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Resource Guide for Documentary Filmmakers

This is a curated list of the best resources for documentary filmmakers. It has evolved since I first created it as a handout for my Documentary Video Bootcamp workshop students at MassArt on January 11, 2009. I appreciate the contributions from readers, colleagues, and students over the years, thank you!  If there’s a resource not listed you think should be included, or something has changed that I should know about, please contact me. — David Tamés

This guide was most recently updated on April 10, 2022.

Online Groups

  • The D-Word is the home of 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 the Business, Creative, Social, and Technical discussion sections of the site. The D-Word has become the leading online community for over 2,000 documentary professionals from around the world
  • 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, this LinkedIn group is for people who produce, direct, write, edit, or shoot documentary-style visual storytelling
  • Documentary Filmmaking – Peace Ecology Solidarity, the goal of this Facebook group is to connect and facilitate cooperation between socially engaged documentary filmmakers

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Organizations

  • International Documentary Association (IDA) promotes documentary filmmakers, provides Fiscal Sponsorship, distributes the Pare Lorentz Documentary Fund, and publishes Documentary magazine. They also run Docs Rock, a two-semester program that introduces high school students to the world of documentary filmmaking, and Doc U, a series of hands-on educational seminars and workshops for aspiring and experienced documentary filmmakers.
  • Filmmakers Collaborative (FC) is a membership organization providing fiscal sponsorship, and professional development events, and runs the annual Boston International Kids Film Festival. Members include a diverse community of talented filmmakers from award-winning PBS documentarians to first-time producers and directors.
  • Center for Independent Documentary (CID) was founded to collaborate with independent producers to create films and videos on issues of contemporary social and cultural concern.
  • Documentary Educational Resources (DER) provides fiscal sponsorship and is also a respected distributor of sociological and anthropological films originally founded by John Kennedy Marshall and Timothy Asch.
  • Women Make Movies was founded to address the underrepresentation and misrepresentation of women in the media, they are a non-profit media arts organization facilitating the production, promotion, distribution, and exhibition of films by and about women.
  • Greenhouse runs a development program for documentary filmmakers from the Middle East and North Africa that nurtures a diverse and sustainable community of young documentary filmmakers, helping them develop the necessary skills to create powerful films that advance a more just, democratic, and peaceful region.
  • Black Public Media supports the development of visionary content creators and distributes stories about the global Black experience to inspire a more equitable and inclusive future.
  • American Documentary (AmDoc) strives to make essential documentaries accessible as a catalyst for public discourse and collaborates with passionate filmmakers to amplify their voices, and nurture the nonfiction community
  • Center for Social Media & Social Impact (CMSI), based at American University’s School of Communication, is a creative innovation lab and research center that creates, studies, and showcases media for equity, social change, and social justice. Focusing on independent, documentary, and entertainment media, the Center bridges boundaries between scholars, producers, and communication practitioners across media industries, social justice, public policy, and public engagement.
  • International Documentary Association (IDA) supports the work of documentary storytellers and champions a thriving and inclusive documentary culture with production and development grants, year-round programming, the IDA Documentary Awards, a Documentary magazine, and more.
  • The National Association of Latino Independent Producers (NALIP) is a national membership organization that addresses the professional needs of Latino/Latina independent producers.
  • The Center for Asian American Media(CAAM) is dedicated to presenting stories that convey the richness and diversity of Asian American experiences to the broadest audience possible.
  • University Film & Video Association (UFVA) is an international organization where media production and writing meet history, theory, and criticism. UFVA members are makers and artists, teachers and students, archivists and distributors, college departments, libraries, and manufacturers. UFVA holds an annual conference and publishes the Journal of Film and Video, a periodical featuring articles on media production, history, theory, aesthetics, and criticism. UFVA is one of the premier U.S. academic organizations dedicated to the study of media.
  • Broadcast Education Association (BEA) is an international academic media organization with publications, an annual convention, web-based programs, and regional activities that provide opportunities for juried production competition and presentation of current scholarly research related to aspects of the electronic media.
  • Bay Area Video Coalition is the premier media arts organization that provides a broad range of programming and services to media makers in the San Francisco bay area and beyond and is deeply rooted in the community video movement and the democratization of video as a means of expression
  • Sundance Institute offers a wide range of support services for independent filmmakers
  • One World Media is a UK-registered charity in London that is committed to excellence in media coverage of the wider world. Services include A Fellowship that supports the next generation of international correspondents and documentary filmmakers; Awards celebrating the best media coverage of the developing world; Workshops that teach specialized skills for international reporting, either through established university media courses or directly to early-career international correspondents; and Events bringing together decision-makers to debate pressing editorial issues, as well as creating opportunities for new talent to meet these decision-makers.

