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Documentary

Documentary Storytelling
Third Edition
Sheila Curran Bernard
Now in its third edition, this detailed guide reveals how today's top filmmakers bring the tools of drama to the world of nonfiction filmmaking, without sacrificing the rigor and truthfulness that gives documentaries their power. Whether your project is verite or archival history, low budget or high, this book offers practical advice for every member of the production team at every stage of production, from research through shooting and editing. Softcover, 368 pp. $32.95.


The Documentary Moviemaking Course The Documentary Moviemaking Course
Kevin J. Lindenmuth
This beginner's guide shows how you can get started making documentary movies -- from researching and defining your theme, style, and the treatment that gives your film coherence, to organizing the production, and ultimately, getting it seen by a wider audience. Softcover, 144 pp. $26.50.


Shooting in the Wild: An Insider's Account of Making Movies in the Animal KingdomShooting in the Wild: An Insider's Account of Making Movies in the Animal Kingdom
Chris Palmer
Wildlife and nature films are a hugely successful genre. However, running tandem to their recent popularity are troubling stories of sensationalism, extreme risk-taking, and even abuse in wildlife films. Veteran film producer and educator Chris Palmer tracks the roots of this trend to the early days of the genre, and he profiles a new breed of skilled, ethical filmmakers whose work enlightens as well as entertains, and who represent the future that Palmer envisions for the industry he loves. Softcover, 223 pp. $30.50.


Wild at Heart: The Films of Nettie Wild

Mark Harris & Claudia Medina
Nettie Wild, one of Canada's leading documentarians, came to film from a background in journalism and theatre. Since then, she has gone on to win awards and screen her films around the world. Featuring an essay and an interview, this monograph is the first book-length assessment of her body of work. Softcover, 111 pp. $15.00.


Documentary SuperstarsDocumentary Superstars

Marsha McCreadie
Documentary Superstars examines the evolution of the documentary film: from cinema verite to the inserted narrator, from the balanced point of view to the charismatic commentator, from the documentarian as star to popular reality television shows. Film critic and instructor Marsha McCreadie explores the controversy and innovation of the modern day documentary with detailed film descriptions and brand new commentary from some of the most influential names in the field. Softcover, 245 pp. $24.95.


Documentary Display: Re-Viewing Nonfiction Film and VideoDocumentary Display: Re-Viewing Nonfiction Film and Video

Keith Beattie
Not all documentary films and videos are sober depictions of the real world. Documentary representations can present expressive, entertaining and spectacular images. This book examines such innovative approaches as they occur within the process of 'documentary display' - a practice which emphasises the visual attractions of documentary representation. Softcover, 187 pp. $36.95.


Documentary Storytelling for Film and VideomakersDocumentary Storytelling for Film and Videomakers

Sheila Curran Bernard
Written for anyone working in documentary films, whether as producer, director, editior, cinematographer, researcher, or production executive, Documentary Storytelling for Film and Videomakers offers practical advice for all stages of production, including proposal writing, shooting, and editing. Softcover, 297 pp. $37.95.


The Rhetoric of the New Political DocumentaryThe Rhetoric of the New Political Documentary

Edited by Thomas W. Benson & Brian J. Snee
This collection of original critical essays by leading scholars and critics explores the most visible and volatile element in the 2004 US presidential campaign- the partisan documentary film. Analysis of various films includes: Farenheit 9/11, Farenhype 9/11, Celsius 41.11, Unprecedented: The 2000 Presidential Election, and George W. Bush: Faith in the White House. This book showcases the independent voices and polictical power brokers that struggle to find new ways to debate the status quo and create a counter rhetoric. Softcover, 226 pp. $43.95.


Projecting Migration: Transcultural Documentary PracticeProjecting Migration: Transcultural Documentary Practice

Edited by Alan Grossman & Aine O'Brien
Projecting Migration is an integrated book/DVD-ROM anthology, comprising contributions from scholars/ practitioners working across a diverse range of transnational locations in a variety of media formats. This volume gives prominence to collaborative research processes conducted across the arts, humanities and social sciences. The DVD-ROM offers the reader a viewing source of selective media content referenced in the chapters. Softcover, 239 pp. $47.95.


Producing With Passion: Making Films That Change the WorldProducing With Passion: Making Films That Change the World

Dorothy Faidman & Tony Levelle
Producing With Passion is about applying your entire being to making a difference with your life and your life's work by gathering a team around you to create media miracles. In this inspiring book award winning documentary filmmaker Dorothy Fadiman provides an essential insight into her craft. Softcover, 266 pp. $27.95.


Documentary Film: A Very Short IntroductionDocumentary Film: A Very Short Introduction

Patricia Aufderheide
In this concise, crisply written guide, Patricia Aufderheide takes readers along the diverse paths of documentary film history and charts the lively, often fierce debates among filmmakers and scholars about the best ways to represent reality and to tell the truths worth telling. Softcover, 158 pp. $9.95.


