a bridge? His first film was about the building of the Brooklyn Bridge. And he said, “You can't. You cannot make documentaries about things. It has to be about people.” And so that documentary is about the family, the Roebling family, that built that bridge and their struggle to complete the job through difficulties and challenges and near death experiences. That makes it interesting and exciting.If you love the film— like a film about an octopus, right? It's not as exciting unless you learn about the person who gets infatuated with a particular octopus, and it's his life. Or a documentary about a TV show. It's going to have a limited interest to fans of the TV show. But if you want a wider audience, you do a film about the fans themselves, about the people.The stories are about the people involved. Someone who collects owl figurines like my aunt did. She would have been a great subject. The owl figurines, who cares? You know, it's a five-minute short. Look, a bunch of owl figurines. But the person, the mindset behind someone who thinks they have to fill their house with owls. That's interesting.And it gives you lots of cutaway shots, too, which is nice. Roger Nygard: Always get your cutaways. Yes. For your documentaries, you're directing and editing, but in the case of the Comedy Store series, you were just, I don't mean to say just an editor on it, but you weren't directing it. What is that process like? I dealt with in corporate all the time. I would go out and interview the subjects and I'd bring it back to my editor and say, “Hey, here's my notes, here's the best stuff, have at it.” And he would create something great that wasn't what I had necessarily intended, but he found the best stuff in the footage and turned it into a five minute story.In the case of The Comedy Store, you're probably handed hundreds of hours of interviews with very interesting people and very funny people. What was your process for creating all those segments and deciding, this goes this stays? Because I'm guessing you could probably have done a couple more hours of just stuff that's funny. Roger Nygard: Sure, we could have done more episodes. There was plenty of footage. I was hired by Mike Binder, who I had worked with before. I had edited his feature films in the past. And he had never made a documentary.So, when he first asked me, I was busy. I was cutting Curb Your Enthusiasm. And I said, “I can't do it. But if, you know, if you can wait 11 months, I'll be free.” So, he hired another editor and started on the footage. And when that eleven months was over, they had crap. They had nothing. They had the beginnings of an episode, but he was flailing around trying to figure out what to do.So, I said, “I'm available now, let's do it.” So, I jumped in, and the first thing I showed Mike was my rules for doing interviews. I said, “Mike, you gotta just shut up. Ask the question and shut up. Let them fill the space. Especially when it's awkward. That's great. They'll come up with things they wouldn't have said if you had just been quiet.” That's number one. Number two, each episode needs a theme. And this is the biggest problem that I've seen, the biggest mistake that documentary filmmakers will make, is they don't know what their theme is. What is a theme? It's the idea or the premise behind the moral of the story. It's the idea you're trying to express.And each of the five episodes has a different theme. One is called The Wild Bunch. And it was about the wildest comedians who ever performed at The Comedy Store. And we used some footage from the movie The Wild Bunch. Once it had a theme, then I knew what to cut, and how to link things together.And once Mike started revising his outlines with that in mind, they started to take shape. And cutting the episodes made sense. You need to know your theme. I would write it down on a piece of paper, put it on the wall, because that's your roadmap. That's where you're going, and every scene should be connected to that theme in some way. Or if it doesn't, it probably doesn't belong in that episode or in the movie.And it actually probably made it a whole lot easier to edit, because you could just immediately go, nope, nope, yep, nope, nope, nope, nope, yep. Roger Nygard: It's your road map. Otherwise, you're just surrounded by a forest of footage and what do you do? I mean, there are tricks, like you start putting like with like and grouping them in your bins. And eventually you might start connecting like segments with like segments as you're building scenes. But when there's a narrative, it's easiest. There's an episode that's about the comedy strike, which happened. And so that gave us a very specific timeline of what's happening and who caused the strike and what they were asking for. Now we've got protagonists and antagonists. The antagonist is the owner of the store, Mitzi Shore, who doesn't want to pay them what they want as comedians. And that makes it easier from a narrative perspective, because what is a narrative, right? You have a protagonist, or a small group of protagonists, and an antagonist, or a small group, and a goal.The protagonists have a goal, and there's obstacles to that goal. Now we watch to see how they succeed or fail. That made that episode much clearer. One part of the book that I found just fascinating and I'm wondering if the publisher gave you any pushback on it, because it is sort of its own mini book right in the book. Which is the whole process of coming up with a distribution deal for Trekkies. It's a long segment, but it disabuses you of any glamour of Hollywood of, “Oh, we went to Sundance and they loved the film, and we signed it, and two months later it was in theaters. This is pages and pages and pages of the process of taking what you know to be a valuable asset and getting it to the right people and getting it out. So, first question is, did the publisher push back on that at all? Roger Nygard: No, they were remarkably compliant, helpful. Because I'd done one book with them already, and they felt pretty happy about me doing a second one in a similar vein, and I had case studies in that book also.But not like this, this is four chapters.Roger Nygard: You're right, the four chapters after, I say at one point, at the end of chapter 10 or whatever it was, “Okay, the how to make a documentary part of the book is over. The next four chapters are, once you have finished, here's a case study in trying to sell your documentary.” Because it took us nine months. From our first distributor screening to sign a contract. There is no immediate, you know. I mean, Sundance turned us down. And so, you have to persevere despite these problems toward a sale. The Sundance mega sale is like winning the lottery. And you're not likely to win the lottery. So you need backup strategies and backup plans. And we had tried lots of things, and it took us a long time and a lot of difficulties in fighting amongst ourselves to finally get to a point where we succeeded and got such a successful sale. Those chapters—I mean, the whole book is great for anyone who wants to make a documentary—but it's also really good for anyone who wants to make a thing. Particularly a film or a TV show or something.You're trying to make a pilot, you're trying to do something. It's unvarnished as to what it takes to do these things, and then you get to those four chapters, you realize this is for anybody who's got a film under their arm, whether it's a short or a feature, here's what you need to be prepared to face.I've always said that the problem with independent filmmaking is that we only see the successes. It's like having a cancer study where they don't tell you about the ones who died. We only tell you about the ones who lived. And this is a great, because look at this: this is what they did and they all lived, but there's so many that died because people don't understand the process. And that's what I love about that section of the book: it really just says this is not easy and you need good people on your side.Roger Nygard: And persistence. It's a marathon. You need to make sure your film sells. No one else is going to have the motivation to push your film over the finish line more than you. You gotta be in