bfm interviews Toni Bell
There are numerous avenues to create, be it digital or film. But telling the simple story is always the same. bfm sits down with Toni Bell, Filmmaker Services Manager for the International Documentary Association (IDA) in Los Angeles to discuss the state of documentary film on the West Coast and abroad.
bfm: Hey, how are you doing, Toni.
Toni Bell: Hey, how are you?
bfm: Give a general overview of the independent documentary scene on the West Coast?
Toni Bell: I would say on the West Coast it's still seen as up-and-coming, even though there has been a strong documentary community here for years. It’s just that the East Coast is just more established. Big players such as WNET and WGBH, and all the major funding entities are on the East Coast. However, in California, there are a wealth of stories that need to be told and growing initiatives to support filmmakers here. I think one of the issues with LA, in particular, is it's just so spread out and spacious.
bfm: Yes.
Toni Bell: I think it is harder just logistically for filmmakers to get together. However, I’ve found a lot of support at the Black Association of Documentary Filmmakers – West (BADWest) for the things that I want to do. BADWest is a great organization for the new filmmaker. The membership is made up of experienced filmmakers to people who really have a passion for a particular story and want to learn the tools to share it with the world. So it's a good balance If people can find their niche groups, build from there and commit to work in those spaces. Then they can find a lot of support in that regard.
bfm: What are a few of the organizations, filmmakers and festivals shaping the Los Angeles scene?
Toni Bell: There are so many festivals here in LA and throughout the state. First and foremost, the first big one of the year is the Pan African Film Festival which is a great market for filmmakers. Many distributors attend PAFF, particularly from the Caribbean, the UK and the whole African Diaspora. There's the San Diego Black Film Festival that happens I think a few weeks after Pan African, which is really prominent and gets a lot of top names.
But there are also so many diasporic film festivals that showcase and celebrate our work throughout the country. There's Reel Sisters Film Festival in Brooklyn. There is the American Black Film Festival, which alternates between Miami and New York every other year.
Black folks in LA are and have always been creating all kinds of content. For example, Vana Thiero’s (who is a member of BADWest) work is centered on autism. She has two young adult sons who have autism, so she decided to make a film about it, telling her experience. It’s called My Thiero Boys. She's used the film as a vehicle for her activism around autism. Then you have editor, Lillian Benson and directors, Charles Burnett and Julie Dash, who were two of the many filmmakers who were part of the L.A. Rebellion, here as well. Then you have filmmakers like Denise Hamilton who are tackling the interactive space. Her project Race Relay a theatrical production using drama, music and video to explore the state of race relations today in America. Hamilton originally produced the project in 2005 and has watched it grow as technology has changed. This year she partnered with USC and the California African-American Museum for several live performances. There's this whole slew of personal docs that are out that give a very nuanced and, I would say, a complete view of our various experiences that we have in the world.
bfm: Okay. What is the Day of Black Docs?
Toni Bell: The Day of Black Docs is BADWest's largest fundraising event of the year. On that day we screen three documentaries by and or about Black folks. This year it's going to be on May 11th so if you haven't been to one, I highly recommend you attend it.
bfm: There are always films I want to see.
Toni Bell: This year we’re screening Horror Noire, Ali’s Comeback, Blue Note Records: Beyond the Notes. It's a great opportunity for those who love documentary and want to see films from the diaspora that they may not necessarily get a chance to. We invite vendors to attend and sell their wares. Also, there's great conversation during Q&A's between the moderator and the filmmakers.
bfm: How did your journey start in filmmaking?
Toni Bell: I moved to Los Angeles in 2010. At the time I was wanted to get into screenwriting and enrolled in UCLA’s Professional Screenwriting Program. One day I was at The Writers Guild reading scripts and a friend of mine, she mentioned the Black Association of Documentary Filmmakers West to me. They were actually having a meeting that night at the Writer’s Guild and I went. They needed someone to write their newsletter and I volunteered. Writing the monthly newsletter really gave me the opportunity to learn about documentary filmmaking and the African-American documentary community, not just here in LA but all over.
For one of the meetings, we extended an invitation to Lyn Goldfarb and Alison Sotomayor to screen scenes from their upcoming film, Bridging the Divide: Tom Bradley and the Politics of Race. I ended up writing an article about the meeting for the newsletter. A few months later, Lyn and Alison were looking for a production assistant for their film and I was asked to put an ad in our newsletter. I posted the ad and applied for the position. Along with my resume and cover letter, I included a copy of the article I had written. I got job; my first documentary gig. I eventually moved up to doing archival research for the film. This led to other opportunities.
Years later, I started a Masters program at USC in visual anthropology. My thesis film was entitled Vegan Noir: Black Vegans in Los Angeles. It's a short documentary that examines the Black vegan community here in LA, the diversity of it, and the reasons why people become vegan. It also examines the unique spaces that Black vegans create amongst themselves, particularly in lieu of some of the racism that's prevalent within the predominantly white vegan community.
While I was working on my thesis film, I found out about a part-time job at the International Documentary Association. Lyn Goldfarb was a former board member at IDA and Denise Hamilton, who's co-chair of BADWest had been on many IDA awards committees over the years. They both put in a good word for me. I came in and interviewed. I was hired and started out as a filmmaker services coordinator and then when my boss left to start the Fiscal Sponsorship Program at Film Independent, I was promoted to filmmaker services manager, and that's where I am today. But it all started with me attending that first BADWest meeting.
bfm: Great narrative! I would like to expound on the IDA. What is the International Documentary Association and what is your role?
