The Art of Nonfiction Movie Making - by Jeffrey Friedman & Rob Epstein & Sharon Wood (Hardcover)

About the Book

The past few years have featured such blockbusters as Super-Size Me, Fahrenheit 9/11, Sicko, March of the Penguins, and An Inconvenient Truth. And as news articles proclaim a new era in the history of documentary films, more and more new directors are making their first film a nonfiction one. But in addition to posing all of the usual challenges inherent to more standard filmmaking, documentaries also present unique problems that need to be understood from the outset. Where does the idea come from? How do you raise the money? How much money do you need? What visual style is best suited to the story? What are the legal issues involved? And how can a film reach that all-important milestone and find a willing distributor? Epstein, Friedman, and Wood tackle all of these important questions with examples and anecdotes from their own careers. The result is an informative and entertaining guide for those just starting out, and an enlightening read for anyone interested in a behind-the-scenes look at this newly reinvigorated field of film.

Book Synopsis

The past few years have featured such blockbusters as Super-Size Me, Fahrenheit 9/11, Sicko, March of the Penguins, and An Inconvenient Truth. And as news articles proclaim a new era in the history of documentary films, more and more new directors are making their first film a nonfiction one. But in addition to posing all of the usual challenges inherent to more standard filmmaking, documentaries also present unique problems that need to be understood from the outset. Where does the idea come from? How do you raise the money? How much money do you need? What visual style is best suited to the story? What are the legal issues involved? And how can a film reach that all-important milestone and find a willing distributor? Epstein, Friedman, and Wood tackle all of these important questions with examples and anecdotes from their own careers. The result is an informative and entertaining guide for those just starting out, and an enlightening read for anyone interested in a behind-the-scenes look at this newly reinvigorated field of film.

Review Quotes

"Great filmmakers don't necessarily make for great authors or teachers of their craft, but in the case of The Art of Nonfiction Movie Making, Jeffrey Friedman, Robert Epstein and Sharon Wood manage to bring all their expertise as award-winning filmmakers and weave it, seamlessly, into this excellent and practical guide to documentary-making. . . . By the book's conclusion, you will feel as though you have experienced all the ups and downs in this complex process of moviemaking right alongside some of the best in the business." --documentary.org

About the Author

Jeffrey Friedman and Robert Epstein are filmmakers and cofounders of Telling Pictures Inc.

Sharon Wood has served as writer on three Oscar-nominated documentaries and written and produced many others.