How Documentaries Work breaks down the hidden conventions of documentaries in clear and accessible language for film students and documentary enthusiasts alike. Jacob Bricca, ACE, an award-winning documentary director, producer, and editor, provides a behind-the-scenes, under-the-hood view of what's really going on in the construction of nonfiction films and television shows. This book presents examples from contemporary documentaries and docuseries and delivers insights from some of the most exciting nonfiction filmmakers and craftspeople working today, including director Steve James (City So Real, Hoop Dreams), producer Amy Ziering (Allen v. Farrow, The Hunting Ground), editor Aaron Wickenden, ACE (Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain, 20 Feet from Stardom), and composer Miriam Cutler (RBG, Lost in La Mancha). Chapters such as "Flow," "Narrative," and "Time" offer a new way of looking at documentary film language, while others like "Titles," "Music," and "Sound" delive
extraordinary insights on seemingly ordinary topics. A compact volume written in plain, easy-to-understand language, this book promises to change the way you think about nonfiction films and television shows forever.
Author(s): Jacob Bricca
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Year: 2023
Language: English
Pages: 229
City: New York
Cover
How Documentaries Work
Copyright
Contents
Introduction: Deconstructing the Documentary
1. Raw Materials
Verité
Interviews
Archival
Reenactments and Animation
Voice-over Narration
Title Cards
2. Meaning
Creating Meaning within the Interview Frame
Creating Visual Uniformity with Interviews
Creating Meaning with Objects in the Frame
Creating Meaning with Words
Interview-as-Narration
Creating Meaning with Verité
Open versus Closed Meanings
3. Narrative
The Setup
Position
The Crisis Moment
Producing the Narrative Turn
Producing the Narrative Turn with Juxtaposition
Micronarratives
Callbacks
Non-narrative Documentaries
4. Presence Framing
Observational Framing
The Semi-staged Scene
The Participatory Frame
Narration and the Participatory Frame
Voice-of-God Narration
Altering the Outcome
The Reflexive Frame
5. Flow
Unifying with Sound
Pivots and Pauses
Juxtaposition
Collective Memory
6. Time
The Experience of Time in Verité
The Interleaving of Scenes
Use of the Present Tense
7. Titles
Naming Characters
Conferring Legitimacy
Look and Feel
Subtitles
8. Archival Material
Archival Treatments
Manipulation of Documents and Newspaper Assets
Historical Shorthand
9. Sound
Sweetening
Foley
Time and Space
Framing Presence with Sound: The Cave and For Sama
10. Music
Fear of Music
Film versus Television
Verité versus Expository, Interviews versus Archival
Tone
Procedural Music
Conclusion: The Brave New World of Hybridity in Documentary
Acknowledgments
Appendix: Films and Television Shows Cited
Interviews with Author
Index
