[Watch the video interview on Youtube here]
Film Courage: Can you talk about the differences between financing your documentary work and the narrative films you’re now financing?
Marlin Darrah, Filmmaker: Regarding financing for documentary films versus narrative feature films, for decades it’s been much easier to get the money to make the documentary films and the travel adventure films. They’re almost always financed ahead of time either through grants but usually through a fairly wealthy person that has some interest in the documentary, that’s been very interesting to me. That’s why I’ve been working through partners like Paul Perry and others that have access to certain investors that had a keen interest in history topics or near-death experience topics or art and they would finance these documentaries. I didn’t have to worry about that and that was nice. It’s obviously a critical thing for filmmaking. It’s assuming you’ve got the great story and the talent and the gear, if you need the money and everybody’s looking for money at every level of filmmaking.
For documentaries I found that always to be more lucrative, I would just set a fee for my services, if it’s for directing and shooting or one of the other. Usually I would come in as an associate production company in itself and provide the whole package of directing, assisting with producing, shooting and editing. I’d usually present a package of services for a certain amount of money for the documentary and then that would just be financed through the equity investment, the person that’s connected…(Watch the video interview on Youtube here).
About:
Marlin Darrah is probably the world’s most traveled filmmaker. Darrah’s ‘s 44 years of award-winning production experience have taken him to more than 140 countries worldwide, yielding more than 100 documentary, travel-adventure programs and dramatic movies to date.
In 2023, Darrah completed his third feature film “An Egypt Affair,” an award-winning suspense-thriller that was entirely filmed in Egypt, along the Nile River between Luxor and Aswan.
One of his more recent feature films is “Amazon Queen” – an 85-minute adventure-thriller shot entirely in the Brazilian Amazon. The film was completed in September 2021 and is presently being distributed throughout N.America and worldwide, by Vision Films of LA. “Amazon Queen” has enjoyed millions of views on streaming platforms worldwide. That film won awards and nominations at more than 100 international film festivals.
Marlin also wrote, directed and produced the acclaimed 90-minute dramatic feature film, “Monsoon Wife,” in Cambodia – the first American movie shot entirely in that SE Asian country since “Lord Jim.” Universal Studios acquired Darrah’s movie and television rights were sold to more than a dozen countries.
In September 2014, Darrah was honored with a Knighthood in the Royal House of Portugal, presented by His Royal Highness Dom Pio. This was in recognition of Darrah’s extensive worldwide educational and charitable film productions Darrah’s international shots have been aired on programs appearing on all the major television networks, including PBS, History Channel and Discovery Channel.
His twenty 90-minute geo-travel lectures and features have been presented to audiences in more than 100 theaters and auditoriums across America, including venues such as the Harvard Club and the Philadelphia Geographical Society. Recently, a two-hour documentary Darrah shot and directed in Egypt was screened at the Cairo Opera House to an audience of 3000 guests. National Geographic represents and markets thousands of Darrah’s best worldwide shots.
WATCH ‘AMAZON QUEEN’
Tubitv.com/movies/678598/amazon-queen
WATCH ‘AROUND THE WORLD WITH MARLIN DARRAH’
Tubitv.com/series/300005580/around-the-world-with-marlin-darrah
SUBSCRIBE TO MARLIN DARRAH ON YOUTUBE
CONNECT WITH MARLIN DARRAH
Advertisement – contains affiliate links
(As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases)
More affiliates:
Camera we use for interviews – https://buff.ly/3rWqrra
Sound we use for interviews – https://amzn.to/2tbFlM9
Other books on Amazon that Film Courage recommends – https://buff.ly/3o0oE5o
