Documentary Storytelling, 2nd Edition

Preface to the Second Edition

Documentaries are many things to many people, often simultaneously. They are a form of self expression, like novels, songs, or paintings. They are a form of journalism, independent and unmediated. They are tools for bridging the divide between cultures or exposing the harsh realities of a volatile world. They inspire, motivate, educate, exacerbate, and entertain. Documentaries reflect all that is great, challenging, disturbing, and humorous about the human condition. But first, they must reach an audience. Within these pages, you’ll find strategies for accomplishing this through storytelling, the crafting of a unique narrative that conveys not only the film’s subject but also its themes and authorship, and does so ...