Shoot It on Your Phone: A Climate Creator Production Workshop
You’ve got the idea. Now let’s get it made!
In this workshop, we’ll cover practical, low-cost ways to shoot and edit a strong, short narrative TikTok/Reel/Youtube Short using the tools you already have. We’ll break down phone setup, captions, pacing, and simple editing tools like CapCut so you can move from concept to finished submission without a crew or expensive gear.
Bring your questions, ideas and your work in progress. The goal is to leave ready to shoot!
Part of Carbon Copy 2026, a climate storytelling pitch competition built for the creator economy.
Carbon Copy 2026
Today's most influential storytellers aren't waiting for studio greenlights. They're building audiences on YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, and beyond. Carbon Copy celebrates the creators redefining how climate stories are told.
Submit a completed narrative video up to 5 minutes in length. New and recent work (created after July 2025) is eligible. Any genre is welcome.
We're judging for the media landscape creators actually compete in. The barriers to distribution have changed, and great stories can now reach millions of people from smartphones, bedrooms, and small creator studios. Carbon Copy reflects that reality by prioritizing storytelling and audience impact over production value. TL;DR just use your phone!
Up to five finalists will be invited to Climate Week NYC to pitch their work live before a panel of judges at the Climate Film Festival. Each finalist will present their completed video and their vision for expanding it into a larger project. The winner will receive a $1,000 cash prize and the opportunity to co-produce their project with DDW in the future.
Submissions open July 9 and close August 21.
Learn more and apply here.
About the Organizers
The Climate Film Festival has established itself as a premier showcase for environmental storytelling, offering a vital platform for filmmakers, climate experts, and general audiences to engage with the climate crisis through powerful, artfully crafted narratives. With a curated selection of films that span genres—from documentaries and dramas to experimental shorts—the festival not only highlights urgent ecological issues but also celebrates innovative approaches to climate storytelling.
Documentaries Don't Work is a narrative media studio developing climate content built to entertain first. From social-first series to independent film, we create stories that move climate into culture. Our debut digital series Good Work, is currently in post-production. The average person can't name a climate documentary, but everyone can name their favorite show.