( 6 reviews )
-
Posted: Jul 13 2009
As I said...it's extremely helpful for beginner like me. It contains ideas of documentary filmmaking, documentary narratives, examples. I get the information and idea about documentary filmmaking as much as the beginner like me want.
-
( 1 of 1 found this review helpful ) Posted: May 6 2007
In short, this book is a profoundly useful tool to help you develop your film's narrative structure (even if you don't think you need help in that department, you might be surprised by the useful tips and strategies offered here); it is worth it for that alone. The fact that it also offers in-depth advice on writing effective scripts, proposals, treatments, etc. make it impossible to resist. Clear, concise, and intelligent writing offering real-world examples from wildly diverse filmmaking approaches. In response to the reader who says the author loves Michael Moore - I disagree. Moore is used a few times as an example but I'm guessing that's because she's guessing most people are familiar with his work. She uses him as a negative example, as well, describing how Roger & Me manipulated the chronology of events it "documented" in a way that was misleading and disingenuous.
-
( 5 of 5 found this review helpful ) Posted: Mar 24 2006
This book was great for me as I am very new to documentary filmmaking. It was methodical but without being boring and Ms. Bernard has a very clear and deep understanding of what makes documentaries work and not work. Her experience shows throughout and having actual documentaries as reference points was tremendously helpful. I recommend this book.