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Consultants

  • Peter Broderick through Paradigm Consulting enables filmmakers to (in his words) “explore forbidden realms, avoid dangerous pitfalls and predators, and discover uncharted new frontiers,” in other words, deal with the rough seas of impact producing (formerly known as outreach) and distribution.
  • Morrie Warshawski provides fundraising consulting, workshops, and has written extensively on the topic of fundraising, his site includes an extensive fundraising bibliography
  • Documentary Educational Resources provides documentary filmmakers with fundraising, production, impact, and distribution consulting
  • Fernanda Rossi, the Documentary Doctor, provides story structure consulting and conducts awesome workshops

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Websites and Blogs

  • POV Documentary Blog provides conversation and debate around current documentaries, interviews with documentary filmmakers, sneak peeks of docs-in-progress, and articles related to documentary films
  • Self-Reliant Film by Paul Harrill is a wonderful resource for documentary makers working on their own
  • No Film School is a good source of information, especially in terms of gear, software, and cinematic techniques
  • Documentary Site is an online resource for documentaries, a nice balance of material of interest to academics, students, and fans of documentary films, Heather McIntosh has done a terrific job putting this together, a top ten resource!
  • i-Docs is a research network exploring interactive and immersive documentaries, here you will find access to the latest research in the field, both practice-based and theoretical i-Docs also hosts events and symposia
  • Kino-Eye.com which you are currently visiting is also recommended :-)

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Publications

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Funding

  • Filmmaker Resources from American Documentary (AmDoc) lists U.S. and international funders of documentary projects
  • Foundation Center provides a comprehensive directory of private philanthropic and grant-making institutions
  • Latino Public Broadcasting supports the development, production, acquisition and distribution of public media content that is representative of Latino people, or addresses issues of interest to Latino Americans.
  • Center for Asian American Media (CAAM) offers a range of innovative funding and talent development initiatives in hopes of engaging a wider scope of creators and a more diverse audience
  • New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA) provides an extensive directory of awards, services, and publications for artists, they also publish NYFA Quarterly (news for artists and all those who support them) and NYFA Current (the magazine for artists)
  • Independent Television Service (ITVS) supports a range of innovative projects
  • LEF New England has a focus on New England documentary with their Moving Image Fund
  • Massachusetts Cultural Council, funding categories include Film & Video, for more information refer to the Discipline Definitions and the most recent program guidelines on their website
  • Creative Capital Foundation Film Video & Visual Arts Grant
  • The Fledgling Fund considers requests for creative media projects in two funding cycles each year
  • Chicken & Egg Pictures is a hybrid film fund and non-profit production company dedicated to supporting women filmmakers who are passionate about social justice, environmental, and human rights issues and exploring them on film
  • Catapult Film Fund provides early development funding to documentary filmmakers who have a compelling story to tell, they support a broad spectrum of issues and perspectives
  • Guidestar gathers and publicizes information about nonprofit organizations

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Fundraising Platforms

  • Kickstarter has managed to help many media makers raise the funds they need to complete their projects and has proven to be effective for many documentary filmmakers
  • Indie GoGo is a popular funding platform for creative, cause-related, or entrepreneurial fundraising campaigns which operates in a manner different from Kickstarter
  • Patreon allows your fans to become active participants in the work they love by offering them a monthly membership.

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Copyright, Fair Use, and Licensing

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Markets

  • Sheffield DocFest Marketplace is a major funding, sales, and distribution platform of match-made meetings for collaborations and to unlock the UK and international market opportunities
  • Sunny Side of the Docs is an annual documentary market organized by hundreds of buyers representing television stations and other buyers
  • Docs for Sale parallels the International Documentary Film Festival in Amsterdam
  • The Doc Shop documentary market runs concurrently with the Hot Docs Festival

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Film Festivals

Documentary Film Distributors

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Classes, Workshops, and Programs

  • The UnionDocs Collaborative Studio (CoLAB) is a 9-month program for a select group of media artists from the US and abroad based in Williamsburg, Brooklyn
  • Maine Media Workshops and College offers a range of workshops taught by professional media makers in Rockport, Maine
  • Docs In Progress offers a range of adult education programs focused on documentary filmmaking in the Washington DC-area
  • Kartemquin films run a variety of filmmaker development programs in Chicago
  • SheridanWorks offers a variety of documentary workshops in the Boston area taught by practicing documentarians

