Documentary film out of one's thesis

[adel9216]

Hello,

We often talk about turning a thesis into a book. But did anyone here turn their thesis into a documentary film?

[polly_mer]

What an interesting idea!

I have several questions.

• Would you be essentially starting over by doing a documentary film or do you already have hours of film that you would edit into a good documentary?  In other words, did you knuckle under to check the box to finish your degree  by submitting a written thesis and now you are ready to do what you really wanted to do originally or have you been through the written experience and realize you'd like to address the same material but start over with film?
  
  
• What is the goal of the different format for your thesis?  Being an activist on an issue using a better medium is a different goal than trying to get tenure, which is often why a thesis is expanded into a book.  However, if being an activist is your new path, then a documentary film may be a great next step.
  
  
• Do you have any experience or contacts making documentary films?  Everyone has to start somewhere, but if you have pressing tenure-like issues, then starting a new area from scratch on an endeavor that might not count for tenure is a choice worth discussing with several mentors before proceeding.
  
  

[adel9216]

Hello! I wouldn't do a documentary film instead of a traditional thesis, but more as another project after I have graduated or something... The goal is to make my results and research project accessible to a bigger audience. I don't have experience making movies, but I do have some contacts and have done a short course on documentary films last September. I have ideas, I guess I would be more on the research side of the movie instead of actually filming and editing the whole thing myself.

[polly_mer]

I guess I would be more on the research side of the movie instead of actually filming and editing the whole thing myself.

Does that mean you are assembling a team?  What's the funding plan?

I'm curious because this sounds like an interesting idea, but I've had too many colleagues divert effort to explore an interesting idea while living in poverty for decades and not actually getting the interesting idea off the ground.

In contrast, I know people who took bill-paying jobs and used the interesting ideas as hobbies that eventually did get completed as novels, exhibitions of movies and other art, or strings of gigs as musicians and actors.

[Kron3007]

This is an interesting idea, depending on the thesis (just kidding, maybe)....

I took a scientific documentary making workshop during my PhD and it was a really great experience but I have not had the time/drive to really use it.  Not that you asked for advice, or that I am at all qualified to give it, but here it is anyway:  The main point I took home from the workshop other than a lot of the technical things, is that documentaries on "boring" topics really need to focus on the people involved and not just the research.  As scientists/researchers, we generally try to talk about the substance of the research, thinking others will find it as interesting as we do, but if you are making a documentary for the general public it would likely be better to make it about the human struggle (you doing the research, balancing life, etc) while including the substance and tricking them into learning about it.  People (as a species) are self absorbed and will usually be more inclined to watch videos about people than other stuff, which explains the unfathomable focus of TV programming.   

A great example they showed in the workshop I attended was a documentary about cockroaches.  While it conveyed a lot of interesting things about cockroaches, it really focused more on the quirky researcher (really, you have to be a little quirky to dedicate your life to cockroach biology) and what he was doing rather than cockroach facts.  While I likely would watch a documentary that focused on cockroach biology, I recognize that I am in a minority and their approach definitely made it acceptable to a much wider audience.

Anyway, I think it would be a fun project and great way to get the information out there if you have the time/motivation.     

[pedanticromantic]

A film is way, way more work than writing, it's also very different from a thesis in that a film is usually much more general--there is far, far less you can cover in a film that will demonstrate a new contribution to knowledge and demonstrate how your work fits in existing knowledge in your field--both key indicators of what a thesis is. In other words, I would not recommend it, unless you're in a film department and you're going to do something with the film that makes it a creative contribution in addition to the knoweldge.

[Kron3007]

A film is way, way more work than writing, it's also very different from a thesis in that a film is usually much more general--there is far, far less you can cover in a film that will demonstrate a new contribution to knowledge and demonstrate how your work fits in existing knowledge in your field--both key indicators of what a thesis is. In other words, I would not recommend it, unless you're in a film department and you're going to do something with the film that makes it a creative contribution in addition to the knoweldge.

I think this really depends on what the thesis was.  I could easily envision a documentary that included my PhD research.  Obviously it would not go into as much depth as the written version, but it would be more accessible for the general public and help get the information out there.  I can see how some theses would not lend themselves to this, but others would.

[adel9216]

Yes, my thesis topic is very timely and I think would be interesting for a documentary film. It's a project I have in mind, hope it will become a reality one day. Obviously, I wouldn't copy-paste the content of my thesis and put it into a film! It needs to be broken down into manageable chucks for people who aren't in academia.

[pedanticromantic]

Sorry, I read too quickly that you were going to do it AS your thesis.
A book is much faster, and worth more on the job market.

[adel9216]

True. A book would be the first step! but a documentary film would be something on my to-do list. A crazy dream kind of thing.

[larryc]

Do you have any filmmaking experience?

[Hibush]

Do you have any filmmaking experience?

You can do basic documentary budget planning that will help you get financing for the idea, whether from a donor, foundation, GoFundMe or granting agency.

If you are doing it on the cheap, it can be as little as $2,500 per finished minute. But that might give you something that you'd put on Vimeo or YouTube rather than going through a film distributor.

[larryc]

True. A book would be the first step! but a documentary film would be something on my to-do list. A crazy dream kind of thing.

A post-tenure crazy dream.