training to be that strong. You gotta make your short films, you gotta suffer a little bit, and that just makes you stronger.We were motivated to succeed. Despite being turned down by Sundance and Telluride and Toronto and the New York Film Festival—all the big ones at the beginning of the season turned us down. We finally got some success with the Hamptons Film Festival and the AFI Los Angeles Film Festival, and we were able to use those to help us get where we wanted to go. But boy, it would have been so much nicer if we got into Sundance, and it was the rave of Sundance, and it was easy.But here's a plan for those where that doesn't happen: There's a film agent I interview in the book, Glenn Reynolds, who said, “I don't need film festivals to sell your movie. Filmmakers like to go to film festivals, but there's just buyers, and it comes down to the product.Is it good? Who's in it? What's their social media reach now? And, oh, okay, you did a film festival. That's great. That doesn't hurt necessarily, but these first three, and the poster. What's the hook? What's the marketing going to do? Those are more important than how many film festivals.” We did 50 film festivals. The buyers don't really care. But if you picked up some rave reviews, and won some awards, that shows that someone else has validated your work. And so that's what you're hoping for. And you're not doing that in a vacuum. If I remember the timeline, you're working on your feature Suckers in there somewhere as well, that's happening at the same time.You once said to me something like, “It's good to have a lot of irons in the fire, you just don't want to have too many because you'll put the fire out.” You don't remember saying that? Roger Nygard: I do, yes. That sounds like me. Yeah, it is you. It was you. And I've remembered that ever since. And have tried to have a number of irons in the fire, but not too many. I think you sort of just say it in passing, in that section, that you're also working on Suckers, and that's happening. But you've always had sort of multi paths happening at the same time. How has that helped your career as both a documentary filmmaker, and a TV director, and a TV editor, and now an author?Roger Nygard: Yeah, you need to continually reinvent yourself and be trying new things and have multiple projects and have the stamina to, to work on them all and push them forward. Because that's who you're competing with. You're competing with people who are like that. They're working just as hard as you are.I mean, a workaholic is just someone who works harder than you do, right? If you accuse someone of being a workaholic, that means you're probably a little lazier than they are. Okay, that's fine. Maybe you can make what you need out of life, not working as hard, and my hat goes off to you. But that doesn't work for me. What works for me is—maybe it's that Scandinavian work ethic I picked up growing up in Minnesota—I feel like a complete loser if I haven't put in my work during the day. By the end of the day, I better have pushed that ball down the field some more, or I'll feel, you know, guilty. And so that helps motivate me. So, I work every day on something. Whether it's writing the book, or making a documentary, or editing a feature, or editing—right now I'm editing a Netflix series. Doing all those things. And my delayed gratification carrot is hanging there for me: Once I finish, I'm gonna go to Bali. So, I go to Bali every year once I've earned it.And now you might say, “Oh, you're crazy! No one should work that hard. I'm tired.” Well, it's a very competitive world, and so you need to work just a little bit harder than the one you're competing against. Yes. I believe it was William Goldman who quoted a basketball coach saying to their player, “Anytime you're not practicing, the guy you're going to go up against is, so you need to get out there and practice.”Roger Nygard: It's no different in the film business. Film business is the same, if not even more cutthroat. Okay, two last questions on this, and then I'm going to let you go. So, what's the biggest mistake that you think someone starting out as a documentary filmmaker is likely to make?Roger Nygard: One of them is to give up your ownership. You should always keep, if you can, own your projects. Own your product. Because it's a property. And if you own it, then you can continually relicense it over your lifetime. I know a filmmaker who made the biggest mistake you can make, which is he sold his movie in perpetuity to a distributor. Now it's gone. He'll never get it back again. So you want to license whatever you've made to a distributor for two years, four years, five years, seven years. With Trekkies, we had a 20 year license, 25 if unrecouped. But that's because they paid us so much money, they bought that many years, but it was still a license.And so Trekies came back to us a few years ago and so we restored it to HD. It had never been released in HD yet, and we've licensed it to a new company for another period of time. You did the same thing with Suckers, didn't you? Roger Nygard: I did it, I bought it, yes. The company, the same company that I made Trekkies with made Suckers with me. And they set up a corporation to own the film, which is typically what they do, every film has a corporation that owns that film. And that's where the money from the investor goes. And that's where the profits, if any, come out of. And in that case, Sucker's never reached profit while they owned it. It cost about a half a million to make, and it probably made back $250,000 from an HBO sale and an IFC sale and home video. And we had a distributor that went bankrupt who, so we had to chase them.But at the end, probably like 15 years after we made the film, the company that I worked with, Neomotion Pictures, they were going to close their doors. They were retiring or going off to do different things, and they were shutting down the company they had made that owned the film. So, if they just shut down the company, then suddenly it goes into the public domain, because there's no ownership. The entity that owned it no longer exists. Nothing owns it. Meaning everybody, anyone can own it. So, I said, Wait, guys, sell it to me,” which they did, “And I will restore the film,” which I did. I paid for the restoration. I collected what elements remained, some had been thrown away, but enough of the key elements still existed, so I was able to re-scan it and remix it and marry it together and find a distributor. And actually I put it on, it's on Amazon Prime. I put it there myself. So, I collect the money directly now, after putting my money into it. So, be an owner. Own your films. And if you can't, be a co owner. So at least you're part of where the money goes first. I mean, ideally you want the money to go to you and have all your profit participants chase you for the money, instead of you chasing them for the royalties. Okay, one last question. Someone has read your book, they've properly packed all their gear, they're going off to begin shooting. What's the one last piece of advice you'd give them before the door on the airplane shuts?Roger Nygard: Buy a copy of The Documentarian for everyone on your crew. That's the first part of the advice. And have them all read it. Be prepared for your interview, practice at home before you get there, set up your camera and your audio and do a practice interview so that it's second nature by the time you get there. Maybe do a test interview on, on someone who's not your main interviewee so that you have done a dry run and you've tested all the equipment, you've tested your questions, you've refined your approach. And so you're ready for the big day. Well, this has been great. Roger, is there anything I've forgotten to ask you? Roger Nygard: Yes, the names of all my projects. The last book was Cut to the Monkey, about editing and comedy. And this book is called The Documentarian. And I am working on another book, and I will probably, until the day I keel over. Hopefully I'll die fishing up in Canada. And they won't find you for days and days and days.Roger Nygard: It would be only fair if I fell in the water and the fish ate me after I've been eating them for years.

