The Documentary Filmmaker Podcast

Sometimes there are movies that get under your skin for all the right reasons. Either the storyline is so gripping that it stays with you for days after. Or there are lines in the script that you find you go over and over again in your mind.  And then there are the other movies. The ones that definitely leave an impression …but in all the wrong ways. Learning how to analyse films good and bad, is...

Are you neglecting part of your audience without even realising it? If you’re about to produce a video, this episode couldn't have come sooner. I'm about to walk you through how to include some easily overlooked tactics that can make your video more accessible.   Voila, your audience just got bigger in all the right ways.  From Instagram reels, to TikTok clips, YouTube series and Netflix...

Are you a non-profit organisation or charity wondering how to use video to attract volunteers? Well, you've landed on the right podcast.  I've always said that if a picture says a thousands words, a video says a million more. Actually, it tells the whole story. I mean, when it comes to building relationships, communicating messages and sharing stories, video is about as close as you can...

If you’ve been following this podcast for a while, or if you’re a loyal watcher of the Moonshine Moonshot series, (gold star if you’re both!), you’ll know how much I rate video communications.  I have dedicated my career to making movies, after all.  And I’m not alone. Today, videos are being made by pretty much everyone. It’s not just a creative outlet pursued by filmmakers, influencers or media...

Format. Now that word probably sounds about as sparkly to you as ‘spreadsheet’. Or ‘data analysis’. Or – shudder – ‘ budget’  But please don’t click pause! I promise you that the context I’m about to use the word format in can excite you. Because in this blog post I’ m steering my focus to video formats. Why? Well, I firmly believe that crafting a video format is one of the best ways to woo your a...

Can you believe I’ve reached the fourth and final instalment in my mini series on creative video techniques. Time flies when you’re making movies, right!? While I’ve already considered performance, lighting, graphics, camera angles and a variety of other techniques in parts one , two and three, there’s actually a few more creative tactics that you can utilise to push your video story forward. Thin...

Lights! Graphics! Music! Ok, so that’s not exactly the cue you or anyone in the business of filmmaking is used to. Lights! Camera! Action! Is what most of us in the industry screech at the beginning of a take.  But lately I’ve been challenging myself – and you! – to think outside the film canister.  If you’ve been playing along at home, you’ll know that I’m getting to the pointy end of this mini s...

It's time for part 2 of my capsule series which is all about helping you make more creative videos.  If you missed part one, you can catch up now by scrolling back in your feed and listening to episode 20. I'll leave a link in the show notes.  Last time,  I covered the clever camera angles, camera movements and speciality shots that you can incorporate into your next video to keep it mor...

Recently, I've been thinking about how to make my videos more creative videos.  Because I'm time poor and I don't want to waste any precious hours producing – let alone watching – boring ones. So how do you make more engaging videos?  Well that’s I'm unpacked in this week's episode. Actually, I'm dedicated a whole capsule series of the show to this very topic. Because...

Are you struggling to make enough content? Between YouTube, Facebook, your website and Instagram, there’s a lot of platforms you need to be seen on.  Not to mention LinkedIn (your professional and company pages), Twitter, Pinterest and ReddIt. It can feel like you’re stuck in a never-ending cycle of content creation and distribution. And oh boy – it can be exhausting.  But what if it was actually...

Should you create content for your audience, or find an audience for your content?  This dilemma feels a lot like the chicken or egg predicament that harks back to ancient times. And it seems to baffle content creators just as much as the latter torments scientists!  So today I’ve decided to unpack this little conundrum …starting with the answer (well, what my answer is at least).  Mike Hill – my...

This week I’m asking if defining your audience can help you connect with the right people – or if niching down is actually limiting your film’s reach.    Because I’ve found that a lot o f people out there – filmmakers and film-lovers alike – think that “great” films appeal to everyone. And in the early days of my career, I was one of them. I distinctly remember sitting in front of a commissioning...

I thought I’d start this episode with a question – and it’s not a tough one. Where’s the best place to see a film? At the cinema? In your lounge room? The back of an aeroplane seat? What about on your smartphone while you’re waiting for the bus? Or on your laptop in between meetings?  Honestly, I could spend all day musing viewing scenarios! Because video content is everywhere – and between YouTub...

