Creative documentary: theory and practice

What does it mean to be a documentary filmmaker in today's world? How are new technologies changing documentary filmmaking? What new forms of documentary are emerging? Recent technological developments have made the making and distribution of documentary films easier and more widespread than ever before. Creative Documentary: Theory and Practice is an innovative and essential guide that comprehensively embraces these changing contexts and provides you with the ideas, methods, and critical understanding to support successful documentary making. It helps the aspiring 'total filmmaker' understand the contemporary contexts for production, equipping you also with the understanding of creativity and visual storytelling you'll need to excel. Bridging the gap between theory and practice, it outlines the contemporary, institutional, practical and financial contexts for production - always encouraging innovation and originality. Key features: Five sections covering creativity and creative documentary and the contemporary creative industries: strategies for developing documentary ideas; the art of documentary narrative; digital production methods; new documentary forms; distribution and financing. Provides a comprehensive overview of critical thought and techniques in digital documentary filmmaking. Authors and specialist contributors combine the experience, knowledge and skills of academics and media professionals working in the industry. Practical case studies support analysis and reflection. Exercises, checklists, interviews with professionals and further reading materials accompany each chapter. A historical overview of world documentary. Creative Documentary: Theory and Practice is an essential guide for those engaged in the study and practice of documentary theory and making, as well as key reading for those more broadly interested in video, film and media theory and production.

Originalår: 2012

Index ; bibliogr. ; filmogr.

Introduction Part 1: The creative documentary 1. What is creativity? Wilma de Jong 2. The creative documentary Wilma de Jong 3. The creative industries and documentary Wilma de Jong 4. Passionate business: entrepreneurship and the documentary filmmaker Wilma de Jong Part 2: Development strategies 5. Developing ideas Jerry Rothwell 6. From idea to pitch Jerry Rothwell 7. Budgets and schedules Jerry Rothwell Part 3: Narrative strategies 8. The nature of stories and narratives Erik Knudsen 9. Life does not tell stories: structuring devices in documentary filmmaking Wilma de Jong 10. The classic narrative Erik Knudsen 11. The transcendental narrative Erik Knudsen 12. Cinematic codes Erik Knudsen 13. New media, new documentary forms Mary Agnes Krell Part 4: Production strategies 14. A good waltz or a nasty tango: individual qualities of the 'total' filmmaker and teamwork Wilma de Jong 15. Producing Jerry Rothwell 16. Directing Erik Knudsen 17. Camera and cinematography Erik Knudsen 18. Interview strategies Jerry Rothwell 19. The uses and abuses of archive footage Toby Haggith 20. Zen and the art of documentary editing Wilma de Jong 21. Being there: the creative use of location and post-production sound in documentaries Jean Martin Part 5: Distribution strategies 22. Online, portable and convergence environments Erik Knudsen 23. Delivery and compliance Jerry Rothwell Bibliography Appendix Documentary filmmaking: a historical overview