The Documentarian - Roger Nygard, ACE Roger Nygard's The Documentarian is the ultimate go-to source for making and selling documentaries, answering every question and containing crucial strategies every filmmaker needs to know to succeed as a documentarian. Included are insights from experts and award-winning documentary filmmakers such as Davis Guggenheim (An Inconvenient Truth), Liz Garbus (Ghosts of Abu Ghraib), Rachel Grady (Jesus Camp), Freida Lee Mock (Maya Lin: A Strong Clear Vision), Errol Morris (The Fog of War), Sam Pollard (4 Little Girls), Michael Tollin (The Last Dance), Frederick Wiseman (Titicut Follies), Marina Zenovich (Robin Williams: Come Inside My Mind). The book includes a case study profiling the making and selling of the documentary Trekkies; what it took to push it to a record-setting sale to a major studio, with a huge payout to the filmmakers. This book is inspirational and leaves people—after reading a chapter or finishing the book—feeling more inspired to go forth with their own struggle. Roger Nygard, ACE Roger Nygard has balanced humor and seriousness in his documentaries Trekkies, The Nature of Existence, The Truth About Marriage, and The Comedy Store. Nygard has also directed TV series The Office and The Bernie Mac Show, and edited Emmy-nominated episodes of VEEP and Curb Your Enthusiasm. Roger wrote a book about editing comedy called Cut to the Monkey. He didn't learn his lesson, so he did it again; his new book is called The Documentarian. Despite reports to the contrary, Roger has never been indicted OR convicted. It's important to have goals. Writing The Documentarian In our discussion with The Documentarian editor and author Roger Nygard, ACE we talk about: The biggest mistake new doc makers make It's not a pitch, it's a project Working backwards to move forward The intrinsic link between the interview and the edit Editorial shortcuts through the material minefield The Credits Visit Extreme Music for all your production audio needs Get your own copy of The Documentarian Listen to Roger talk about his work on Curb Your Enthusiasm and his other book Cut to the Monkey See the latest new features in Avid Media Composer Subscribe to The Rough Cut podcast and never miss an episode Visit The Rough Cut on YouTube

