Praise for Archival Storytelling, 1st edition
"The excellent new resource, Archival Storytelling, is really two books in one: a detailed how-to guide for filmmakers on the process of researching, acquiring, and clearing rights to archival materials; and a deeper exploration of the implications, ethical and creative, of using these materials to tell new stories."
—Grace Lile, American Archivist (The Society of American Archivists)
"Kenn Rabin and Sheila Curran Bernard have written an important book, one that will serve as the definitive text on archive-based filmmaking for years to come…I have been working with film and video archives for over twenty years, and I understand the hunger for this information in the production communities. This book delivers the information, but also reinforces why the archive-based program, done right, is a critical part of our cultural conversation.
— Matthew White, Filmmaker
"This book is a great resource because it surveys the entire landscape from ethical/creative considerations to fair use to changes in the digital age, and the focus is always on the importance of telling stories."
— Ingrid Kopp, Shooting People
"I am often asked how to work with archival materials. Now I have an easy answer: Get a copy of Archival Storytelling and read it. Everything’s there — how to use archival materials, acquire them, and most of all, how to think about them. Archival Storytelling is indispensable."
— David Grubin, Filmmaker
"This is it, the book that will save you thousands of dollars and untold hours of frustration. It will be the single best purchase your production company will make. Archival Storytelling clearly explains the entire process of researching, acquiring and licensing archival footage and music. Included are time-tested tips and techniques for efficiently managing the work flow and negotiating rights."
— Ann Petrone, Archival Supervisor
"One of the best — and most needed — texts I have seen in a while. The challenge is to keep what is a fairly technical aspect of filmmaking interesting without compromising the quality and depth of information. The authors have done an exceptional job in this regard… There is the strong sense of being in the presence of experienced filmmakers and researchers who accept that while there are standard practices, archival use and intellectual property laws, etc. are contingent fields in which each case must be assessed and dealt with on its merits."
— Bruce Sheridan, Chair, Film & Video
Department, Columbia College
"I’ve been making historical documentaries for many years, yet I learned new things from this book. This is the definitive guide for archival research for documentary filmmakers. An invaluable resource."
— Mark Jonathan Harris, Filmmaker and Distinguished Professor,
School of Cinematic Arts, University of Southern California
Praise for Bernard’s Documentary Storytelling
"An extremely useful book for those who want to know more about how to make a documentary film is Sheila Curran Bernard's comprehensive Documentary Storytelling: Creative Nonfiction on Screen… It stresses the use of narrative techniques in documentary production, provides examples of treatments, and includes interviews with a number of important filmmakers."
— Bill Nichols, Introduction to Documentary, 3rd ed.
With the availability of high-quality affordable cameras and editing equipment, documentary filmmakers today enjoy a freedom in shaping their films that their counterparts a decade ago couldn’t have imagined. As the new aesthetic is shaped, Sheila Curran Bernard’s brilliant and effective Documentary Storytelling … aims to guide the Errol Morrises of tomorrow with great advice and practical knowledge that every documentarian would benefit from.
— BackStage
With all the buzz over blockbuster docs, Focal Press serves up a perfectly timed winner in a much-neglected area. True to the nature of the beast, the book is more about filmmaking as a whole, and how and where storytelling weaves into the overall process. It succeeds in covering every aspect without belabouring any. Not only does Bernard write from the viewpoint of an award-winning filmmaker (she’s a writer, director, and producer), but the last 100 pages include extensive interviews with a wide range of acclaimed documentarians.
— Canadian Screenwriter (Writers Guild of Canada)
[A] pragmatic exploration of the role of narrative in nonfiction filmmaking . . . In writing this volume Bernard demonstrates to documentarians how story can be more effectively incorporated into every level of nonfiction filmmaking from conception to development and pre-production, in the field and in the editing room. Her discussions incorporate many examples from contemporary documentaries to illustrate a variety of salient points.
— Documentary (International Documentary Association)
While documentaries are nonfiction, they are certainly not objective, and even the smallest choices in writing, filming, interviewing, narrating, or scoring can drastically alter the perspective of the film, and in turn, the audience. Bernard is keenly aware of the power of persuasive images, and her insistence on complexity and integrity is a consistent theme throughout the book.
— The Independent (Association of Independent Video and Filmmakers)
