Making Documentary Films and Videos: A Practical Guide to Planning, Filming, and Editing Documentaries

Barry Hampe

Macmillan, Dec 10, 2007 - Performing Arts - 440 pages

The classic guide to making documentaries, now revised and expanded for today's filmmaker

The second edition of Making Documentary Films and Videos fully updates the popular guidebook that has given readers around the world the knowledge and confidence to produce their first documentary film. It traces two main approaches—recording behavior and re-creating past events—and shows you how to be successful at each. Covering all the steps from concept to completion, with chapters on visual evidence; documentary ethics; writing for documentaries; budgeting; assembling a crew; film and sound recording; casting and directing actors and nonactors; and editing for the audience, this book can help you successfully bring to life the documentary you want to make.
The second edition includes
• a discussion of truth, "reality," and honesty in the current
filmmaking environment
• new advice on how to get started in documentary filmmaking
• an expanded section on researching and writing the proposal,
treatment, and script
• an exhaustive list of resources

"Practical planning advice, the importance of documentary ethics, budgeting and putting together a crew." - The Guardian

Contents

• What Is a Documentary?: 10
• A Little History or How Things Got This Way: 28
• Documenting Behavior: 57
• Documenting an Event with the Outcome Unknown: 75
• WHAT WILL YOU SHOW? 68: 89
• Broll as Illustration Metaphor and Visual Wallpaper: 106
• Well What About Reality?: 123
• Documentary Ethics: 144
• WRITING A DOCUMENTARY: 161
• Proposal and Treatment: 187
• The Script: 200
• FILMING A DOCUMENTARY: 217
• Filming: 236
• Recording Sound: 252
• Directing: 256
• Selecting and Directing Actors: 278
• Conducting an Interview: 293
• Working on Location: 309
• Editing a Documentary: 324
• Finishing the Production: 341
• FINAL THOUGHTS: 347
• Getting There: 349
• Feedback: 357
• Useful Organizations and Websites: 358
• The Documentary Crew: 362
• Equipment: 373
• Budgeting: 380
• Treatment for Travels of a TShirt: 390
• Treatment for A Young Child Is: 399
• U S S Perry Script Treatment: 404
• U S S Perry Script for Act One: 408
• Bibliography: 419
• Filmography: 421
• Index: 427

About the author

Barry Hampe, author of Making Documentary Films and Reality Videos, is a writer-director and film/video teacher who has made more than 150 documentaries and information videos. He has also owned production companies in Philadelphia, Honolulu, and Las Vegas.

Bibliographic information

• Title: Making Documentary Films and Videos: A Practical Guide to Planning, Filming, and Editing Documentaries; A Holt paperback
• Author: Barry Hampe
• Edition: revised
• Publisher: Macmillan, 2007
• ISBN: 080508181X, 9780805081817
• Length: 440 pages
• Subjects: Performing Arts / Film / Direction & Production; Performing Arts / Film / Genres / Documentary; Performing Arts / Film / Reference