In this Podcast episode, we dive into the truth about marriage - is it just a piece of paper or something more? Use our affiliate link for OpusClips ➡︎ https://www.opus.pro/?via=Remarry Connect with Charelle here ➡︎ https://linktr.ee/Soinlove Subscribe to our mailing list here ➡︎ https://scarytoremarry.com/ Get your Love Fearlessly merch here ➡︎ https://scarytoremarry.com/love-fearl... ===================== Connect With Us! ===================== X ➡︎ https://x.com/scarytoremarry IG ➡︎   / scarytoremarry   ================================ Subscribe & listen to the podcast HERE: ================================ Apple ➡︎ https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast.. Spotify ➡︎ https://open.spotify.com/show/3CaG9aQ.. Is connection to the other person more important? Join the conversation and share your thoughts! #TheTruthAboutMarriage #Justapieceofpaper #TheTruth #marriageadvice --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/scarytoremarry/support

Recently, my wife and I were having a conversation with a couple of single young women who were lamenting the fact that they were not yet married. We certainly didn't want to discourage them, but we also didn't want to encourage the cultural notion that in order to be happy and fulfilled, one must be married. We also didn't want to encourage any false ideas that suggest that once you are married, you are in for smooth sailing. After our conversation, I got to thinking about our need to help our kids understand two things about marriage. First, God has designed and ordained marriage. He wants a man and a woman to commit to each other. But there's a second side. We have to let our kids know that marriage is not a cure-all. In fact, when two broken people come together, they commit to living with the brokenness of another. But with God as the cement that keeps them committed and moving forward, marriage will be a blessed, yet sometimes difficult road.

What is God's word on marriage, divorce, and remarriage? What is His heart on the matter? Be encouraged and challenged with this message from Pastor Jeff Schreve as he shares three insights concerning the issue of marriage and divorce.

