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This is a definitive, accessible, and practical textbook that charts the course of creating a documentary, from concept to screening, breaking down filmmaking into its component pieces.
This book, inspired by workshop and classroom settings, focuses on process. It frees readers from the weight of technical jargon that may overwhelm first-time filmmakers. It assists readers in pulling together the necessary information required to apply for funding, find collaborators, and ultimately create a film. The book itself is a user-friendly toolkit designed for both students and beginning filmmakers, complete with exercises, interviews with filmmakers, and checklists to keep burgeoning filmmakers on track with their projects. Ease of use is aided by a symbol system that allows the reader to select information that's most relevant to the scope and context of their project. Actionable instructions and exercises are designed to keep the reader progressing as they usher an idea into a reality.
This book is a guiding companion for those who are new to making documentaries and will seamlessly fit into a semester-length learning scheme or longer-term projects.
List of contents
Introduction
Chapter 1: The Discovery Phase
Chapter 2: Building the Launch Pad
Chapter 3: Integrity as Guide
Chapter 4: On Set
Chapter 5: Sourced and Additional Materials
Chapter 6: Revisions: Responding to Obstacles and Embracing Change
Chapter 7: Putting it Together
Chapter 8: Now Playing
Chapter 9: Before You Go Big
Chapter 10: Talking the Talk: A Documentarian's Guide to Terminology
Appendix
About the author
Julie Casper Roth is an Associate Professor at CT State-Norwalk and an Emmy nominated, award-winning filmmaker whose work has been shown on PBS, at film festivals, and in venues around the world. She's a two-time Sundance Screenwriters Lab finalist and has won grant and fellowship awards from the New York Foundation for the Arts, New York State Council on the Arts, and the College Art Association. Casper Roth has taught documentary filmmaking at Skidmore College, the University at Albany, and in community workshops.
