Documentary for the Small Screen / Edition 1

by Paul Kriwaczek

Overview

Film and video have grown to be as significant in our time as books, newspapers and magazines. Documentary film-making is fast becoming as important and useful a skill as the ability to write well. Like writing, it can be learned by anyone.

Film and video have grown to be as significant in our time as books, newspapers and magazines. Documentary film-making is fast becoming as important and useful a skill as the ability to write well. Like writing, it can be learned by anyone.

Documentary for the small screen is both for those who are new to documentary film-making but want to know how to create productions of a professional standard, as well as for those already working in the medium who wish to improve their skills by taking a closer look at the way they carry out their tasks. It is written in a logical, straightforward way, the first half taking the reader through an analysis of what documentary actually is, to constructing it through developing the story and assembling the appropriate building-blocks. In the second part, the pre-production stages of preparing proposals, costings and outlines, and researching the subject are all carefully examined, as are production planning and the shoot, followed by the post-production stages involved in editing and reviewing the completed film.

Paul Kriwaczek is an award winning documentary maker who has a wealth of experience to pass on, having worked for many years at BBC Television where he wrote, directed and produced documentary, drama, music and science programmes.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780240514727
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	10/08/1997
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	256
Product dimensions:	7.44(w) x 9.69(h) x (d)

Table of Contents

Preface; Introduction; Part 1 The Nature of Television Documentary: Introduction; What is a television documentary?; How do we start; Telling the story; Part 2 Constructing a television documentary; The building blocks; The tools; The lens; The microphone; The frame; The shot; The sequence; Part 3 Producing a Television Documentary; The proposal; Costing a production; Outline, treatment, script; Research; Production planning; The shoot; Editing; The review.

Editorial Reviews

Shows how to create professional film and video documentaries, for those who are new to documentary filmmaking as well as those already working in the medium. Part I defines documentary and walks through story development. Part II covers constructing a television documentary, explains the use of tools such as lenses and microphones, and tells how to communicate through the frame, the shot, and the sequence. Part II examines the pre-production stages of proposals, costing, outlining, and research, details production planning and the shoot, and examines post-production stages of editing and reviewing the completed film. Includes b&w diagrams. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.

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