Watch Dr. Jeff Schreve from From His Heart To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.lightsource.com/donate/863/29

What is God's word on marriage, divorce, and remarriage? What is His heart on the matter? Be encouraged and challenged with this message from Pastor Jeff Schreve as he shares three insights concerning the issue of marriage and divorce. To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.lightsource.com/donate/863/29

What is God's word on marriage, divorce, and remarriage? What is His heart on the matter? Be encouraged and challenged with this message from Pastor Jeff Schreve as he shares three insights concerning the issue of marriage and divorce.

What is God's word on marriage, divorce, and remarriage? What is His heart on the matter? Be encouraged and challenged with this message from Pastor Jeff Schreve as he shares three insights concerning the issue of marriage and divorce.

What does God's Word say about a wife's role in marriage? How can parents raise strong, gentle, and firmly-grounded children? Costi Hinn, pastor of Shepherd's House Bible Church and founder of For the Gospel ministries, shares his perspectives from Scripture.

A marriage cannot be happy or healthy without Christ at the center of it. In this message, Jonathan Pokluda teaches us that (1) the mindset of marriage must be sacrifice and submission, (2) the mission of marriage is sanctification through service, and (3) the mystery of marriage is that it showcases our savior.

A marriage cannot be happy or healthy without Christ at the center of it. In this message, Jonathan Pokluda teaches us that (1) the mindset of marriage must be sacrifice and submission, (2) the mission of marriage is sanctification through service, and (3) the mystery of marriage is that it showcases our savior.

Crystal Hefner, ex-wife of the late Playboy founder and editor-in-chief, Hugh Hefner, joins us live to chat about their rocky relationship that was. From their sex life to Hugh's narcissistic behaviour, we get the inside scoop on what it was really like being married to the Playboy master.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Uncle Ebo Whyte on this episode of Food for Thought reveals the unpleasant truth about marriage.

Message by Pastor Jeff Schreve on Sunday, February 4th, 2024

Join Dr. Joe Beam and Kimberly Beam Holmes, CEO of Marriage Helper, as they delve into the complexities of marriage counseling in this enlightening episode. Dr. Beam clarifies that he isn't against marriage counseling but emphasizes the importance of choosing the right counselor. Kimberly shares her journey from training in marriage and family therapy to her transition to psychology, driven by the transformative power of Marriage Helper workshops.They discuss the challenges and biases within the field of marriage counseling, highlighting the importance of seeing the marriage as the client rather than an individual spouse. The episode touches on ethical considerations and the potential biases counselors may bring based on their personal experiences, emphasizing the need for a balanced approach that benefits the marriage as a whole.Learn about the unique dynamics of counseling and workshops, the role of biases, and how to set boundaries and expectations with a marriage counselor. Discover why Kimberly and Dr. Beam advocate for workshops that focus on positive aspects and principles, aiming for the preservation and improvement of marriages.For couples seeking guidance, learn how to engage with marriage counselors effectively and explore the potential of Marriage Helper workshops. Visit marriagehelper.com/apply3 for more information on workshops and to book a consultation with their specialists.This episode is a must-watch for anyone navigating marriage counseling or looking for alternative ways to strengthen their relationship. Tune in for practical advice, professional insights, and a fresh perspective on making marriages work.Book a call with an intake specialist.Relationship Radio is hosted by CEO of Marriage Helper, Kimberly Beam Holmes, and founder of Marriage Helper, Dr. Joe Beam.Regardless of your situation, what we teach will not only make your relationships better, but will also help you to become the best version of yourself along the way.Relationship Radio is released every Wednesday and is an extension of Marriage Helper.Be sure to subscribe to the podcast and leave a review. We love hearing from you!For more resources about your specific situation, visit marriagehelper.com.

Earlier this year, Emily interviewed Majka Burhardt, a professional ice climber (seriously) and the author of “More: Life on the Edge of Adventure and Motherhood,” a raw, gripping book about the first years of parenthood. The book has recently been released as an audiobook, and in this bonus episode of ParentData, we're thrilled to share some clips and re-run the interview. Majka tackles the uncertainties and fears of parenting with the same clear-eyed intensity and grace as she tackles mountains, and we hope she offers you some inspiration over the holidays. Subscribe to ParentData.org for free access to new articles every week on data-driven pregnancy and parenting.

This message continues the series Life in the Kingdom: the Sermon on the Mount, "The Unadulterated Truth About Marriage." October 8, 2023. James Lynch. The Hub.