Toni Bell: The International Documentary Organization was established around 35 years ago. We are an organization essentially dedicated to helping filmmakers create documentary films and also bringing documentary to the community as a whole. Our most important event is our biannual conference, called Getting Real. The conference is essentially about sustainability in the documentary field. It's a place where documentary filmmakers can talk about documentary film. Filmmakers speak openly and frankly about the filmmaking experience, their triumphs and struggles. There are also tons of workshops and classes that are offered during the conference as well.
bfm: How important is it, especially for up-and-coming filmmakers to utilize organizations like the IDA?
Toni Bell: IDA isn’t just for the mid-career filmmaker but also newer filmmakers who can definitely benefit from our educational programs. Our Conversation Series features a stellar lineup of documentary filmmakers while our Master Classes provide members with the opportunity to learn from the best in the field. Attending events where members are present provides the opportunity for networking. I oversee the IDA’s Fiscal Sponsorship Program.
bfm: Okay. What is Fiscal Sponsorship?
Toni Bell: Essentially, fiscal sponsorship is a way for filmmakers to raise funds for their film under the IDA’s charitable umbrella. When people contribute to a film via IDA, that person who makes the donation gets the benefit of a tax write-off, which lessens their tax burden. There are also several funds and grantors who will not contribute directly to a filmmaker. They will only give to the filmmaker via a fiscal sponsor. So our role with the sponsor is to essentially act as a good steward of those funds.
For many new filmmakers, this is essentially the first grant or “grant-like” proposal they've ever written. And I get proposals that are written very well and very detailed. And then I get proposals that aren't and my role is to get them grant ready. When applying for fiscal sponsorship, we do give filmmakers the opportunity to make revisions. When I'm asking for revisions, I ask for specific things to help them think critically and deeply about their proposals. This is really important for newer filmmakers because sometimes they have the story in their head and they think they're articulating it on paper but they're not.
bfm: Yes.
Toni Bell: I look at my role as to help tease out those specifics of the story they're trying to tell. When I'm looking at a proposal and offering feedback, I'm looking at it with a critical eye. Sometimes I'll have conversations with filmmakers to help them think about their proposal. I’ll explain to them why a funder may want something worded a particular way, or why they need to be specific because people don't know what they don't know.
bfm: Yes.
Toni Bell: I feel like my job is to let them know, "These are things that a funder needs know. These are things that will make your proposal competitive."
bfm: As far as crowdfunding, I see a lot more creative narratives, especially with filmmakers of color. How do you feel about crowdfunding?
Toni Bell: I think that you do have to have a well thought out crowdfunding strategy. Gone are the days where you can just throw up something online, people will find it and give you tons of money. Many filmmakers use crowdfunding to get that initial funding or finishing funds. Sometimes that first bit and that last bit are the hardest to get. At the IDA, we have contracts with both Seed & Spark and Kickstarter. Obviously, Kickstarter has the name recognition, so some filmmakers are more comfortable going that route. However, Seed & Spark is a platform designed for filmmakers. Crowdfunding can also be a great tool for educating the general public about the process of filmmaking.
In addition, filmmakers need to think about the types of perks that they are giving out. I'll always encourage filmmakers to think about the labor involved in sending perks because sometimes it may sound like a great idea to give away a hundred t-shirts. But they have to remember that they will have to mail those t-shirts. Is that something for which they have the bandwidth? Have they incorporated the cost of the mailing into the perk? I want to make sure that filmmakers think about every aspect of it, and look at it as a marketing campaign that has to be advertised when certain benchmarks are reached. What’s your message going to be when you reach 50% of your goal, asking 80%, 100%. You really have to be very vigilant when you're trying to do a crowdfunding campaign, and it really has to be planned out
bfm: Yes.
Toni Bell: It's very important that filmmakers, particularly if they're going the crowdfunding route, to be very, very communicative with their donors because they've invested in the film. They want to know where their money has gone and how it is being used.
bfm: What is your advice for filmmakers pursuing a career in the documentary arena, especially filmmakers of color?
Toni Bell: So my advice for people who are pursuing a career in documentary filmmaking, particularly filmmakers of color is, number one, you don't have to be on a coast to do it. You don't have to be in LA or New York. You can create films wherever you are and there are growing initiatives across the country that are fostering talent from those areas. The New Orleans Film Society has the Southern Producers Lab and Emerging Filmmakers Mentorship program. In Detroit there's an organization called the Detroit Narrative Agency or DNA. One thing they noticed, there were all these filmmakers who are from outside of the community coming in and telling stories about their community and not only just telling stories, but telling the same type of story.Their mission is to support non-stereotypical stories about the Detroit area, providing opportunities and training for filmmakers from there as well.
bfm: “Detropia”, I'm not going to say anything.
Toni Bell: And then on the East Coast, I'm sure you've heard of Firelight Media.
bfm: Stanley Nelson.
Toni Bell: Yes. They have their Documentary Lab and they also have their Impact Producers Fellowship. Both programs provide support and mentorship for filmmakers of color all over the country. They also provide opportunities to network at larger festivals. That's how filmmaking gets done. It’s about meeting people. If you're trying to get into some of those bigger markets or engage with those certain players you really have to start building those relationships.
If you're a young filmmaker, try to partner with someone or engage someone as an adviser who is experienced in working on the particular documentary topics that you want to focus upon. Doesn't have to be, obviously, the exact same story but someone who can kind of walk with you. You can have a sounding board.
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