Even Scorsese Had a Mentor. How Do You Find Yours?
Om avsnittet
How do you find a film mentor when you don't know anyone in the business?
Finding a film mentor with no connections can feel impossible, especially in documentary filmmaking. Documentary filmmaker James L. Freedman never used the words mentor or champion in his conversation with Christian Taylor. But listening back to Documentary First Episode 288, Christian heard the same thing again and again: door after door in his career opened because of a person. In this Deep Dive, she follows that chain of people, explains the difference between a mentor and a champion, and ends with seven places to look for a mentor in the film industry, even if you know no one.
In this Deep Dive on Documentary First Episode 288 with James L. Freedman, Christian traces how James, a longtime TV writer, found his way into documentary filmmaking. As a high school senior, he had produced Marty Glickman's late-night radio talk show on WNEW in New York. Decades later, his wife suggested he make a documentary about Glickman, and a friend he hadn't spoken to in six months called and turned out to be Lou Zamperini's next-door neighbor. When the finished film, Glickman, played the Santa Barbara Film Festival, Ari Emanuel of WME told James that Martin Scorsese should see it. The next day, James says, an email arrived: Scorsese was in, and he wanted to put it on HBO.
Christian shares the documentary storytelling lessons James brought out of decades in writers' rooms, including his belief that "every single frame, every second, should have intent behind it." He keeps a folder of first impressions, does all of his own research, finds the spine of a story first and plants the payoff early, which Christian calls documentary storytelling at its finest. She also tells the story James told her about Scorsese's editing room, where Turner Classic Movies played with the sound off, and the story Scorsese has often told about his own mentor, John Cassavetes, who saw a rough cut of Boxcar Bertha, told him he was better than that kind of movie and pushed him to make something different. Scorsese's next film was Mean Streets.
Then the money. Christian looks at how favors, donations and discounts helped James get archival footage he couldn't otherwise afford. James sees fair use as a gray area and tries to make it a darker gray. That is one filmmaker's experience, not legal advice.
Finally, Christian names the mentors and champions in her own life: Ken Burns, who taught her through his films and his MasterClass long before he sat down with her on Episodes 208 and 209; one of her best friends, Sandy Gordon, who worked locations on Rudy and was consulting producer on The Girl Who Wore Freedom; Pam Tierney, who has worked side by side with her since they were non-union actors in Chicago; and Chad Gilchrist and Armin Korsos, younger filmmakers she produces with on Five Great Lakes.
WATCH THE FILM: James's latest documentary, Charles Grodin: Rebel with a Cause, is available to rent or buy on Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, Fandango at Home and Google Play.
FREE GUIDE: From Sitcoms to Scorsese, 37 lessons from James L. Freedman, free with your email.
DOCUVIEW DEJA VIEW: Every documentary Documentary First guests have recommended, in one place.
In this episode, Christian explores:
- How did a party question, his wife and an old friend start James's first documentary?
- How did Glickman get from the Santa Barbara Film Festival to Martin Scorsese and HBO?
- What documentary editing tips did James bring out of decades in TV writers' rooms?
- Why does planting the payoff early make for better documentary storytelling?
- Who was Martin Scorsese's mentor, and what did he tell him about Boxcar Bertha?
- What kinds of mentors and champions does a filmmaker need, from Ken Burns to Sandy Gordon?
CHAPTERS
0:00 One Phone Call, Then Scorsese
3:32 Mentor vs. Champion
5:59 Documentary Editing Tips
8:11 Archival Footage, Favors, Fair Use
11:14 Ken Burns and Other Teachers
14:33 Seven Places to Start Looking
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
How do you find a film mentor with no connections?
Christian Taylor suggests seven places to start: watch great documentaries; listen to people ahead of you through podcasts, interviews and classes; look at who is one or two people away from you; contact your local film office; join meetup groups, production alliances or a Women in Film chapter; volunteer on films and at festivals; and ask for one specific thing while offering something in return. She suggests picking one of the seven this week.
What is the difference between a mentor and a champion?
In this Deep Dive, Christian Taylor describes a mentor as someone who teaches you over time, and a champion as someone who uses their name or position to open a door for you. In documentary filmmaker James L. Freedman's story, Ari Emanuel didn't teach him how to make a film, but he made sure the film got to Martin Scorsese. Christian says everyone needs both kinds of people.
What did Martin Scorsese tell James L. Freedman about editing and narration?
James L. Freedman says that when he saw Martin Scorsese's editing room, Turner Classic Movies was playing with the sound off. As James tells it, Scorsese said watching pictures without sound shows you how filmmakers choose to tell their story, and that it helps his editing. James also says that when he wondered whether HBO would want a celebrity to narrate Glickman, Scorsese told him, "No, I love your narration."
LISTEN AND FOLLOW
Listen and subscribe wherever you get podcasts
SUPPORT THE SHOW
Rate us, share an episode, or get our free guides
CONNECT WITH DOCUMENTARY FIRST
ABOUT THE FILMS
James L. Freedman
James L. Freedman wrote in Hollywood for more than 25 years, on shows including Coach, Zoe and Cybill. He wrote, directed and narrated three documentaries: Glickman (2013), executive produced by Martin Scorsese for HBO; Carl Laemmle (2019); and Charles Grodin: Rebel with a Cause, distributed by Virgil Films.
The Source Episode
Charles Grodin Documentary: Comedy Star, Prison Crusader (Episode 288)
ABOUT DOCUMENTARY FIRST: THE DEEP DIVE
Documentary First is a weekly podcast about the people behind documentaries and how the work changed them. Host Christian Taylor, director of the award-winning The Girl Who Wore Freedom, talks with filmmakers, distributors, entertainment lawyers, actors and more, from Ken Burns and PBS American Masters creator Susan Lacy to first-timers, across nearly 300 conversations. Each week brings one of two formats: a long-form conversation with the people behind films for HBO, Netflix, PBS and independent film, or The Deep Dive, where Christian takes one insight from a recent conversation and follows it wherever it leads. Listen Notes ranks the show in the top 5% of all podcasts worldwide. New episodes every week.
RESOURCES MENTIONED
- Illinois Film Office
- Ken Burns Teaches Documentary Filmmaking (MasterClass)
- Ken Burns on Documentary First, Episode 208
- Ken Burns on Documentary First, Episode 209
Photo of Martin Scorsese by Harald Krichel, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Documentary First: Conversations on Documentary Filmmaking med Christian Taylor | Documentary First finns tillgänglig på flera plattformar. Informationen på denna sida kommer från offentliga podd-flöden.