Documentary

Documentary		100 Documentary Films Grant & Hillier BFI, 2009 $39.95pb Historically, documentary cinema has always been an important point of reference for fiction cinema, and the two have often overlapped, blurring the boundaries between them. In periods such as the 1930s and the 1960s, documentary cinema proved particularly influential. Over the last two decades it has enjoyed a revival in critical and commercial success. 100 Documentary Films is the first book to offer concise and authoritative individual critical commentaries on some of the key documentary films, representing documentary film-making from the Lumière brothers and the beginnings of cinema through to recent films such as Bowling for Columbine and When the Levees Broke.
Documentary		Australian Post-War Documentary Film: An Arc of Mirrors Deane Williams Intellect Books, 2008 $84.95hb The post-war period in Australian cultural history sparked critical debate over notions of nation-building, multiculturalism and internationalization. Australian Post-war Documentary Film tackles all these issues in a considered and wide-ranging analysis of government, institutional and also radical documentaries.
Documentary		British Documentary Film Movement 1926-1946 Paul Swann Cambridge University Press, 2008 $49.95pb The most important and internationally influential development in British cinema was the documentary film movement led by John Grierson in the 1930s and 1940s. Paul Swann's study is a political and social history of this movement, which was characterized by actuality-based films made outside the commercial industry. Based upon examinations of official government records, this book provides a fascinating picture of how Grierson manipulated the civil service bureaucracy both for his own ends and, in his view, for the good of his country.
Documentary		Claiming the Real II: Documentary, Grierson and Beyond Brian Winston 2^nd ed., BFI, 2009 $55.00 pb Claiming the Real II tells the story of the emergence, development and current state of documentary film and addresses the social, political, industrial and ethical factors that have determined documentary production, especially in the English-speaking world. John Grierson's definition of the documentary as 'the creative treatment of actuality' appears increasingly inadequate in the face of theoretical sophistication, ethical quagmires and digital's undermining of the photographic image's intrinsic claim on the real. Documentary forms are proliferating. No longer does the 'fly-on-wall' direct cinema style – creative treatment's purest form – sum up the documentary. Diverse forms such as agitprop and advocacy, animated documentary and CGI, satire, poetry and pictorialism, docusoaps, dramadocs and documusicals, excluded feminist, minority and other marginalised voices and first person documentaries, mockumentaries and rockumentaries, never mind 'reality' television – all assert their documentary status.
Documentary		Direct Cinema: Observational Documentary & the Politics of the Sixties Dave Saunders Wallflower Press, 2007 $49.95 pb Direct Cinema is the first comprehensive study of the "direct cinema" movement of 1960s America. Through the inquisitiveness of filmmakers such as Robert Drew, D.A. Pennebaker, and Frederick Wiseman& mdash;and predicated on innovations such as portable cameras and synchronized sound& mdash;direct cinema intimately documented presidential campaigns through the revelers of Woodstock and the dispossessed subjects of Wiseman's "reality fictions". This volume recovers these vastly influential yet politically underappreciated films, suggesting they represented a resurgence of America's home-grown philosophical tradition inextricably bound up in the artistic and political impulses of the 1960s. $49.95pb
Documentary		Directing the Documentary Michael Rabiger Focal Press, 5^th edition, 2009 $85.00 pb This is a comprehensive manual that has inspired over 100,000 readers worldwide. If you are interested in making documentary films, everything you need technically and conceptually is here. Filled with practical advice on every stage of production, this is the book you will return to throughout your career.
Documentary		Documentaries.... and How To Make Them Andy Glynne Kamera Books, 2008 $55.00 pb Glynne subjects the whole documentary process to scrutiny with advice on: developing your concept; funding; writing pitches and treatments; interview technique; narrative; writing commentary; dealing with ethical issues; camera technique; sound; lighting; post-production, editing and grading; marketing and distribution; film festivals; and, the history of documentary, with additional interviews with industry insiders and award-winning filmmakers who contribute their tips, tricks and advice. Included is a DVD which features documentaries discussed as case studies in the book such as the multi-award-winning LIFT (Marc Isaacs) and Boogie Woogie Daddy (Erik Bafving), plus layouts for budget spreadsheets, release forms, contracts and more...