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Academic Programs

While it is possible to study documentary in many undergraduate or graduate programs, the following programs have a specific focus on documentary and stand out as exemplary programs given the quality of their faculty and the track record of their alumni:

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Archival and Stock Footage Sources

  • The Internet Archive provides access to an extensive collection of historical footage in digital form, much of which is in the public domain or licensed via a Creative Commons license
  • Storyblocks provides downloads of stock video clips
  • Artlist provides downloads of stock video clips
  • Pond5 provides downloads of stock video clips
  • Getty Images was the first company to license footage online, they offer a wide range of stock footage and music along with an extensive collection of historical images and footage. While their footage fees are quite expensive, be aware the actual licensing fees you pay for your specific project are negotiable
  • Documentary Educational Resources has an archive of ethnographic films covering cultures and societies around the world including the Smithsonian’s Human Studies Film Archive

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Music Sources

  • OBT Music was created by Tom Phillips and Tom Martin, two Boston-based film composers who work on major network films broadcast worldwide that have won Emmys, Peabodys, and film festivals awards. By having been composed for actual films, the cues available from OBT Music evoke the visual and emotional imagery filmmakers are looking for far better than most other music libraries. The site has a good search engine that speeds up the process of finding the right cue for a scene. Cues may be licensed individually or with an annual license.
  • Musicbed is a curated roster of “label-quality” music for filmmakers.
  • PremiumBeat offers a vast library of royalty-free music for filmmakers.

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Books — Producing, Directing, Lensing, and Editing

If you decide to purchase any of the books listed below, 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.

  • Visual Storytelling: The Digital Video Documentary by Nancy Kalow (eBook, Center for Documentary Studies at Duke University, 2011) is an engaging and concise introduction to documentary storytelling with an emphasis on working solo or with minimal crew, one of the best guides to take with you through your first documentary project.
  • Filmmaking for Fieldwork: A practical handbook by Andy Lawrence (Manchester University Press, 2020) is designed for anthropological and sociological researchers seeking to extend their practice at the intersection of documentary filmmaking and ethnography. Provides accessible coverage of camerawork, sound recording, and editing that can be applied to a wide range of forms including observational, participatory, reflexive, and immersive documentaries. An excellent follow-up to Kalow’s book.
  • Documentary Editing: Principles & Practice by Jacob Bricca (Routledge, 2017) provides straightforward guidance for editing your documentary from organizing your materials to building select reels to the fine cut and final export. The book is full of insights and examples from a variety of documentary editors. I had the pleasure of meeting Jacob Bricca at the UFVA conference where he offered a detailed critique of my work-in-progress documentary, and I can’t imagine a better advisor, and this book reflects his many years of editing experience carefully curated and transformed into a book. This makes a perfect follow-up to Lawrence’s book.
  • Directing the Documentary by Michael Rabiger (6th edition, Routledge, 2014) is the book to get if you are seeking a comprehensive guide to documentary practice covering every step of the process in detail. This has become the definitive textbook on the topic, suitable for a two-semester course sequence. Rabiger provides a good balance between aesthetics, ethics, practical, and technical issues.
  • Documentary Storytelling by Sheila Bernard (5th edition, Routledge, 2022) provides an accessible introduction to documentaries with a focus on story and structure. It is critical to master the fundamentals of fundraising, producing, directing, shooting, editing, distribution, and outreach, however, in the end, it’s the story you tell, and how you tell it, that will engage your audience. Bernard discusses story research, planning, editing, narration, voiceover, etc. but what makes the book special is the case studies and interviews with filmmakers.
  • Archival Storytelling: A Filmmaker’s Guide to Finding, Using, and Licensing Third-Party Visuals and Music by Sheila Bernard and Kenn Rabin (2nd edition, Routledge, 2020) provides a guide covering essential topics, regardless of whether you’re making a film that relies exclusively on archival materials or simply incorporates some archival images in your documentary. The book presents important topics like researching archival materials, copyright, acquiring and clearing rights, etc. Bernard and Rabin present valuable insights on historical, creative, and ethical issues and help you better understand the meaning of intellectual property, public domain, fair use, and orphan works. Also included are conversations with industry experts including Lawrence Lessig, Patricia Aufderheide, Rick Prelinger, and quite a few others.
  • The Shut Up and Shoot Documentary Guide: A Down & Dirty DV Production by Anthony Q. Artis (2nd edition, Routledge, 2014) is an accessible introduction to documentary production techniques. Artis goes beyond technical fundamentals of camera, lighting, and sound to share practical tips on a range of issues including how to behave yourself in surroundings in which you’re not a native, how to work with your crew, how to interact with interview subjects, keeping your budget under control, etc. The writing is clear and to the point and accompanied by lots of visuals. If you’re into no-frills production, much of what Artis talks about is also applicable to narrative filmmakers, however, the focus is clearly on documentary production. Highly recommended for all beginners as well as experienced documentary filmmakers who have not been involved in the technical side of the craft and are contemplating a move into small-crew production. The camera section is a tad dated, but the rest of the book is still a gem and it’s still the best non-nonsense introduction to the topic.

