Our Work
DPA Initiatives
Guidelines & Open Letters
The DPA is committed to advancing the documentary ecosystem, uniting the future of documentary producers, and advocating for a fair and just film industry.
Negotiating Contracts for Independent Documentary Producers
The twin goals of these best practices are to enhance a successful project outcome while also sustaining a satisfying and financially viable career.
Guidelines
Open Letters
historical context
While documentary film audiences are experiencing a ‘golden age’ of documentary with more film choices than ever
the independent producers who work tirelessly to bring these films to viewers are facing grave financial and career instability.
The current financial model
is unsustainable
Independent producers are often required to take on debt, defer payment, get a second or third job, lean on a safety net (if they have one)...
or work for free.
What makes this issue so challenging?
Funding Crisis
Funding Crisis
Covid-19 and the subsequent contraction of the industry only compounded the existing challenges for documentary makers to fund their films and make a living.
Through research and best practices guidelines, the DPA strives to help documentary producers achieve a sustainable career.
Equity & Inclusion
equity & inclusion
Equity and Inclusion are critical barriers for underrepresented documentary filmmakers, who face limited access to funding, mentorship, and distribution.
The DPA recognizes our role as change agents and seeks to address these systemic obstacles, fostering a more vibrant and authentic industry for all.
Distribution
distribution
Distribution of independent documentaries is at a critical inflection point as buyers are buying less and audiences are harder to reach. The DPA works with industry partners to seek alternative solutions in a stagnated market.
COVID-19
covid-19
The current financial model is unsustainable, requiring independent producers to take on debt, defer payment, get a second or third job, lean on a safety net (if they have one), or work for nothing.
The field—and films—will suffer.
Ethics Resource Library
As documentary filmmakers, we are often understaffed, under-resourced and without proper human resources support. Navigating thorny ethical questions can feel like walking in a dark forest without a compass.
We are often simultaneously in the position of employer, human resources manager, casting director, lead fundraiser, etc., and our ethical decisions and practices not only affect our own projects but the culture and reputation of the documentary film industry at large. When things go badly it usually falls on the producer. The producer is often the face of the business and particularly visible in times of turmoil.
Where can we turn to seek guidance on how to respond to the many ethical questions that continuously arise in our work? Where can we gather knowledge and educate ourselves to make the most informed ethical decisions and reduce the risk of harm?
These are some of the many catalyzing questions that led us to form the Ethics Resource Library, which we are proud to present to you today.
Our library is open to filmmakers of all experience levels, navigating any and all stages of production.
We cover a wide-ranging swath of topics and questions including:
- accessibility
- authorship (who is telling your story & why)
- labor
- representation
- inclusion
- interviewing victims
- diversity
- distribution
- consent
- safety on set
- etc.
Importantly, our Ethics Resource Library is a living library that continues to evolve with our rapidly changing industry. The discussions around inclusivity and representation, for example, have changed dramatically over the last decade, and our library represents this living conversation with resources spanning the early aughts to the present day.
What is included in the library…
- List of ethics-based resources organized by topic/keyword/tag and pre-vetted by our committee
- Resources include articles, editorials, video presentations, keynote addresses, guidelines, courses, podcasts, toolkits, essays, etc.
- Short description of resource and why we recommended it for the library
- Links to resources
How to use the library...
We are not prescriptive, and we aren’t seeking to be the definitive source to answer all your ethical questions, but rather the entry point to educate yourself, and arm yourself with the tools and sources you need to become the most ethical filmmaker you can be. We invite you to engage with our library, suggest and add resources to it, and become part of this living conversation. We recognize every ethical issue is unique with a unique set of factors. We are not seeking to dictate how issues should be handled, but rather to empower the filmmaker with the resource and knowledge to make the most informed decisions.
We’re excited to share these resources with you. Happy reading!
If you have any questions you can email the DPA Coordinator at: coordinator@docproducers.org
at the same time
Things are looking up.
The opportunity to radically alter the documentary film industry seems uniquely possible, and producers—
with their grit and sharp problem-solving skills—are particularly poised to do so.
The DPA is working to rise to this challenge
to advocate for our members and their work, and to navigate a new path.
Support the DPAFeeling Inspired? Us too!
Inspire your community with the voices of experienced producers!
The DPA is able to provide speakers to discuss any of the DPA's published initiatives. Speaker availability may be limited, so please submit requests in advance of your event.
Negotiating Contracts for Independent Documentary Producers
This document provides best-practice recommendations for a work-for-hire documentary producer to: Evaluate a proposed project; Establish a good working relationship with the “Rights Holder;" Formalize an agreement; Ensure equitable compensation. The twin goals of these best practices are to enhance a successful project outcome while also sustaining a satisfying and financially viable career. These guidelines are the result of over four years of volunteer work from our dedicated members.
Guidelines for the Documentary Waterfall
This document reflects the DPA’s collective effort to introduce greater understanding and transparency around the nature of documentary film finance, to standardize film finance structures, and to advocate for financing terms that are sustainable, transparent, and rewarding to investors and filmmakers alike.
In order to address the changing landscape of documentary financing and diversification of financing sources, the DPA devised the Guidelines for Documentary Waterfall to codify unsustainable industry norms and ensure documentary filmmakers receive the compensation they deserve. The film’s financial “waterfall” describes the flow of gross revenues that a project receives and how these gross revenues, or the “pie,” are distributed amongst those with a financial interest in the project. The document also includes an overview of financing tools, budget guidelines, and an extensive glossary that details industry-specific terms. The Guidelines have been endorsed by over 30 allied organizations in the field.
Guide to Best Practices in Documentary Crediting
The DPA's Crediting Guidelines reflect the DPA’s effort to correct, stabilize, and standardize documentary crediting as a first step in our broader mission to make the field more inclusive and documentary filmmaking more viable as a career.
The Guide to Best Practices in Documentary Crediting not only defines producer credits that may arise in the making of independent films, but also distinguishes between financier credits (Executive Producer, Co-Executive Producer and Contributing Producer) and working producer credits.
The guidelines are meant to clarify the crediting process, and help ensure that funders and investors receive the recognition that they are due (and that filmmakers want them to have); filmmakers can offer and leverage fair credits to funding prospects to get their films made; and the value and meaning of credits are protected (against, among other things, dilution and inconsistency) for filmmakers and their financial partners.
As of 2024, the DPA's Crediting Subcommittee is working on analyzing internal survey data to update these guidelines according to shifts in the industry since their original publication in 2019.
Anti-Racist & Structural Equality Resource Guide
The Anti-Racist & Structural Equality Resource Guide provides documentary producers with an index of resources aimed at creating an inclusive, equitable and decolonized documentary ecosystem.
Open Letter to Film Festival Programmers, Marketing Directors & Publicists
The DPA urges film festivals to be more inclusive of producers, beginning with festivals’ promotional materials and through the full film festival experience.
This open letter addresses the exclusion of documentary producers’ work and craft from the film festival circuit and stresses that producers deserve inclusion alongside their fellow filmmakers. Action items in the letter detail steps film festivals should take to ensure producers are recognized as filmmakers.
Accessibility
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Make a Donation Today
The DPA is primarily volunteer-run organization and relies on donations to fuel its ongoing work and advocacy on behalf of documentary producers.The DPA is recognized as a tax-exempt organization under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Contributions to organizations with 501(c)(3) status may be tax deductible. Please consult your tax advisor to determine deductibility of this contribution.
Thank you in advance for making a donation to the DPA!