The 4th International EDN Documentary Congress took place on Tuesday, March 13, 2012 at the IEK AKMI hall, as part of the 14th Thessaloniki Documentary Festival and the Doc Market. The Congress is organized by the European Documentary Network (EDN) and the Thessaloniki Documentary Festival.
The main topic of the Congress was the opening sequences of documentaries, which are crucial to their further career and success, both relating to its presentation to professionals, and to the initial contact with the audience. The Congress was educational in nature, and addressed to Greek and foreign directors and producers attending the 14th TDF. Participating on the panel were distributor Jan Rofekamp (Films Transit, Canada) and Ove Rishoj Jensen (EDN representative).
Beginning the Congress, Ove Rishoj Jensen said: "Whether the target is the general public or industry professionals, the first minutes of a film are the most important. If you do not win the attention of your audience in the first minutes, they probably will not see your film. The idea is not to teach you, but to inspire you on the subject.”
Jan Rofekamp emphasized that "the opening sequence is one of the key elements that will determine whether the film will be sold to a buyer, either for cinema or television. Often buyers see the film with screeners, on their own, without the presence of the director’s representatives to explain what is being presented. So, what they see in the first few minutes has to grab their attention.” Both speakers pointed out that there is no "recipe" to fit all documentaries. The introduction depends on the type of film, whether it uses historical and archival material for example, but also on whether the target audience is that of television or the cinema. "In the first instance, buyers want an opening that immediately attracts attention and quickly introduces the viewer to the subject, since such is the nature of the medium. In contrast, fiction cinema audiences have more patience, "said Mr. Rofekamp.
Continuing, the two speakers presented small excerpts from different kinds of documentaries, through which they analyzed in each case specific elements that make the opening attractive. At the same time they referred to the solutions the films’ directors found in order to make the opening sequence more interesting and grab the audience’s attention.
Please note that on Thursday, March 15, 2012, at the IEK AKMI (10.00-11.30) a Master Class will be held on «Documentary Stories in New Media», by transmedia producer Asta Wellejus. The event is part of the Docs in Thessaloniki Pitching Forum 2012 of the 14th TDF, co-organized by the EDN and the Thessaloniki Documentary Festival.