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Books — Business, Legal, and Fundraising

If you decide to purchase any of the books listed below, 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.

  • The Pocket Lawyer for Filmmakers, Second Edition: A Legal Toolkit for Independent Producers by Thomas Crowell (2nd edition, Focal Press, 2011) covers in plain language the wide range of legal topics that every filmmaker embarking on a serious project needs to be aware of including contracts, releases, NDAs, copyright, trademarks, labor law, product placement, film tax credits, creating a production company, distribution, safeguarding your concept, and more. While some of the discussion is focused on the concerns of independent narrative filmmakers, most of the topics overlap with the concerns of documentary filmmakers. While this book should never be considered a substitute for seeking the guidance of an experienced entertainment attorney (every documentary is different and involves a unique set of circumstances), it will help you understand the legal issues related to filmmaking and make your conversations with your own attorney more productive. There are lots of legal problems you could encounter along the way of making your film and it’s easier and cheaper to avoid most of them in the first place, which is why this book is essential.
  • Reclaiming Fair Use: How to Put Balance Back in Copyright by Patricia Aufderheide and Peter Jaszi (2nd edition, University of Chicago Press, 2018) is an important book you need to read if you are incorporating copyrighted works in your film. Fair use is widely misunderstood and the interpretation of the law varies among professionals. Aufderheide and Jaszi offer guidance based on sound practices related to fair use of materials.
  • Clearance & Copyright: Everything You Need to Know for Film and Television by Michael Donaldson (3rd Edition, Silman-James Press, 2008) is a very readable guide providing essential advice on almost every conceivable rights issue you may encounter: from the initial acquisition of material through the rights situations that arise in pre-production, production, post-production, release, and distribution.
  • Dealmaking in the Film & Television Industry: From Negotiations Through Final Contracts by Mark Litwak (4th edition Silman-James Press, 2017) is a valuable resource for producers covering most of the business agreements you will need along with advice to avoid many common pitfalls. Like the previous book, this is not a substitute for the guidance of an experienced entertainment attorney who can help you navigate the specific circumstances of your project.
  • Shaking the Money Tree: The Art of Getting Grants and Donations for Film and Video Projects by Morrie Warshawski (3rd edition, Michael Wiese Productions, 2010) demystifies the art of fundraising for independent media projects for students, emerging media makers, and seasoned professionals alike.
  • The Fundraising Houseparty: How to Party with a Purpose and Raise Money for Your Cause by Morrie Warshawski (2nd edition,  Morrie Warshawski, 2007) provides practical guidance for securing donations from people for a variety of projects, including individual media art projects based on Warshawski’s many years of experience helping individuals and organizations raise the money they need.

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YouTube Channels

The following channels on YouTube provide good tutorials on how to get things done. There are a lot of channels out there, but these are the better ones I’ve come across:

  • Darren Mostyn is a professional colorist in the UK who generously shares his deep knowledge of DaVinci Resolve on this channel. Mostyn has 25 years of experience in the broadcast industry and has color-graded projects for BBC, ABC (Australia), Turner (USA), TV2 (Norway), NHK (Japan), N24 (Germany) and many others. When I decided to color grade my feature-length documentary on my own, I relied on the training materials from Blackmagic Design and Darren Mostyn’s tutorials to figure out how to get done what I needed to do.
  • Indy Mogul has been creating videos for independent filmmakers since 2007, they stopped posting videos about a year ago, however, their back catalog is impressive. Most recently the show was hosted by Ted Sim and Dave Maze who take their viewers through every aspect of filmmaking, gear, and skills you need to get your work done, and the videos are entertaining to boot.

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If there’s a resource not listed here you think should be included, or something has changed that I should know about, please contact me. This list has evolved and grown since I started it thanks to contributions from my readers, thank you! — David Tamés

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