Know your audience. Know. Your. Audience. You really, need to get to know your audience.  If you’re a content creator, communications professional, marketer or filmmaker, you have almost certainly heard this over and over. It might even be the mantra you chant to yourself each morning at sunrise. Or the calming words you recite when you’re struggling to fall asleep on a Tuesday night.  Ok, maybe t...

New to filmmaking? It’s easy to get lost in all the lingo. Between tight framing, zoom lens, B-roll, cross-cutting and overlay, you might end up wondering if you found yourself learning a foreign dialect instead. And it’s true. Filmmakers do have their own special language. The good news is that you don’t need to become fluent overnight. Phew! But B-roll is definitely one terminology to get well a...

Ah, phones. You use them for pretty much everything already, so why not your next video project, too? You’ve seen what your eleven year old niece creates for TikTok – and all she’s using is your brother’s crummy Samsung Galaxy from 2016. Surely your brand new iPhone 13 Pro Max can do the trick?  Look. We’ve no doubt your niece has a gorgeous aesthetic and a seriously steady hand. But please – from...

If you think video marketing involves producing one video, publishing it to Vimeo or another hosting platform, sitting back and watching magic happen before your eyes – think again.  We mean, if you’re going to all the effort of making a video, don’t you want it to have the biggest bang for you buck? Of course you do! And to do that, you need to get your video out in as many places as possible.  H...

When it comes to making a great video, casting is key. It doesn’t matter how skilled your camera crew is. How excellent your storyboard and script are. If the weather was a sunny 27 degrees without a cloud in sight. Or even how delicious the catering was on shoot day (although keeping the production team well fed is a good way to ensure they’re on side).  Yes, all these elements are critical to ge...

So you’ve decided to make a video. You and your team have spent hours workshopping how it might look. Who it will feature. Where it should be published. And (quietly) how many views it might gain.  You’ve Googled a few video production houses in your local area. Reviewed more showreels than you’d like to remember. Sent a few emails, made a few calls. You’ve talked your idea through so many times,...

So you’ve heard that your business needs a video to thrive. Maybe more than one video in fact (more about that in ep 5 – check it out over here: https://www.buzzsprout.com/846682/10251895)  But what type of video is right for your business?  This is a question Sue gets asked pretty regularly by clients – and the possibilities really are endless.  Do you need an overview video? A case study or two?...

Messaging and storytelling. A match made in video production heaven?  We certainly think so!  But how do these two terms differ? And if you’re about to embark on a new video project, which one should come first?  Great question! We’re super glad you asked. You see, we’re pretty passionate about messaging here at Moonshine Agency. After 12 years making and producing impact films, the one thing we’r...

Once upon a time there was a video production company that defined a whole new genre of storytelling and it completely reimagined the concept in the eyes of the world…. That’s our narrative and we’re sticking to it!  Jokes aside, storytelling is an art older than human history and we’re lucky enough to play with it in some form every single day.  It crosses cultures, has been proven to help with m...

In this episode, Sue shares 3 tips to help you simplify complex messages for your audience (using video of course!). As a communicator of any description –a public speaker, content creator or filmmaker – you can sometimes know too much about your topic. The divide between experts and audience is often enormous and usually crammed with industry jargon, complicated concepts and too much assumed know...

The saying might be less is more – but sometimes more is more. Especially when it comes to video content. Why? Because your audience is crazy for content. And all types of content too. From podcasts to blogs, social media posts and long form articles – they can’t get enough. But video is what they’re really into and they're watching more of it than ever before. In fact,  it’s estimated that t...

Impact film is a whole new genre of filmmaking. Actually, scrap that. It’s a whole new way of changing the world! Sounds empowering, doesn’t it?  But actually is an impact film?  Unlike the midday movie you caught last Sunday or the shows you watch mindlessly on Netflix most week nights, the purpose of an impact film is to inspire viewers to do something more than watch.  They’re designed to take...