Writing, Directing, and Producing Documentary Films and Digital Videos

438 Pages·2015·6.64 MB·English

by  Alan Rosenthal

Writing, Directing, and Producing
Documentary Films and
Digital Videos
A L A N R O S E N T H A L and
N E D E C H A R D T
FIFTH EDITION
Writing, Directing, and Producing
Documentary Films and
Digital Videos

Copyright © 1990, 1996, 2002, 2007, 2016 by Alan Rosenthal
All rights reserved. First edition 1990
Fifth edition 2016
Printed in the United States of America
19 18 17 16 4 3 2 1
Cover illustration © iStock.com/allensima
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Rosenthal, Alan, [date]
Writing, directing, and producing documentary films and digital videos /
Alan Rosenthal, Ned Eckhardt. — Fifth edition.
pages cm
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-8093-3458-2 (paperback)
ISBN 0-8093-3458-5 (paperback)
ISBN 978-0-8093-3459-9 (e-book)
1. Documentary films—Production and direction. 2. Documentary films—
Authorship. I. Eckhardt, Ned, 1940– II. Title.
PN1995.9.D6R65 2015
070.1'8—dc23 2015014944
Printed on recycled paper.
The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of
American National Standard for Information Sciences—Permanence of
Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI Z39.48-1992.
To my wife, Tirtza, for her continuing support and inspiration
A. R.

To my wife, Didi, who continues to be the love of my life
N. E.

Contents
Preface to the Fifth Edition ix
Preface to the First Edition xiii
1. Introduction 1
Part One. From Idea to First Draft
2. Clearing the Decks 7
3. Getting to Work 17
4. Writing the Proposal 30
5. Research 60
6. Shaping the Film 69
7. Beginning the First Draft 84
8. Completing the First Draft 99
Part Two. Preproduction
9. Budget and Contract 119
10. Preproduction Survey 151
Part Three. Production
11. The Director Prepares 169
12. Directing the Interview 182
13. On Location 197
Part Four. Postproduction
14. Editing 209
15. Writing the Final Narration 228
16. Finishing the Film 265
Part Five. Special Cases
17. Making Your First Film 273
18. Cinema Verité 279
19. Documentary Drama 291
vii
viii Contents
20. The History Documentary 311
21. Family Films 327
22. Industrial and Public Relations Films 345
23. Staying Alive:
The Producer’s Role, the Web, and Social Media 360
24. Conclusion: Problems and Challenges 379
Appendixes
A: Using the Web and Social Media to Prepare for Your
Career 389
B: Select Websites 395
Select Bibliography 399
Index 403

Galleries begin on pages 145 and 259
Preface to the Fifth Edition
I have always distrusted how-to books, whether they are about sex or about
making a million. The authors of such texts seem to me a bit presumptu-
ous in trying to teach you things seemingly best learned by experience.
And as in love and business, so in film. Documentary is learned by
doing, by trial and error. So this is not a book that tells you dogmatically
how to go from A to B to C. Instead it’s meant to be a companion to you
along the way, offering hints and suggestions by someone who’s traveled
the path many times. The hope of the companion is to show you some of
the pitfalls and problems of documentary and help you find good solu-
tions to the difficult but fascinating task of filmmaking.
In essence the aim of this book is to provide something that is today
needed more than ever—a one-stop-shopping book that explains in a
simple and entertaining way both the technical and the creative sides of
documentary filmmaking in the current scene.
Again, as in the first edition, the emphasis in the book is on what to say
and how to say it and how to do both of these things extremely well. This
is a book about the art and technique of visual storytelling—how to tell, in
the most effective visual way, great and moving stories about fascinating
people (both heroes and villains) and events that have changed history
for better or worse. As I very much believe that examples can help you,
I’ve referenced over one hundred films, from Nanook of the North to 20
Feet from Stardom, as examples of compelling and creative storytelling.
Looking back, I am amazed to discover this is the fifth edition of
Writing, Directing, and Producing Documentary Films and Digital Vid-
eos. I can’t quite believe that. Why, only a scant few years ago, I pushed
away my word processor after completing the fourth edition. “Great,” I
thought. “Now I can rest, since my words of wisdom will be good for at
least a decade.” Well, I was wrong once again.
New equipment, new approaches, new filming methods, the expan-
sion of web possibilities and digital video, and so on have all forced me
to reconsider how one approaches documentary film and video making
today. The fruits of that thinking underpin this new edition.
ix