In 1895, when two French brothers produced a 46‐second film entitled Workers Leaving the Lumière Factory in Lyon, they created not only the first motion picture but also the first documentary. Since 1922, when Nanook of the North, Robert Flaherty's now classic full‐length feature detailing the lives of Canadian Arctic Inuits was released, the documentary as a film genre has developed into a popular and commercially successful form of human expression.
As a technique and style of non‐fiction narrative that records reality in sound and images, documentary film production requires both creative and technical skills. This introductory handbook, intended for students as well as new independent filmmakers, looks specifically at common elements and issues encountered by those making or writing about the genre. While each individual work may be unique, such practical problems as budgets, schedules, film structure, editing and use of special effects are common ones that every new documentarian must resolve on his or her way to a finished product. Likewise, viewers of documentary films can benefit from an understanding of the basic elements of this art form. The author, a media instructor at Rowan University in New Jersey and a documentary filmmaker himself, provides in this volume a step‐by‐step guide for doing so.
According to Eckhardt, every documentary contains some or all of what he sees as twelve basic features. These include story structure and segments, an opening and title, transitions, storytellers or narrators, sound, movement, camera shooting style, pace, graphics, montages, research, and tone. These components form the lens through which the merits of a documentary can then be conceptualized, viewed, and interpreted and evaluated. Organized into three sections, the book considers each of the twelve basic elements while taking the reader from preproduction design, research and writing through choosing the right equipment and finding storytellers to postproduction and editing.
Issues of ethics, fair use and the law, as well as practical suggestions for identifying funding sources and distribution outlets, are also considered. A final chapter, based on interviews with four award‐winning documentary filmmakers, presents personal takes on the cultural significance of the genre, briefly exploring the ways documentary films may represent, remember, imagine and find meaning. Chapters include references to numerous documentary titles, most produced between 2000‐2010 that illustrate the author's main points and form an excellent recommended viewing list. The bibliography contains citations for favourite books, films, and websites covering the spectrum from history of the genre to teaching resources.
The book provides a good introduction to the basic elements of documentary filmmaking. Like a good documentary, a good handbook should also have a story to tell. In this case, a somewhat disjointed approach to presentation of material can at times be confusing for readers who know little or nothing about the topic.
