The D-Word
Encyclopedia
The D-Word is a worldwide online community
for professionals in the documentary film
industry. Discussions include creative, business, technical, and social topics related to documentary filmmaking.
The name "D-Word" is ironically defined as "industry euphemism for documentary", as in: "We love your film but we don't know how to sell it. It's a d-word."
by filmmaker Doug Block
as a result of his feature documentary, Home Page
, and encouraged by protagonists of this film, Justin Hall
and Howard Rheingold
.
Block continues to be a co-host of The D-Word, together with documentary makers Ben Kempas in Munich
(from 2001), John Burgan
in the United Kingdom
(from 2005) and Marjan Safinia in Los Angeles
(from 2009).
Members of The D-Word engaged in two collaborative projects, composed of short films themed around Essays on Docs, a reflection on filmmaking, as well as War and Peace, the community's reaction to the September 11, 2001 attacks
. A novelty at the time, these films were streamed online and presented at industry events like the International Documentary Filmfestival Amsterdam
.
, according to the website's database, The D-Word has more than 2400 members in 78 countries.
Celini found the facilitation of moderated ongoing conversations to be a key factor for the success of The D-Word, making it unique in comparison to simple bulletin board
s or email lists.
, such as James Longley for Iraq in Fragments
.
Membership in The D-Word is free but not automatic. Applicants submit a request to the hosts who will consider each application based on the applicant's track record, references, and location.
The D-Word has been criticized for this restrictive approach and for the use of an outdated conferencing platform. The hosts reacted to this by adding public discussions and building their own internet forum
software tailored to the needs of the membership.
, Albert Maysles
, Sandi Simcha DuBowski
, Ross McElwee
. These discussions remain archived on the public part of the site.
The D-Word's public discussions have explored topics such as "Reaching a Wider Audience" with Lance Weiler
; a conference on the use of social networks like MySpace
by filmmakers; a panel on new online distribution platforms for documentaries, and reactions by broadcasters to the broadband
developments. Other conferences have focused on ethical issues in documentary practice (with Pat Aufderheide of the Center for Social Media
).
Members regularly attend International Face 2 Face meetings at industry events such as the Sheffield International Documentary Festival
, the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA) or Silverdocs
, close to Washington DC.
Online community
An online community is a virtual community that exists online and whose members enable its existence through taking part in membership ritual. An online community can take the form of an information system where anyone can post content, such as a Bulletin board system or one where only a restricted...
for professionals in the documentary film
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
industry. Discussions include creative, business, technical, and social topics related to documentary filmmaking.
The name "D-Word" is ironically defined as "industry euphemism for documentary", as in: "We love your film but we don't know how to sell it. It's a d-word."
History
The D-Word is the longest-running online platform in the documentary industry. It was founded in 1999 in New YorkNew York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
by filmmaker Doug Block
Doug Block
Doug Block is an American independent director, cameraman and producer.Doug Block's documentary credits include:*The Kids Grow Up...
as a result of his feature documentary, Home Page
Home Page (documentary)
Home Page was a 1999 documentary by Doug Block on the genesis of weblogs and the lives of early independent content producers on the Internet. It was filmed between 1996 and 1998...
, and encouraged by protagonists of this film, Justin Hall
Justin Hall
Justin Hall , is an American freelance journalist who is best known as a pioneer blogger , and for writing reviews from game conferences such as E3 as well as the Tokyo Game Show....
and Howard Rheingold
Howard Rheingold
-See also:* Collective intelligence* Information society* The WELL* Virtual community-External links:***** at TED conference** a 48MB Quicktime movie, hosted by the Internet Archive...
.
Block continues to be a co-host of The D-Word, together with documentary makers Ben Kempas in Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
(from 2001), John Burgan
John Burgan
John Burgan is an independent documentary director and writer. Many of his films are themed around identity, sense of belonging, and migration.Burgan is best known for his 1998 documentary essay Memory of Berlin...
in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
(from 2005) and Marjan Safinia in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
(from 2009).
Members of The D-Word engaged in two collaborative projects, composed of short films themed around Essays on Docs, a reflection on filmmaking, as well as War and Peace, the community's reaction to the September 11, 2001 attacks
September 11, 2001 attacks
The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks (also referred to as September 11, September 11th or 9/119/11 is pronounced "nine eleven". The slash is not part of the pronunciation...
. A novelty at the time, these films were streamed online and presented at industry events like the International Documentary Filmfestival Amsterdam
International Documentary Filmfestival Amsterdam
The International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam is the world's largest documentary film festival held annually since 1988 in Amsterdam....
.
, according to the website's database, The D-Word has more than 2400 members in 78 countries.
