here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\u201cIn selecting projects, it\u2019s really important not only that you\u2019re captivated by the core themes, but also that you feel like you have something to add, something to say,\u201d Porter said on how she chooses her projects. \u201cWhen I\u2019m thinking about what films to tackle, I\u2019m thinking about where I am in my life, what\u2019s happening in the world and how this will be received. What is it going to add to our conversation and understanding? I\u2019m looking for something with social relevance that answers a question that I\u2019m puzzling about or teaches me something I didn\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
Porter went on to talk about her slate of recent projects, including The Disruptors<\/em>, a film about progressive African-American female prosecutors in the U.S., directed by Yoruba Richen; the archive-heavy Deadlocked: How America Shaped the Supreme Court<\/em>, for Showtime and Paramount+; and a new project about Nelson and Winnie Mandela based on Jonny Steinberg\u2019s book Winnie & Nelson: Portrait of a Marriage<\/em>.<\/p>\nThe keynote conversation then addressed the challenges of financing projects today. \u201cI\u2019ve had a number of projects come to me from networks, so usually they have the financing. Those are great; it may take several months of development, but once you\u2019re set, the network will pay the full freight. Then there\u2019s some private investment. [The Mandela doc] is funded right now solely by the Schultz Family Foundation. They are interested in stories about leadership and what politics are actually comprised of. But we\u2019ll need more private money and then hopefully a presale for that. It\u2019s usually a combination of some private money and then a network or a streaming service. There are also foundations, which are incredibly important to our work. The foundations are besieged with worthy projects. I don\u2019t envy them for the job of figuring out what to fund. I\u2019ve been funded by the Ford Foundation, the Mellon Foundation and the MacArthur Foundation. I\u2019m really fortunate that those actors are in our marketplace.\u201d<\/p>\n
Porter continued, \u201cThere\u2019s a disconnect between what the private funders are interested in and what the buyer\/distributor entities are interested in. I\u2019m seeing smaller budgets, longer time to \u2018yes\u2019 and less money for socially conscious, social justice projects and more of a need for celebrity. True crime has always been its own popular genre. It\u2019s harder to make films that are about art or politics that are not sensational. It\u2019s always been hard. We\u2019ve got to be more creative. We\u2019ve got to be really good partners. We\u2019ve got to really watch those budgets. A lot of folks are reaching out to brands, which is an interesting development. Not every film is right for brand support, but there are some. As filmmakers and producers, we have to do what we\u2019ve always done, which is roll up your sleeves, get creative, be clear about the story you\u2019re telling and the quality that you\u2019re making. We also need to diversify. We\u2019re looking at doing museum projects or projects that are more commercial, so we\u2019re not just dependent on the commission of the broadcaster or streamer.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Dawn Porter, the founder of Trilogy Films, discussed her body of work and navigating the evolving documentary landscape in her TV Real Festival keynote today.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":290,"featured_media":21586,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"pmpro_default_level":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[69],"tags":[9116,3743,9357],"class_list":["post-21585","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","","category-top-stories","tag-dawn-porter","tag-trilogy-films","tag-tv-real-festival","pmpro-has-access"],"yoast_head":"\n
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