Documentary Storytelling: Making Stronger and More Dramatic Nonfiction Films

by Sheila Curran Bernard

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.

* Storytelling techniques are one of the most powerful tools in the documentary filmmaker's arsenal--learn how to harness them with this book
* Top documentary filmmakers provide their storytelling strategies
* Covers a wide range of documentary styles

Genres: Film, Nonfiction, Writing, Communication

400 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2007

About the author

Bernard, Sheila Curran (alphabetized under B)

Emmy and Peabody Award-winning filmmaker, author, and educator, with expertise in nonfiction narrative. Most recent book, "Bring Judgment Day: Reclaiming Lead Belly's Truths from Jim Crow's Lies” (Cambridge University Press, July 2024).

Previous books include "Documentary Storytelling: Creative Nonfiction on Screen," now in its 5th edition (2022) and available in seven languages; and, with Kenn Rabin, "Archival Storytelling: Finding, Using, and Licensing Third-Party Visuals and Music," now in its 2nd edition (2020).

Films include "Slavery by Another Name" and the series "I'll Make Me a World: A Century of African American Arts" and "Eyes on the Prize II: America at the Racial Crossroads," all broadcast nationally on PBS.

Reviews

[Marit · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this to get pointers for my own non-director-self and the book does lay out the entire process of documentary making. She has a lot of anecdotes to illustrate key points but sometimes, I would have appreciated just bullet-style take-home messages. Overall good but not a novel or interesting read.

[Starbubbles · Rating 3 out of 5]

this one was really dumbed down, and much of it still did not make much sense when it came to the technical stuff. i just don't get resolution and framespeed, and all that jazz. not bernard's fault, she really tried. i gave up reading this one too, which was okay i guess since just about everything covered in the bookswas also covered in class.

i recommend this book to anyone who is just starting out and needs to grapple the basics quickly. i needed to, and what i did read helped a little. i'm just hopless when it comes to this stuff

[Luvmegumi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read the first part of the book (before the interviews) in an entire plane sitting. Was hoping for a bit more insight and depth into theories on storytelling but perhaps I will get more of what I'm looking for from the section of interviews with filmmakers.

[Renee Abbot · Rating 4 out of 5]

extremely helpful

[Mbsweeney5693]

I am reading it while taking a doc. film class. It makes some good points.

[Brian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interview with Ric Burns on historical documentary filmmaking is essential reading for the production of 10.

[Ika Karunia Purnamasari · Rating 4 out of 5]

so helpful! for newbie like me :D