[Book Review] Filmmaking for Change, 2nd edition: Make Films That Transform the World, by Jon Fitzgerald

I was once told to make a documentary, you must need it like you need to breathe. 

Filmmaking for Change, 2nd Edition: Make Films That Transform the World, may seem like it is advocating a goal beyond our reach, but in our current times it really is  starting to feel sometimes as if we need to transform the world, just so we can  breathe! 

The book’s lofty title should not deter us. I confess, my NHS career was halted by  medical issues arising from an autoimmune condition, and I entered film school primarily because of my wish to communicate important issues in need of change  through film. I certainly knew that this would not happen quickly. There is a Peruvian  proverb that says ‘little by little one walks far’ and the book’s premise stays close to  my heart. 

The author is filmmaker Jon Fitzgerald, co-founder of Slamdance Film Festival, founder of Cause Cinema, and Festival Director at the American Film Institute, as  well as Naples International Film Festivals. The book emphasises the power of film  and TV as tools of mass communication, to affect positive social change.

A great time for change is now. Even the World Economic Forum has weighed in with its Great Reset initiative. The COVID pandemic has brought home to us our vulnerability as a human species, and recent upheavals of #MeToo and  #BlackLivesMatter, suggest that despite our achievements, we have a long way to  go in supporting each other. 

The digital explosion and democratisation of media, with direct access to audiences possible even without a distributor, only increases the possibilities for filmmakers.

Not just documentaries

At the end of each of the book’s sections on development, production, and distribution are ‘case studies’: questions and answers from different filmmakers, and  ‘words of wisdom’ from industry professionals. One filmmaker refers informally to  documentary/fiction hybrids he makes as ‘fictumentary’. The book similarly includes fictional films, which can be just as powerful as documentary (if not more so?) in communicating important themes and messages. From Cathy Come Home (1966)  forging action on homelessness, to Philadelphia (1993) changing perceptions on HIV and AIDS, stories may have come about due to a mind occupied by a concern for  something: a mind preoccupied. The power of story has come to dominate our free time on page, stage, screen and airwaves: all the more reason for this power to be  used constructively. 

A personal touch

Jon Fitzgerald uses his twenty years of experience in independent film and film festival communities, both as a director and as a consultant, to provide a  comprehensive and practical overview of how to make your film happen with  maximal impact. The author doesn’t write as a lone voice in the wilderness, and the  book’s inputs from other filmmakers also increase that personal touch that makes  you feel a greater connection to the material, the people discussed, and the wider  film community. Every different perspective adds value. One filmmaker offers this advice: ‘Be fearless. Be willing to be broken in half… A challenging documentary is harder than people think. Stick with it, and the payoff is amazing.’ Maybe it’s a case  of the more you put in, the more you get back. 

For someone who is not an avid book reader, I found this book great for dipping into, and easy to navigate. I would recommend it for both filmmakers who want to make films for change, and filmmakers whose interests lie elsewhere, for adding an extra dimension to their filmmaking.

Acacia Khonji

Acacia is a doctor studying film at Raindance Film School. She was born to Iranian immigrants in London and is bilingual. She holds the postgraduate vocational qualification of MRCGP and worked as a GP for many years. She is interested in making films exploring controversial medical issues, particularly those involving mental health or marginalised groups.