In this DOCUMENTARY FUNDAMENTALS session, we’ll explore the research and licensing of archival materials. Learn how to discover, organize and prioritize footage effectively. Discover tips for expanding your process with input from experts. Understand licensing and fair use, and find out how to responsibly include third party material. Join us to enrich your documentary storytelling with archives.

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DOCUMENTARY FUNDAMENTALS: A professional development series designed to give the emerging or intermediate documentary filmmaker an inside look at the filmmaking process from pre-production planning to post-production and distribution. Over the past few years, UnionDocs has developed this ongoing program for documentarians that desire a better foundation for navigating the modern landscape of independent filmmaking. This six-part program takes place over the course of one weekend at UnionDocs. Buy a SERIES PASS ($175) or choose to attend individual sessions ($35/each).

Instructors

Peter Nauffts is a New York-based archival researcher and producer. In addition to Time Bomb Y2K, he has conducted archival research on films and series for Lucy Walker, Alex Gibney and Mariam Ghani. He is currently working on a documentary about Sun Ra for Firelight Films.

Rich Remsberg is a two-time Emmy Award-winning archival producer with more than twenty years of experience in documentary films and series. Working with directors such as Lawrence Kasdan, Ben Stiller, Penny Lane, Amir Bar-Lev, Marshall Curry, Eugene Jarecki, Jesse Moss, and Dawn Porter, Remsberg specializes in creating fresh storylines and finding rare and unseen footage to support them.

His credits for HBO, Netflix, Disney+, NatGeo, History, and PBS include Light & Magic, Street Gang: How We Got to Sesame Street, Bobby Kennedy for President, Happy Valley, and the Academy Award-nominated A Night at the Garden.

Remsberg has served on the faculties of the Maine Media Workshops and the Library of Congress’ American Folklife Center Field School; was a frequent collaborator with the sampling-based music duo The Books; and has been a contributor to Vice Magazine, Esopus, and NPR’s online feature The Picture Show.