Documentary Case Studies: Behind the Scenes of the Greatest (True) Stories Ever Told

by Jeff Swimmer

Overview

Documentary students and fans revel in stories about filmmakers conquering extraordinary challenges trying to bring their work to the screen. This book brings vividly to life the sometimes humorous, sometimes excruciating-and always inspiring-stories behind the making of some of the greatest documentaries of our time. All of the filmmakers and films profiled are Oscar-nominated or Oscar-winning.

Documentary Case Studies walks readers through the fixes and missteps that today's documentary leaders worked through at all stages to create their masterworks-from development, fundraising and pre-production, through production and then post. There are plenty of "how to" documentary filmmaking books in circulation, but this book will instead deploy a personal, intimate, and candid approach to unlocking the secrets of the craft and the business by meeting filmmakers who tackle production challenges in the most resourceful and unconventional ways.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781623569433
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	12/18/2014
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	184
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.60(d)

About the Author

Jeff Swimmer is Associate Professor at Chapman University's Dodge College of Film and Media Arts in southern California, where he teaches Documentary Production and leads numerous international filmmaking programs. He is an award-winning Director and Producer of documentary films on both sides of the Atlantic. His programs have aired on BBC, PBS, NBC News, A&E, CNN, Discover, The History Channel, ARTE and others. His 2001 Northern Ireland: Dying For Peace (Supervising Producer, CNN) won a DuPont Award in Documentary.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements

Preface

Chapter 1. Food, Inc. – Director and Producer, Robert Kenner and Producer, Elise Pearlstein

Chapter 2. Man on Wire – Director, James Marsh and Producer, Simon Chinn

Chapter 3. Super Size Me – Director and Producer, Morgan Spurlock

Chapter 4. 20 Feet from Stardom – Director and Producer, Morgan Neville

Chapter 5. Spellbound – Director and Producer, Jeffrey Blitz

Chapter 6. The Act of Killing – Director and Producer, Joshua Oppenheimer

Chapter 7. GasLand – Director and Producer, Josh Fox

Chapter 8. Undefeated – Director, T.J. Martin and Director and Producer, Daniel Lindsay

Chapter 9. Restrepo – Director and Producer, Sebastian Junger

Chapter 10. Sergio – Director and Producer, Greg Barker

Chapter 11. Maya Lin: A Strong Clear Vision – Director and Producer, Frieda Lee Mock

Chapter 12. Sound and Fury – Director and Producer, Josh Aronson and Producer, Roger Weisberg

Chapter 13. Into The Arms of Strangers: Stories of the Kindertransport – Director, Mark Jonathan Harris and Producer, Deborah Oppenheimer

Conversation Points

Sources

Index

Editorial Reviews

Documentary Case Studiesis a great read for anyone who wants to seriously work in the world of non-fiction. I've had the pleasure of working with Author Jeff Swimmer, and his skill sets and knowledge of every facet of the business were earned in the field as a working journalist. 'The real deal speaks the real truth!' "
Thom Beers, Emmy Award-winning Executive Producer of Deadliest Catch, Ice Road Truckers and Storage Wars

Jeff Swimmer asked the makers of top documentaries how they persuaded people to talk on camera, where they found financing, how they decided to frame their stories. These are crucial questions and the primary sources answer them compellingly. This book is a fascinating resource for aspiring documentarians, established filmmakers, and anyone with an interest in what it takes to make a great film during this golden age of documentaries.
David Brancaccio, Host of American Public Media's Marketplace Morning Report and Co-Executive Producer of Fixing the Future: The Documentary

From the Publisher