Documentaries in Journalism: Books on Documentaries

This handbook was inspired by the distinctive concerns of anthropologists and others who film people in the field. The authors cover the practical, technical, and theoretical aspects of filming, from fundraising to exhibition, in lucid detail.

For nearly two decades, Documentary Storytelling has reached filmmakers and filmgoers worldwide with its focus on the key ingredient for success in the global documentary marketplace: storytelling. The book is filled with practical advice for writers, producers, directors, editors, cinematographers, and others that seek to reach audiences, raise awareness, address social issues, illuminate the human condition, and even entertain.

In the Blink of an Eye is celebrated film editor Walter Murch's vivid, multifaceted, thought-provoking essay on film editing.

A definitive book on the form, offering time-tested principles to help you master the craft and in-depth lessons and insider perspectives on every aspect of preproduction, production, and postproduction.

The second edition of this classic work on documentary films and filmmaking surveys the history of the genre from 1895 to the 1990s.

Documentary films are often celebrated with aural metaphors: they give "voice" to the "voiceless" and ask the public to "listen." But when did listening become synonymous with social justice? How exactly do documentaries train audiences to listen when they ask them to right historic wrongs or hold power to account? The Documentary Audit challenges the association of listening with accountability and charts oppositional modes of listening otherwise.

In this concise, crisply written guide, Patricia Aufderheide takes readers along the diverse paths of documentary 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. Beginning with an overview of the central issues of documentary filmmaking—its definitions and purposes, its forms and founders—Aufderheide then focuses on several of its key subgenres.

A skills-oriented, step-by-step guide to creating documentary films, from the initial idea phase to distribution.

The classic guide to making documentaries, covering all the steps from concept to completion. It traces two main approaches: recording behavior and re-creating past events.

Tracing the history of the documentary, this book addresses topics such as how documentary film language works, the problems of the soundtrack, first-person film-making, and more. Chanan argues that, without documentary, the public sphere is unable to function.

An guide for solo video storytellers. Based on interviews with award-winning professionals sharing their unique experiences and knowledge, Videojournalism covers topics such as crafting and editing eye-catching short stories, recording high-quality sound, and understanding the laws and ethics of filming in public and private places.