summary

• Alex Bono started out as a camera assistant and worked his way up to becoming a cinematographer before transitioning into producing and directing.

• His experience at Saturday Night Live taught him to be comfortable with chaos and to adapt quickly to changing circumstances.

• Bono's documentary Bigger Stronger Faster explored the use of steroids in American culture and the clash between the pursuit of success and the moral implications of cheating.

• Documentary Now, a mockumentary series, was born out of a short film parody created by Bono and his colleagues at SNL.

• IFC took a bold move in greenlighting Documentary Now, a niche show that parodies obscure documentaries. Documentary Now! is a show that is authentic and not mainstream, which gives hope to creators who want to do something different.

• The creators faced challenges in the early stages of the show, but the involvement of well-known actors helped mitigate some of the risks.

• The show evolved over time and the creators had to figure out what it would be, but by the first season, they had a clear vision.

• The creators had a lot of creative freedom and enjoyed making the show, even though it was low budget and not financially rewarding.

• The documentary community is supportive and less competitive, and the creators of Documentary Now! appreciate the support they receive from other filmmakers.

• The show pays attention to technical details and tries to recreate the look and feel of the documentaries it parodies, using vintage lenses and lighting techniques.

• The performances in the show are mostly scripted, but there is room for improvisation and exploring different tonal variations.

• Casting the right actors is crucial, and once they are cast, there is minimal directing of performances on set.

• The creators strive to create a balance between comedy and drama, and sometimes the quiet moments are the funniest.

• The creators of Documentary Now! are passionate about documentaries and the show is a labor of love for them.

• The Origins of Documentary Now

• Embracing Chaos and Improvisation Evolution and Clear Vision

• Balancing Comedy and Drama

• "I wanted to experience the pre-production, the development part. And I also wanted to be more involved in post and I wanted to sell the film."

• "SNL became a really great home for me to come back to, kind of get some paid work and pay my bills while I continued to sort of transition from being a cinematographer into being more of a producer and cinematographer, I guess."

• "What does it say about American culture that all of our heroes are, turns out, that they're doing something to get ahead, they're breaking the rules to get ahead."

• "It gives me a lot of hope that there's like there are people who are willing to do stuff that's really authentic, but not like mainstream."

• "Some of that risk is mitigated by the fact that you'll have Bill Hader and Fred Armisen in every episode and Seth Meyers is, you know, so there's some of that that gives you a little bit of risk management, I guess, as a network."

• "For those guys, mean, they're still doing movies, Seth's doing his show, Fred's still doing Portlandia and he's still, you know, for them it was like, this just seems like a fun thing we could do and we could just do it to amuse ourselves."

Host David Altrogge (@daltrogge) sits down with documentarian Brennan Robideaux to discuss his debut feature BORN TO FLY about Olympic Gold Medalist Armand Duplantis. Brennan's journey is truly epic. Despite facing financial struggles and industry skepticism, he pursued his no-budget passion project about pole vaulter Mondo Duplantis. Through four years of filming and editing, emotional premieres in Sweden and the US, and eventually landing a deal with Red Bull Studios, his story highlights the importance of perseverance, dedication, and the emotional rewards that define success in documentary filmmaking.

A special thanks to Caleb J. Murphy (https://calebjmurphy.com/) and Musicbed (http://share.mscbd.fm/daltrogge) for the great tunes. School of Doc is a Production of Vinegar Hill (https://vinegarhill.film/)

Host David Altrogge sits down with producer Margaret Bodde and editor/director David Tedeschi.  Together they make documentaries with the legendary Martin Scorcese. Their credits include The Rolling Thunder Review, Pretend It’s a City, and George Harrison: Living In a Material World.

A special thanks to Caleb J. Murphy (https://calebjmurphy.com/) and Musicbed (http://share.mscbd.fm/daltrogge) for the great tunes.

School of Doc is a Production of Vinegar Hill (https://vinegarhill.film/)

Host David Altrogge sits down with Oscar-winner James Marsh to discuss directing Man on Wire and The Theory of Everything

A special thanks to Caleb J. Murphy (https://calebjmurphy.com/) and Musicbed (http://share.mscbd.fm/daltrogge) for the great tunes. School of Doc is a Production of Vinegar Hill (https://vinegarhill.film/)