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Resources for Documentary Filmmakers


 Here is a constantly evolving list of resources for documentary filmmakers. If there’s a resource not listed you think I should add to this list, please contact me. If you decide to purchase any of the books listed, please use the links on this page, they will take you to Amazon and a small commission will go to kino-eye.com to help defray the cost of hosting and updating this site. This list is somewhat slanted towards the Boston area, since that’s where I live, however, there are plenty of links of general or national interest.

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Recommended Books

  • Directing the Documentary, by Michael Rabiger
    provides an excellent guide to making documentaries covering every step of the process in magnificent detail, the definitive textbook on the topic. The new 5th edition reflects significant reorganization into part one covering fundamentals and part two covering advanced topics. This book provides an excellent balance between aesthetics, ethics, and practical issues. My only gripe is the book layout, which spreads the text over many more pages than necessary, making this a much heavier tome than it need be.
  • Shut Up and Shoot Documentary Guide, by Anthony Artis
    provides a solid nuts and bolts approach to making documentary films with lots of good technical tips, a good first book with an an emphasis on getting things done
  • For more books on related topics, check out the Cinematic Storytelling Bibliography and the Digital Filmmaking Bibliography on this site.

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Discussion Lists and Online Groups

  • The D-Word, hosts discussions about the art, craft, business, and social impact of documentary film. Public Topics are open to all, professionals can become Members of The D-Word and access a wide range of ongoing discussions in our Business, Creative, Social, and Technical Topics. The D-Word has become the leading online community for more than 2,000 documentary professionals from around the world.
  • Doculink, a community for documentary filmmakers who share information, leads, ideas, and a commitment to support each other’s growth, consists of an active email list, a website with detailed information and resources, and meetings in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Vancouver, BC and occasionally in New York.
  • Filmmakers Workshop Ning Group, a group hosted by the Center for Independent Documentary in conjunction with their Filmmakers Workshop series in Boston
  • DVinfo.net, is a good discussion board for technical information, the site was founded by Chris Hurd with a “real names, real information” philosophy.
  • Documentarians Group on LinkedIn, relatively new, let’s see where this goes

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Support Organizations Providing Fiscal Sponsorship

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Consultants

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Web Sites and Blogs

  • The Documentary Site, Heather McIntosh has done a terrific job putting together an online resource for documentary, a nice balance of academic and practical, of interest to both students and fans of documentary, check it out!
  • Self-Reliant Film, by Paul Harrill
  • Cinema Tech This blog by Scott Kirsner focuses on how new technologies are changing cinema – the way movies get made, discovered, marketed, distributed, shown, and seen. (With occasional forays into other parts of the entertainment economy). A good read.
  • Kino-Eye.com (you are here!)

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New Technologies and Self-Distribution Resources

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Associations, Organizations, and Centers

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Classes and Workshops

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Publications

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Funding Sources

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Copyright, Fair Use, and Licensing

  • Fair Use & Copyright Articles (Center for Social Media, includes links to “Documentary Filmmakers’ Statement of Best Practices in Fair Use” and “Code of Best Practices in Fair Use for Online Video” as well as a variety of excellent articles dealing with copyright issues)
  • Creative Commons (a licensing scheme that makes it possible to share media without losing specific rights)

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Conferences

  • Making Media Now, an annual conference that takes place in the Boston area, hosted by Filmmakers Collaborative
  • Making Your Media Matter, an annual conference that takes place in the Washington, D.C. area, hosted by the Center for Social Media at American University

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Markets

  • Sunny Side of the Docs, an annual documentary market organized around 350 buyers representing more than 130 television stations
  • Docs for Sale, parallels the International Documentary Film Festival in Amsterdam
  • The Doc Shop, the documentary market running concurrently with the Hot Docs Festival
  • Independent Film Week, the IFP market, not exclusively documentary like the first three on the list

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Documentary Film Distributors

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Networking Events in the Boston Area

  • Filmmakers Workshop events run by Center for Independent Documentary, offers Boston area independent media artists a non-competitive, supportive community to strengthen their work
  • Connect The Docs (monthly gathering in Boston of documentary filmmaking professionals)
  • Boston Media Makers (an interesting and diverse group of attendees every month, has a social media, informal media, new media slant)

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