Characteristics
For her dissertation on the success of an online community, Lara Celini chose The D-Word as the case study: "The D-Word Community provides an interesting example of an online community that harnesses the power of the technology to help meet the demands of today’s fast-paced, international media environment, connecting documentary professionals on a level that was never previously possible without huge expenses and co-ordination."Celini found the facilitation of moderated ongoing conversations to be a key factor for the success of The D-Word, making it unique in comparison to simple bulletin board
Bulletin board
A bulletin board is a surface intended for the posting of public messages, for example, to advertise things to buy or sell, announce events, or provide information...
s or email lists.
Membership
Members of The D-Word are professionals in various fields of the documentary film industry. Some are very experienced filmmakers, including nominees for the Academy AwardsAcademy Awards
An Academy Award, also known as an Oscar, is an accolade bestowed by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers...
, such as James Longley for Iraq in Fragments
Iraq in Fragments
Iraq in Fragments is a documentary feature directed by James Longley. Longley shot the film in Digital Video on a Panasonic DVX100 miniDV camcorder. The film premiered at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival. The film is also a part of the Iraq Media Action Project film collection. It was nominated for...
.
Membership in The D-Word is free but not automatic. Applicants submit a request to the hosts who will consider each application based on the applicant's track record, references, and location.
The D-Word has been criticized for this restrictive approach and for the use of an outdated conferencing platform. The hosts reacted to this by adding public discussions and building their own internet forum
Internet forum
An Internet forum, or message board, is an online discussion site where people can hold conversations in the form of posted messages. They differ from chat rooms in that messages are at least temporarily archived...
software tailored to the needs of the membership.
Public discussions
In addition to the private community, The D-Word hosts week-long public discussions, moderated by the hosts, featuring guest experts from the documentary world. Past guests include Anand PatwardhanAnand Patwardhan
Anand Patwardhan is an Indian documentary filmmaker, known for his activism through social action documentaries on topics such as corruption, slum dwellers, nuclear arms race, citizen activism and communalism...
, Albert Maysles
Albert and David Maysles
Albert and David Maysles were a documentary filmmaking team whose cinéma vérité works include Salesman , Gimme Shelter and Grey Gardens . Their 1964 film on The Beatles forms the backbone of the DVD, The Beatles: The First U.S. Visit...
, Sandi Simcha DuBowski
Sandi Simcha DuBowski
Sandi Simcha DuBowski is an American director and producer. Best known for his work on homosexuality and religion, DuBowski directed the 2001 documentary Trembling Before G-d and is the producer of Parvez Sharma's documentary A Jihad for Love .-Personal life:DuBowski was born in Brooklyn in 1970...
, Ross McElwee
Ross McElwee
Ross McElwee is an American documentary filmmaker and cinematographer, and Harvard professor, known for his autobiographical films about his family and personal life, usually interwoven with an episodic journey of some sort. Many cultural aspects of his southern upbringing are present in his...
. These discussions remain archived on the public part of the site.
The D-Word's public discussions have explored topics such as "Reaching a Wider Audience" with Lance Weiler
Lance Weiler
LANCE WEILER'S RÉSUMÉLance Weiler is an American film-maker and writer from Pennsylvania. Initially working as an assistant cameraman and camera operator on large commercial shoots, in Pennsylvania and later New York City, he then co-directed, co-wrote, co-produced, and co-starred in The Last...
; a conference on the use of social networks like MySpace
MySpace
Myspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
by filmmakers; a panel on new online distribution platforms for documentaries, and reactions by broadcasters to the broadband
Broadband
The term broadband refers to a telecommunications signal or device of greater bandwidth, in some sense, than another standard or usual signal or device . Different criteria for "broad" have been applied in different contexts and at different times...
developments. Other conferences have focused on ethical issues in documentary practice (with Pat Aufderheide of the Center for Social Media
Center for Social Media
The Center for Social Media in the School of Communication at American University examines strategies to use media as creative tools for public knowledge and action. It focuses on social documentaries for civil society and democracy, and on the public media environment that supports them...
).
Partnerships
The D-Word works closely with documentary organisations like the European Documentary Network. In the past, public discussions were supported by the Independent Feature Project in New York.Members regularly attend International Face 2 Face meetings at industry events such as the Sheffield International Documentary Festival
Sheffield International Documentary Festival
The Sheffield Doc/Fest, short for Sheffield International Documentary Festival , is an annual documentary and digital media event that is held in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England at the Showroom Workstation and other venues around Sheffield...
, the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA) or Silverdocs
Silverdocs
AFI-Discovery Channel Silverdocs Documentary Festival is an American international film festival created by the American Film Institute and Discovery Channel. It is held every year in Silver Spring, Maryland near Washington, D.C.. Started in 2003, the festival is held for eight days in June at...
, close to Washington DC.
Other sources
- indiewire.com various articles referring to discussions at The D-Word
- DOX magazine various articles based on discussions at The D-Word
- European Documentary Network
- Docs in Progress blog references to discussions at The D-Word