Wednesday Night Live 27 Sep 2023!Join the PREMIUM philosophy community on the web for free!Get access to StefBOT-AI, private livestreams, premium call in shows, my new book and the History of Philosophers series!See you soon!https://freedomain.locals.com/support/promo/UPB2022

Dr. Emerson Eggerichs is an internationally known public speaker on the topic of male-female relationships. Based on over three decades of counseling as well as scientific and biblical research, Dr. Eggerichs and his wife, Sarah, developed the Love and Respect Conference which they present to live audiences around the country. This dynamic and life-changing conference is impacting the world, resulting in the healing and restoration of countless relationships. Dr. Eggerichs has authored several books, including the national bestseller Love & Respect, which is a Platinum and Book of the Year award winner, selling over 2.1 million copies. Emerson is the Founder and President of Love and Respect Ministries and his wife Sarah serves as Vice President. Married since 1973, they live in Grand Rapids, MI and have three adult children. In this podcast, Emerson shares about how his Bible-centered teaching on Love and Respect have brought wonderful healing to thousands of troubled marriages, and have made so many good marriages even better. Truth does, in fact, set us free!

A word of advice... don't get married until you are positive you're with the person you want to be with for the rest of your life! Elaina talks about the stigma behind getting married young and why it doesn't work that way for everyone. She explains that each person is not meant for marriage and that there is no rush to get married. Elaina mentions that everyone has their own journey that will work out for the best for them. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/freshvalidationpodcast/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/freshvalidationpodcast/Tik Tok: @freshvalidationpodcastEmail: freshvalidationpodcast@gmail.comDon't forget to rate, follow, and let us know what you think. Happy listening!

Thank you for worshipping with us

Thank you for worshipping with us

Thank you for worshipping with us

Thank you for worshipping with us.

Welcome to Episode 134 of the Attainable podcast, where we dive into the truth about marriage with special guest, Emily Johnson. In this episode, we explore the realities of married life, including the unexpected challenges that couples often face and the advice that can help them navigate these difficulties. Connect with me! Website: https://www.sarahebaus.com/ Podcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/attainablepodcast/ Sarah's Instagram: www.instagram.com/sarahebaus TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@sarahebaus Connect with Emily! Emily's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gooddayemilyrose/ --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/sarah-baus/message

Marriage can be messy, complicated, and downright difficult at times. But what if we approached it as an art form? This episode will explore how viewing marriage as an art form can change our perspective and help us appreciate the beauty in the imperfections. Buy Me A Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/thehusbandcoa Join The Newsletter: https://bit.ly/2YIydZT Comment on the Podcast: https://www.marriagedrills.com/podcast-comments Donate to the podcast: https://www.marriagedrills.com/donate Sign up for 1:1 coaching: https://www.marriagedrills.com/request-a-consultation The 3 books I recommend to everyone: https://www.marriagedrills.com/blog/top-3-books-that-husbands-and-wives-need-to-read The Husband Coach's Corner is the podcast dedicated to teaching husbands that are struggling in their marriage, how to love their wife every day. Each of the drills in this show helps to strengthen marriages all across the United States and beyond. This show is great for new husbands, experienced husbands, and those that plan to become a husband one day. Learn how to show love to your wife in a new way today. **The Husband Coach's Corner Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/6nfieyPoDEjejb9cbL9tcL** YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWqE28-pgqpC3HLhzcrAUIQ Email: Chris@marriagedrills.com --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/husbandcoachscorner/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/husbandcoachscorner/support

The benefits of marriage still largely favor men over women. How emotional labor is causing you stress and overwhelm.

