Writing, Directing, and Producing Documentary Films

by Alan Rosenthal

"For me, working in documentary implies a commitment that one wants to change the world for the better. That says it all."―Alan Rosenthal An international documentary filmmaker with more than 60 films to his credit including the Peabody Award winner " Out of the Ashes ," Rosenthal has written the first book to address the realities facing a documentary filmmaker. Rather than dealing with theory or hardware, this book tackles the day-to-day problems of the documentary filmmaker from initial concept through distribution. Rosenthal explains in a down-to-earth manner how to approach, create, write, and direct the "new" documentary He emphasizes the research and writing of documentaries, from approach and structure through interviewing, narration writing, and the complexities of editing. The organization of the book follows the process of making a film. Part 1 discusses ideas, research, and script structure; parts 2 and 3 go over preproduction and production; part 4 explores film editing and narration writing; part 5 discusses distinctive film styles; and the concluding chapter offers a perspective on the entire filmmaking process.

Genres: Film, Writing, Nonfiction, Professional Development

264 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1990

Reviews

[Yegan d · Rating 3 out of 5]

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.

[Charlotte Mcevoy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book, helped me get some background info on documentaries before I started my uni course next week

[Belal Khan · Rating 4 out of 5]

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.

[Zack · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bland, but it covers a lot of ground.