Documentary Storytelling, Second Edition

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 v�rit� 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

"Brilliant and effective...Documentary Storytelling guides readers through nearly every phase of creating a documentary: structuring, working up a proposal, and, of course, shooting and editing" - Backstage

"Sheila Curran Bernard's ability to dissect a wide range of narrative apporaches and explore the elements that make dramatic stories so compelling make this guide invaluable for documentary filmmakers as well as anyone who uses information and evidence to portray real events." -Dr. Pennee Bender, Media Director, Center for Media and Learning, City University of New York, The Graduate Center.

"With all the buzz over blockbuster docs, Focal Press serves up a perfectly timed winner in a much-neglected area. True to the nature of the beast, the book is more about filmmaking as a whole, and how and where storytelling weaves into the overall process".-Bruce Mckenna, Canadian Screenwriter (Writers Guild of Canada)

"Bernard is keenly aware of the power of persuasive images, and her insistence on complexity and integrity is a consistant theme throughout the book."- Alyssa Worsham, The Independent (Association of Independent Video and Filmmakers)

"With the availability of high-quality affordable cameras and editing equipment, documentary filmmakers today enjoy a freedom in shaping their films that their counterparts a decade ago could't have imaged. As the new aesthetic is shaped, Sheila Curran Bernard's brilliant and effective Documentary Storytelling, Second Edition: Making Stronger and More Dramatic Nonfiction films aims to guide the Erroll Morrises of tomorrow with great advice and practical knowledge that every documentatian would benefit from."-Backstage March 22, 2007