What do you think?
Rate this book
Writing, Directing, and Producing Documentary Films and Videos
As Alan Rosenthal states in the preface to this new edition of his acclaimed resource for filmmakers, Writing, Directing, and Producing Documentary Films and Videos is “a book about storytelling—how to tell great and moving stories about fascinating people, whether they be villains or heroes.”
In response to the technological advances of the last six years and the demands of cable TV stations like Discovery and A&E, Alan Rosenthal reconsiders how one approaches documentary filmmaking in the twenty-first century. Foregoing theory and hardware, Rosenthal tackles the day-to-day problems from initial concept through distribution, emphasizing the research and writing approach.
He offers examples of interviewing, narration writing, and the complexities of editing. Simply and clearly, Rosenthal explains how to write, direct, and produce the documentary, whether film or video. New aspects of this third edition include nonlinear editing techniques, a complex budget example and its analysis, plus a chapter on “Staying Alive,” which details how European and U.S. stations approach documentary and how the Internet can help filmmakers find new markets. A new chapter has been added to address the growing genre of family films.
In response to the technological advances of the last six years and the demands of cable TV stations like Discovery and A&E, Alan Rosenthal reconsiders how one approaches documentary filmmaking in the twenty-first century. Foregoing theory and hardware, Rosenthal tackles the day-to-day problems from initial concept through distribution, emphasizing the research and writing approach.
He offers examples of interviewing, narration writing, and the complexities of editing. Simply and clearly, Rosenthal explains how to write, direct, and produce the documentary, whether film or video. New aspects of this third edition include nonlinear editing techniques, a complex budget example and its analysis, plus a chapter on “Staying Alive,” which details how European and U.S. stations approach documentary and how the Internet can help filmmakers find new markets. A new chapter has been added to address the growing genre of family films.
416 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1990
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
February 9, 2023
راستش نه خيلي خوب بود نه خيلي بد.
ميتونم بگم خيلي قديمي بود! يه سري نكته ي واقعا لازم داشت كه خوشحالم خوندمشون( نمی گم از قبل نمیدونستم اما شابد تذکر دوباره اش بد نبود!) اما به غيراز اون تکراری بود و واقعا قدیمی.
ميتونم بگم خيلي قديمي بود! يه سري نكته ي واقعا لازم داشت كه خوشحالم خوندمشون( نمی گم از قبل نمیدونستم اما شابد تذکر دوباره اش بد نبود!) اما به غيراز اون تکراری بود و واقعا قدیمی.
August 21, 2024
I liked this book, helped me get some background info on documentaries before I started my uni course next week
July 18, 2013
This was part of the required reading when I took a film finance course in college. Great overview of the process of putting together a proposal, budget, and planning to get grant funding for your documentary film.
September 3, 2012
Bland, but it covers a lot of ground.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews