Sheffield Doc/Fest, Day 1: Crossing over to the bright side

05 November 2010 | 10:00 - By Britt Arthur

The focus of Day One was the Doc/Fest Crossover Summit which featured a series of keynotes and case studies exploring wonderful new ways to use the World Wide Web. Given I’m writing a blog it made sense to start-off with ‘Using Digital Tools for Social Good’ – a session looking at how we can use the digital landscape to make the world a better place and if it really is possible to change the world with your mouse.

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Hermione Taylor talked about ‘activism’ vs ‘clickerism’. Michael Norton excitedly talked about the crowd-sourcing platform Buzzbank - an online marketplace connecting social ventures with backers, supporters and cheerleaders. And Simon Berry spoke about his online Colalife adventure – an online platform in collaboration with Coca-Cola to increase distribution of medication to developing countries. A great idea, but perhaps fraught if KillerCoke decides to join his social network. Cross-Platform is still a brave new world and I keep getting the sense that no-one really knows the best way forward. I guess we just have to keep watching this space.

I also went to Raising Money for Digital Projects and the Who’s Who – where delegates get a rundown on what the broadcasters and distributors suggest ‘not’ to do – such as don’t pitch to commissioning editors in the toilet. Which made me curious about the genesis of The Fabulous Story of Poop but that is another story for another day.

All my spare moments were spent in the Videoteque – a video-on-demand service that features almost the entire festival programme. It’s like in-flight entertainment but with the best new docos on the festival circuit, no turbulence and extra leg room. All that was missing was a drinks cart and I would have been in heaven.

That said, Doc/Fest have outdone themselves with the implementation of the Recharge Lounge for delegates which offers power-points, WIFI, a free burrito lunch and complimentary massages. Someone is going to have their work cut out for them. I avoided temptation and got my doco geek on with four new docs: the intriguing and excellently crafted Quadrangle; Dirty Pictures about the grandfather of ecstasy; Werner Herzog’s visually stunning La Boheme; and the short and quirky Living the Bugdieman Dream.

Doc/Fest was then officially opened with the UK premiere of Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work. Joan was in attendance for a Q&A. I loved it and I love Joan. She has a wicked sense of humour and it was inspiring to see this trailblazing comedienne still pushing the boundaries. It was just the tonic, as were free drinks at the Opening Night party. It was a huge day and we all sighed in relief until we remembered that the festival had only just begun.

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About this Blog

Britt Arthur is a documentary filmmaker with a passion for telling character-driven stories that make you laugh, smile, cry and think. Her first documentary, Not in Front of the Kids, about the sex lives of the elderly, won some awards and was a hit in nursing homes.

Britt Arthur

Britt Arthur is a documentary filmmaker with a passion for telling character-driven stories that make you laugh, smile, cry and think. Her first documentary, Not in Front of the Kids, about the sex lives of the elderly, won some awards and was a hit in nursing homes. Her TV-doc debut, Give Me A Break, was lauded as being "as funny as a Christopher Guest mockumentary". Since then she has worked with subjects ranging from children, plants, animals and buildings to celebrities, police and accused war criminals.



Her most recent documentary, My Uncle Bluey, won numerous accolades, including an international premiere "In Competition" at the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA) and an award for Best Direction in a Short Film at the Australian Directors Guild Awards.



Britt is currently directing the documentary Arthouse for ABC-TV’s Artscape.



When she isn’t making films, she is watching them, or making other people watch them. She founded Doco Club in WA – and her inner doco nerd hopes that you will start a Doco Club too.



More here: www.schmickfilms.com

 
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