Documentary		Documentary (Routledge Film Guidebooks) David Saunders Routledge, 2010 $42.00 pb Dave Saunders’ spirited introduction to documentary covers its history, cultural context and development, and the approaches, controversies and functions pertaining to non-fiction filmmaking. Saunders examines the many methods by which documentary conveys meaning, whilst exploring its differing societal purposes. From early, one-reel ‘actualities’ to the box-office successes of recent years, artistic complexities have been inherent to non-fiction cinema, and this Guidebook aims to make such issues clearer. After a historical consideration of international documentary production, the author examines the impact of recent technological developments on the production, distribution and viewing of non-fiction. In addition, he explores the increasingly hazy distinctions between factual and dramatic formats, discussing ‘reality television’, the ‘docu-drama’, and less orthodox approaches including animated and fantastical representations of reality.
Documentary		Documentary Storytelling Sheila Curran Bernard 2^nd ed., Focal Press, 2007 $47.95 pb 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. Filled with real-world examples drawn from the author's career and the experiences of some of today's top documentarians.
Documentary		Imagining Reality: the Faber Book of Documentary Mark Cousins & Kevin Macdonald (eds) Faber, 2007 $39.95 pb Oscar-winning documentary-maker Kevin Macdonald (One Day in September, Touching the Void) and leading broadcaster/historian Mark Cousins (The Story of Film) offer an expanded, revised edition of their 'definitive, inspirational' (The Independent) compendium on the roots and history of the documentary film. Imagining Realitycelebrates documentary as a vibrant, polemical, experimental and entertaining form, by gathering a wide-ranging collection of writings by and about such groundbreaking documentary-makers as Vertov, Flaherty, Marcel Ophuls, Chris Marker, Kieslowski, Claude Lanzmann, and Nick Broomfield.
Documentary		Rethinking Documentary: New Perspectives, New Practices Thomas Austin & Wilma de Jong (eds) Open University Press, 2008 $65.00 pb From a boom in theatrical features to footage posted on websites such as YouTube and Google Video, the early years of the 21st century have witnessed significant changes in the technological, commercial, aesthetic, political, and social dimensions of documentaries on film, television and the web. In response to these rapid developments, this book rethinks the notion of documentary, in terms of theory, practice and object/s of study. Drawing together 26 original essays from scholars and practitioners, it critically assesses ideas and constructions of documentary and, where necessary, proposes new tools and arguments with which to examine this complex and shifting terrain. Rethinking Documentary is valuable reading for scholars and students working in documentary theory and practice, film studies, and media studies.
Documentary		The Shut Up & Shoot Documentary Guide Anthony Artis Focal Press, 2007 $51.95 pb So you want to make a documentary, but think you don't have a lot of time, money, or experience? It's time to get down and dirty! Down and dirty is a filmmaking mindset. It's the mentality that forces you to be creative with your resources. It's about doing more with less. Get started NOW with this book and DVD set, a one-stop shop written by a guerrilla filmmaker, for guerrilla filmmakers. You will learn how to make your project better, faster, and cheaper. The pages are crammed with 500 full-colour pictures, tips from the pros, resources, checklists and charts, making it easy to find what you need fast.
Documentary		Taking the Long View: a Study of Longitudinal Documentary Richard Kilborn Manchester University Press, 2010 $38.95 pb Taking the Long View is a study of documentary series such as Michael Apted’s world-famous Seven Up films that set out to trace the life-journeys of individuals from their earliest schooldays till they are fully grown adults, often with children of their own. In addition to Seven Up, the book provides extended accounts of the two other best known longitudinal series to have been produced in the last three or four decades: Winifred and Barbara Junge’s The Children of Golzow and Swedish director Rainer Hartleb’s The Children of Jordbrö. ‘Long docs’ have been an especially popular form of documentary with TV and cinema audiences and the book seeks to throw light on the popular nature of their appeal.