The Mad Hot Adventures of an Unlikely Documentary FilmmakerThe Mad Hot Adventures of an Unlikely Documentary Filmmaker

Amy Sewell
Meet Amy Sewell, a former stay-at-home mother of twins with no filmmaking experience, who fell in love with a story about ballroom-dancing kids. She went on to make and sell one of the most successful documentaries of all time. In this engaging and insightful book, Sewell, the writer and producer of Mad Hot Ballroom takes readers through the process. Informed by charming personal anecdotes and her infectious enthusiasm and energy, this book is an essential and inspiring guide to filmmaking from someone who burst onto the scene, made her own rules, and survived to tell the tale. Softcover, 173 pp. $16.50.


100 British Documentaries: BFI Screen Guides100 British Documentaries: BFI Screen Guides

Patrick Russell
100 British Documentaries provides an accessible and occasionally provocative introduction to a rich and surprisingly varied tradition, by considering 100 examples from a century's worth of cinema. Patrick Russell's insightful essays on the 100 films place them in context, discuss the ways in which they represent their subject matter, and consider how they portray Britain during a century of great social and political change. Softcover, 270 pp. $26.95.


The Shut Up and Shoot Documentary GuideThe Shut Up and Shoot Documentary Guide

Anthony Q. Artis
This book is for people who are done talking about the films they want to make and are ready to shut up and shoot! It's an ultra-user-friendly reference guide to basic documentary production, from from the technical specifics of camerawork, lighting, and sound, to the practical intangibles of hustling up a crew, conducting interviews, and stealth shooting. While it's documentary specific, most of the advice and techniques apply equally to event video or narrative projects. In full colour and heavily illustrated with 500 pictures, this book doesn't tell you, it shows you. Softcover, 269 pp. $35.95.


Making Documentary Films and Videos Making Documentary Films and Videos

Second Edition
Barry Hampe
This new edition of Making Documentary Films and Videos fully updates the popular guidebook that has given readers around the world the knowledge and confidence to produce their first documentary film. It traces two main approaches -- recording behavior and re-creating past events -- and shows you how to be successful at each. Softcover, 438 pp. $23.00.


Writing, Directing, and Producing Documentary Films and VideosWriting, Directing, and Producing Documentary Films and Videos

Fourth Edition
Alan Rosenthal
This updated edition of Alan Rosenthal's original text contains a variety of new aspects that include illustrations, a revised chapter on nonlinear editing, more examples of precise and exacting proposals, and the addition of a complex budget example with explanation of the budgeting process. Softcover, 418 pp. $41.00.


Dziga Vertov: Defining Documentary FilmDziga Vertov: Defining Documentary Film

Jeremy Hicks
Pioneer of political documentary and inventor of cinema verite, Dziga Vertov has exerted a decisive influence on directors from Eisenstein to Godard. Yet his reputation long rested upon a lone masterpiece, Man with a Movie Camera. This book reveals him to be an auteur, allowing readers to combine the familiar and less familiar aspects of his filmmaking and thinking in a cohesive narrative. Softcove, 194 pp. $33.95.


The Documentary Film Makers HandbookThe Documentary Film Makers Handbook

Genevieve Jolliffe & Andrew Zinnes
The Documentary Film Makers Handbook contains over 110 interviews with top doc industry professionals. We have asked them the questions that you NEED the answers to. EVERY aspect of documentary filmmaking is covered, such as: finding your subject, exploring the various doc genres (from political to nature to IMAX), budgeting, fundraising, broadcasters (including HBO, MTV, National Geographic and Discovery), ethics, interview techniques, archival footage, censorship, organizations, crew, docu-dramas, production and post, film festivals and distribution (traditional, grass roots and new media), survival AND a global perspective that explores documentary filmmaking around the world. Written by Genevieve Jolliffe and Andrew Zinnes, The Documentary Film Makers Handbook pulls no punches and is THE ultimate guide to making your doc! Softcover, 560 pp. $43.95.


New DocumentaryNew Documentary
Second Edition
Stella Bruzzi
New Documentary provides a contemporary look at documentary and fresh and challenging ways of theorising the non-fiction film. As engaging as the original, this second edition features thorough updates to the existing chapters, as well as a brand new chapter on contemporary cinema release documentaries. Bruzzi shows how theories of documentary filmmaking can be applied to contemporary texts and genres, and discusses the relationship between recent, innovative examples of the genre and the more established canon of documentary. Softcover, 275 pp. $37.95.


Making Real-Life Videos
Making Real-Life Videos

Matthew Williams
Whether you are a teacher or a parent, technologically savvy or technologically challenged, Making Real-Life Videos provides step-by-step instructions on how to create exciting, personal documentaries. A learning tool for your students or your family, this accessible guide offers an overview of documentary filmmaking, basic production concepts and processes, and the skills that lead to successful real-life videos. Softcover, $26.95.

The Search for Reality: The Art of DocumentaryThe Search for Reality: The Art of Documentary
Edited by Michael Tobias
This ambitious new book from internationally acclaimed author, producer, and director Michael Tobias brings together the voices of renowned documentary filmmakers from around the world as they probe one of the most widely followed, urgent, and fascinating of art forms -- the documentary. Nearly forty original contributions from a dozen countries -- comprising directors, writers, producers, cinematographers, editors, and distributors -- explore the complexities of nonfiction filmmaking from the trenches of their profession. Softcover, 387 pp. $38.95.

