Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

Documentary films have enjoyed a huge resurgence over the last few years, and there's a new generation of filmmakers wanting to get involved. In addition, the digital revolution has made documentaries even more accessible to the general filmmaker. Documentary films can now be shot professionally using cheaper equipment, and smaller cameras enable the documentarian to be less intrusive and therefore more intimate in the subjects' lives. With an increasing number of documentaries making it to the big screen (and enjoying ongoing sales on DVD), the time is right for an information-packed handbook that will guide new filmmakers towards potential artistic and commercial success.

The Documentary Film Makers Handbook features incisive and helpful interviews with dozens of industry professionals, on subjects as diverse as interview techniques, the NBC News Archive, music rights, setting up your own company, the Film Arts Foundation, pitching your proposal, the Sundance Documentary Fund, the Documentary Channel, the British Film Council, camera hire, filmmaking ethics, working with kids, editing your documentary, and DVD distribution.

The book also includes in-depth case studies of some of the most successful and acclaimed documentary films of recent years, including Mad Hot Ballroom, Born Into Brothels, Touching the Void, Beneath the Veil,and Amandla!

The Documentary Film Makers Handbook will be an essential resource for anyone who wants to know more about breaking into this exciting field.

Table of contents provided by Syndetics

• The Editor
• The Music Composer
• The Sound Mixer
• Chapter Eleven Film Festivals & Markets
• Full Frame Film Festival
• IDFA
• Docs for Sale
• Jan Vrijman Fund
• IDFA Forum
• Silverdocs
• Sundance
• The Producer's Rep
• The Publicist
• Designing Your Website
• Chapter Twelve Sales & Distribution
• The Sales Agent
• The Distributor
• DVD Distribution
• Education Distribution
• Indie Theater
• Museum Distribution
• Google Video
• Outfoxed: DIY Distribution
• Alternative Distribution
• Mediarights.org
• Chapter Thirteen The Long View
• The Detective
• Listen Up!
• Queen of the Doc
• Seek Truth
• Actual Reality
• Chapter Fourteen Case Studies
• Mad Hot Ballroom
• Rock School
• Why We Fight
• After Innocence
• Romantico
• Mardi Gras: Made in China
• Control Room
• Born Into Brothels
• Genghis Blues
• Shape of the Moon
• The Education of Shelby Knox
• The Untold Story of Emmett Louis Till
• Waves of Revolution to War and Peace
• March of the Penguins
• Trembling Before G-d
• 3 Rooms of Melancholia
• La Sierra

Reviews provided by Syndetics

CHOICE Review

In libraries that serve documentary filmmakers, this resource by filmmaker Jolliffe and her husband/writing partner Zinnes will need to be chained down in the reference section. Jolliffe previously coauthored The Guerilla Film Makers Handbook (3rd ed., 2005). This new guide is organized in an unusual manner. The first of two parts, "Expert Contents," consists of 14 sections such as "Training," "Legal," "Writing," "Funding ..." "Broadcasters," "Film Festivals/Markets," and "Case Studies." Each section contains 2-25 personal interviews with experts in the pertinent field. The interviews are done in question-and-answer format and get quickly to the heart of each issue. The second part, "Tips Contents," consists of shaded boxes filled with lists, charts, and other critical information embedded in each of the interviews. Page numbers for "Tips" are under the same chapter heading as in the "Expert Contents" sections. These tips range from a list of funding organizations, to information on working with animals and children, to "What to do if you're arrested or questioned by the police." This handbook is packed with information that documentary filmmakers (especially beginners) need. Although some printing and proofreading errors are evident, the overall value of this treasure trove of advice and guidance far overshadows these problems. ^BSumming Up: Essential. All levels. R. E. Sutton emeritus, American University