Looking for a good online documentary course and/or book:
 

Hello,

Can any one recommend a good online course on how to make documentaries?

I don't have any time or money to go to a film school but online seems doable.

Also if there are any "must" books to have on making documentaries and video production in general I would appreciate any suggestions.

Thanks,

Simon

Hi Simon,

here's a selection; check'em out at your nearest bookstore
or see if you can browse'em online:

- Genevieve Jolliffe & Andrew Zinnes,
The Documentary Filmmakers Handbook;
- Barry Hampe,
Making Documentary Films and Reality Videos;
- Maxine Baker,
Documentary in the Digital Age;
- Alan Rosenthal,
Writing, Directing and Producing Documentary Films and Videos;
- Michael Rabiger,
Directing the Documentary

Best

Vasco

Hi Vasco,

thanks for the list.

I will check them out.

Have a great weekend!

Simon

Trisha Das
 

I can really recommend this: How to Write a Documentary Script. There's a link to it on this page: Screenwriting for Film

Thanks Peter. I will check it out.

I like that is FREE too.

;)

Simon

- Sheila Curran Bernard
Documentary Storytelling For Video and Filmmakers

Also check out this website for inspiration:

Capturing Reality: The Art of Documentary

Interactive website of a great documentary about documentary. Interviews with all big documentary makers which you can watch for free online. They also arranged it in way similair to shooting a documentary. Very well done. Over 4-hours of interviews.

Good stuff Floris. Some nice gems there. Thanks.

I found the "Shut UP and Shoot Documentary Guide" by Anthony Artis to be helpful to me, just starting out in the business.

Vasco u r da MAN!

I ordered that book from Amazon.com saturday.

The best way too learn is to go out and shoot, fail and learn from the mistakes. But that Shut UP guide is getting so many rave reviews that I want to add it to my bookshelf.

I'm shooting my first real documentary now and I read a few books before I started.

Getting up to speed quickly on tech aspects: "Shut up and Shoot" by Artis worked well for me.

As far as the organizing, writing, storytelling: "Making Documentary Films and Videos" by Hampe

The Hampe book was a very good book and an easy read and talks about every aspect of the process of making documentaries and touches on the tech without getting into tech details like the Artis book.

I read others but those were the two I felt were most helpful.

I recently finished the Shut up and Shoot guide and I can highly recommend it to everyone. Lots of practical information and full of high resolution color pictures of sets, equipment and common situations. A+

Book:
 

Great!

Sounds very good. I will check it out soon.

Thanks for the tip.

Simon