Documentary in the Digital AgeDocumentary in the Digital Age
Maxine Baker
If you want to learn from leading lights in today's revolution in documentary filmmaking, Maxine Baker has written the guide you need to own. You will discover many different and innovative approaches to documentary form and style arising from the use of new digital technology. A tribute to the mavericks of creativity, inside you will find interviews and advice from ground-breaking documentary makers from the UK, USA, and Europe, as well as extensive listings of useful worldwide contacts and organizations. Any and every fan of the documentary will experience anew the passion and wonder of the factual film. Softcover, $40.95.

Documentary: The Margins of Reality Documentary: The Margins of Reality
Paul Ward
In discussing such films as Touching the Void (2003), Capturing the Friedmans (2003) and the work of Nick Broomfield, this timely introduction to the growing field of documentary explores the definition and understanding of the form, as well as the relationship between documentary and drama. Paul Ward also examines animated documentaries, the fertile meeting point of comedy and documentary modes, the ability of documentary to accurately represent historical events, and feature-length contemporary works that have achieved widespread cinematic release. Softcover, 115 pp. $28.00.


Documentary Now!Documentary Now! Contemporary Strategies in Photography, Film and the Visual Arts

Various authors
How credible and engaged are documentary photography and film these days? It is high time for a probing analysis. In Documentary Now! a group of renowned experts shed light on recent developments in the world of the documentary image in various essays. In addition, various influencial photographers and artists, including Johan Grimonprez, Walid Raad and Julika Rudelius, share their views on the current role and significance of the documentary. Hardcover, 184 pp. $42.00.

The Documentary MakersThe Documentary Makers: Interviews with 15 of the Best in the Business
David A. Goldsmith
A series of "in-their-own-words" interviews with 15 directors whose work has, in some way, extended the boundary of the documentary. Their opinions vary: some will work only on film, while others have embraced the latest in digital video technology; some question, even abhor, the use of commentary, others wouldn't dream of doing without it; some work by the rules of cinema verite, while others employ stylization and dramatization. These 15 conversations constitute only a tiny proportion of those working in the field, but they represent the state of the documentary around the world. Hardcover, 176 pp. $57.95.

The Direct Cinema of David and Albert MayslesThe Direct Cinema of David and Albert Maysles
Jonathan B. Vogels
The Maysles brothers' particular style, which they called "direct cinema," helped usher in a new, more probing and realistic form of documentary. They are mentioned in many historical surveys of documentary film, but this book is the first full-length treatment of their career. In The Direct Cinema of David and Albert Maysles, Jonathan B. Vogels provides a critical assessment of the complete Maysles catalog, while shedding light on the issues of direct cinema as a whole, and underscoring the technical and aesthetic achievements of their unique body of work. Hardcover, 219 pp. $74.50.

John Grierson: Trailblazer of Documentary Film John Grierson: Trailblazer of Documentary Film
Gary Evans
By the time that John Grierson was appointed the first Commissioner of the NFB in 1939, he was already as esteemed scholar and seasoned filmmaker with a rich catalogue of life experiences. In the years that followed, Grierson would go on to make a significant contribution to documentary filmmaking, the study of mass media, and Canadian culture as a whole. This terrific biography brings to life Grierson's exciting personality and remarkable achievements. Softcover, 187 pp. $15.95.


One Man's DocumentaryOne Man's Documentary

Graham McInnis
Graham McInnis was one of many talented young people recruited by the charismatic John Grierson to build the National Film Board of Canada during the heady days of WWII. McInnis's memoir of these "days of high excitement" is an insider's look at the NFM from 1939 to 1945, a vivid "orgin" story of Canada's emerging world-class film studio that provides the NFB with the kind of full-bodied vitality usually associated with the great Hollywood studios in their golden years. Softcover, 233 pp. $24.95.


Directing the DocumentaryDirecting the Documentary
Fourth Edition
Michael Rabiger
Directing the Documentary
is the definitive and comprehensive book on the form, offering timeless principles that will improve your work. Ideal for documentary courses as well as aspiring and current directors, Directing the Documentary covers all phases of preproduction and production. The emphasis is on hands-on work and to that end, dozens of projects, exercises, and idea-provoking questionaires are included. Topics include everything from researching and honing a documentary idea to maintining control through shooting. Softcover, 627 pp. $74.95.

Japanese Documentary FilmJapanese Documentary Film
The Meiji Era Through Hiroshima
Abe Mark Nornes
This is the first-ever English-language study of the subject, an enlightening close look at the first fifty years of documentary film theory and practice in Japan. Author Abe Mark Nornes draws on a wide variety of archival sources to chart shifts in documentary style against developments in the history of modern Japan. Softcover, 258 pp. $29.95.

Autobiographical Documentary in AmericaAutobiographical Documentary in America
Jim Lane
In this unique perspective on documentary filmmaking, Jim Lane looks at the ways in which autobiographical documentaries -- Roger & Me, Sherman's March, and Silverlake Life, to name a few -- raise weighty questions about American cultural life. Softcover, 246 pp. $44.95.

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Last modified February 28, 2011.
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