Cover image for Documentary storytelling : making stronger and more dramatic nonfiction films
Title:
Documentary storytelling : making stronger and more dramatic nonfiction films
Personal Author:
Edition:
2nd ed.
Publication Information:
Burlington, MA : Focal Press, 2007
ISBN:
9780240808758

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30000010133932 PN1995.9.D6 B47 2007 Open Access Book Book
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Summary

Summary

Documentary Storytelling offers a unique in-depth look at story and structure as applied not to Hollywood fiction, but to films and videos based on factual material and the drama of real life. With the growing popularity of documentaries in today's global media marketplace, demand for powerful and memorable storytelling has never been greater. This practical guide offers advice for every stage of production, from research and proposal writing to shooting and editing, and applies it to diverse subjects and film styles, from vérité and personal narrative to archival histories and more. Filled with real-world examples drawn from the author's career and the experiences of some of today's top documentarians, Documentary Storytelling includes special interview chapters with Ric Burns, Jon Else, Nick Fraser, Susan Froemke, Sam Pollard, Onyekachi Wambu and other film professionals. This second edition has been brought up to date with a more international focus, a look at lower-budget independent filmmaking, and consideration of newer films including Super Size Me, Murderball, So Much So Fast, and When the Levees Broke.er-budget independent filmmaking, and consideration of newer films including Super Size Me, Murderball, So Much So Fast, and When the Levees Broke.


Author Notes

Sheila Curran Bernard is an Emmy and Peabody Award-winning filmmaker and the author of Documentary Storytelling , a best selling guide to story and structure in nonfiction filmmaking, and , a guide to using archival footage and material in films. Her archival film credits include the series Eyes on the Prize, I'll Make Me a World, This Far By Faith, America's War on Poverty, and School , for which she also co-wrote the companion book. She has taught at Princeton University and Westbrook College and recently joined the faculty of the University at Albany, State University of New York.


Table of Contents

Part 1 Story Design
Story Basics
Documentary Storytelling
Approach
Structure
Manipulating Time
Case Studies
Part 2 Ideas to Treatments
Research
Casting
Pitching and Proposal Writing
Outlines
Treatments, and Scripts
Part 3 Shooting and Editing
Shooting
Editing
Writing Narration and Voice-Over
Storytelling: A Checklist
Part 4 Conversations about Story
Steven Ascher and Jeanne Jordan
Victoria Bruce and Karin Hayes
Ric Burns
Jon Else
Nicholas Fraser
Susan Froemke
Sam Pollard
Kenn Rabin
Per Saari
Onyekachi Wambu
Part 5 Additional Material