Nov
23
Making Documentary Films and Reality Videos: A Practical Guide to Planning, Filming, and Editing Documentaries of Real Events
Filed Under (Tips) by admin on 23-11-2009
From School Library Journal
YA?A comprehensive and well-written introduction for aspiring filmmakers. Every aspect of production is covered, from conceptualizing an idea to seeking distributors for the final product. Technical aspects of video and film equipment are touched upon, but are not covered to such a degree that they become laborious. For instance, the subject of lighting, which could easily be a book unto itself, is addressed in a few pages. A filmography of classic doc…
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In this book, Barry Hampe provides great advice, helpful concepts, and breaks down the documentary process into digestable servings. The book is divided into four sections: 1. An introduction to the concepts and guidelines of the Documentary genre 2. Preproduction 3. Production 4. Postproduction. Barry Hampe fills in the pages with experience, knowledge, and writes in a manner combining the ideas he discusses with pithy examples and stories which he uses to drive his points home. The book has a generous layout, placing information thoughtfully and easily into the reader. Included in the book is a wonderful filmography (including refrence info on where to find and order the documentaries listed), a well rounded bibliography, and even directions to join the International Documentary Association. I used this book as my introduction to documentary production, because though it is based on Hampe’s work specifically with behavioral documentary, the information is easily transferable to any documentary/reality video project. The book stresses concepts in creating a form of reality through visual medium, called verisimilitude, and Barry Hampe demonstrates very carefully the indepth process in which an audience recieves the final cut out of what was originially a simple idea. If Barry Hampe can communicate his ideas so clearly in writing this book, I imagine his documentaries must be stunning.
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I came upon this book after making 23 drama videos for autistic teenagers. Recently we looked at producing a day-in-the-life type documentary with cutaways of professionals commenting on the activities. I honestly found this book to be a mine of information. Almost any question I found myself raising was addressed in some form in this book. Consequently structuring the doucmentary in terms of narrative, visual arrangement, verisimilitude, camera and sound has become clearer. I would have liked the chapters on the Documentary Idea and Writing the Documentary to be longer. Personally, I would have benefited more from extending the discussions here. Also the author tends to drive the book along at a fiercely anecdotal rate which is great if you can imagine yourself in the author’s shoes, but may not suit everyone’s style. Overall I found this to be a most useful manual and certainly find myself returning to it for advice. What better recommendation can I offer?