Happy Valentine's Day, let's talk about divorce! We have the honor to be joined by attorney and CEO of Hello Divorce, Erin Levine, this week as we get to the bottom of a topic not enough gals are openly talking about.Erin is breaking down marriage laws that not enough young newlyweds are commonly aware of, why you should definitely have a prenuptial agreement, the difference in a postnupital agreement, the role your finances play in your marriage, and ultimately the advice she gives clients as they begin the process of filing for divorce and how to know if it's the right option for you.---Follow Hello Divorce on InstagramFollow Hello Divorce on TwitterCheck out the Hello Divorce websiteUse code HELLOGAL100 for $100 off Pro service or above---Hannah's Captivation : Ice RollerEmily's Captivation: The Last of Us on HBO MaxErin's Captivation: New Media Mastery course, reading inspiring books, and indulging in shows like Firefly Lane---Welcome to The Gal's Guide — a weekly dating and lifestyle podcast created to empower radical self-love and bold relationships. Join us, long distance best friends Hannah Adams and Emily Aleece Burton, for amusing and vulnerable conversations with insightful guests as we cover topics like love and dating to your own self-love, healing, spirituality, and always remembering the importance of gal pals. Want to request a topic or work with us? Send us an email at hello@thegalsguidepod.com or visit us on our website at thegalsguidepod.com---FOLLOW US!Instagram: @thegalsguidepodSecret Facebook Group: The Gal ScoutsEmily: @emilyaleeceHannah: @hannahadamsmillerAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Once a year I can bribe my husband to come on the show LOL! Ladies, get you someone that supports your dreams! Men get you someone that makes your life easy! Marriage is hard work, and it's all worth it!

The St. Paul Center's daily scripture reflections from the Mass for Friday of the Fourth Week in Ordinary Time by Dr. John Bergsma. Ordinary Weekday / Blase, Bishop, Martyr/ Ansgar, Bishop, Missionary First Reading: Hebrews 13: 1-8 Responsorial Psalm: Psalms 27: 1, 3, 5, 8b-9abc Alleluia: Luke 8: 15 Gospel: Mark 6: 14-29 Learn more about the Mass at www.stpaulcenter.com

Pastor Matt Surber, of Mission City Church in San Antonio, TX, continues his series on Family, Marriage, and Parenting. Today, we discuss the lies that the world tells us about marriage and what the truth is when it comes to marriage.Missioncity.church________________________________Sermon Notes are available at missioncity.church/resources/

Philosopher Stefan Molyneux recreates his first speech as best man at his best friend's wedding in 1991...

Marriage can be a beautiful thing but it can also be a pain in the rear end. Do you have what it takes to have a long lasting happy marriage? Tune in for this great discussion with guest TIffiney Hall.https://www.instagram.com/ms_gnac/?hl=enhttps://girl-talk-with-ms-gnac.podcas...https://www.iheart.com/podcast/53-gir...https://open.spotify.com/show/4kN6jLz...

God is the One who established the marriage relationship of husband and wife, and He did so with a purpose. Today, Michael Kruger presents the Bible's teaching on marriage and addresses the confusion in our world surrounding this institution. Thank You For Supporting the Global Outreach of Renewing Your Mind and Ligonier Ministries: https://gift.renewingyourmind.org/2329/donate Don't forget to make RenewingYourMind.org your home for daily in-depth Bible study and Christian resources.

The Awful Truth About MarriageStay connected with us: https://instagram.com/savannahjeanalexanderhttps://instagram.com/iamjalexanderOur Website: https://joshandsav.comOur YouTube Channel: https://youtube.com/joshsavhttps://youtube.com/stillforus

The Truth About Marriage … and 6 Myths About Marriage You're Probably Believing   Today I'm talking all about the realities of marriage. I want to break down 6 different myths that you may be believing about marriage and share the truths.   Myth #1: We do everything together   Myth #2: He Will Never Change   Myth #3: Marriage will Fix you, Heal you, be Magical, keep you from being lonely   Myth #4: Marriage will meet all your expectations   Myth #5: Strong, Healthy Marriages should come naturally   Myth #6: Your Husband Can't Be Your Everything all the time (your God, your Fixer, your Leader, your Priest, your EVERYTHING)   Definitely tune in to learn about the realities of marriage and truths behind these myths!     Starr's Resources: The Marriage-Minded Online Dating Academy: www.StarrBurroughs.com/MODA Get 10% off your first month of Faithful Counseling (Sponsored): https://www.getfaithful.com/confidentsinglewoman Join our free Facebook Community: The Confident Single Woman Starr's Book: The Ineligible Bachelorette: Taking A Hard Look At Why You Haven't Found The One 7 Questions To Help You Identify Your Standards [Free]: https://www.StarrBurroughs.com/Standards The 7 Most Common Roadblocks To Love [Free]: https://www.StarrBurroughs.com/gift Follow me: Facebook Instagram Email: starr@StarrBurroughs.com