Documentary Storytelling: Making Stronger and More Dramatic Nonfiction Films » (2nd Edition)

Sheila Curran Bernard is an Emmy and Peabody Award-winning filmmaker and the author of Documentary Storytelling, a best selling guide to story and structure in nonfiction filmmaking. Her archival film credits include the series Eyes on the Prize, I’ll Make Me a World, This Far By Faith, America’s War on Poverty, and School, for which she also co-wrote the companion book.

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

PART 1: STORY DESIGN; Story Basics; Documentary Storytelling; Approach; Structure; Manipulating Time; Case Studies; PART 2: IDEAS TO TREATMENTS; Research; Casting; Pitching and Proposal Writing; Outlines, Treatments, and Scripts; PART 3: SHOOTING AND EDITING; Shooting; Editing; Writing Narration and Voice-Over; Storytelling: A Checklist; PART 4: CONVERSATIONS ABOUT STORY; Steven Ascher and Jeanne Jordan; Victoria Bruce and Karin Hayes; Ric Burns; Jon Else; Nicholas Fraser; Susan Froemke; Sam Pollard; Kenn Rabin; Per Saari; Onyekachi Wambu; PART 5: ADDITIONAL MATERIAL