Reviews of Documentary Storytelling
(click on the links to read the full reviews)
"...a very practically oriented book filled with hands-on advice on most aspects in the process of creating a documentary film... a very valuable book for any aspiring filmmaker or for anyone out there who is interested in story and what story can do." -- Steffen Moestrup, DOX (European Documentary Film Magazine), #96 (Winter 2012/13)
"...brilliant...teems with insight and instruction on the documentary craft, from elements of storytelling to divining the story arc of a given topic, as well as more specific script-to-screen information about documentary film production and postproducion, and finding a market for your documentary work.....Bernard grounds many of her key points in real-world examples from the finest documentaries produced in recent years... Part III is the interviews. There's all kinds of wise and thought-provoking stuff...along with great, revealing stories from documentary film production." --Stephen Nathans-Kelly, EventDV, December 1, 2010
"With the availability of high-quality affordable cameras and editing equipment, documentary filmmakers today enjoy a freedom in shaping their films that their counterparts a decade ago couldn't have imagined. As the new aesthetic is shaped, Sheila Curran Bernard's brilliant and effective Documentary Storytelling, Second Edition: Making Stronger and More Dramatic Nonfiction Films aims to guide the Errol Morrises of tomorrow with great advice and practical knowledge that every documentarian would benefit from..... the best reason to own this book is the 100-plus pages Bernard dedicates to interviews with 10 filmmakers who work in the documentary world....[T]he filmmakers' insights into the process of creating compelling nonfiction stories will inspire anyone with a yearning to make documentaries to get off their duffs and do it." - BackStage, March 22, 2007
"This is easily my favorite book on this list....Documentary Storytelling covers strategies for narrative structure at all stages of filmmaking. It offers multiple excerpts from actual scripts, treatments, and proposals. Successful filmmakers from differing positions and approaches are interviewed in the last quarter of the book offering insights and anecdotes about how to tell a successful story in the documentary format. The interviews are a great finish to a hugely useful text." --Dustin Ogden, Spoke Digital Films
"Sheila Curran Bernard's ability to dissect a wide range of narrative approaches and explore the elements that make dramatic stories so compelling make this guide invaluable for documentary filmmakers as well as anyone who uses information and evidence to portray real events. But the value of this book goes beyond its service to story tellers; the consumers of documentary films and all journalism can benefit by more fully understanding the narrative structures that we all use to construct order and meaning in the world." --Pennee Bender, Media Director, Center for Media and Learning, City University of New York, The Graduate Center
“With all the buzz over blockbuster docs, Focal Press serves up a perfectly timed winner in a much-neglected area. True to the nature of the beast, the book is more about filmmaking as a whole, and how and where storytelling weaves into the overall process. It succeeds in covering every aspect without belabouring any. Not only does Bernard write from the viewpoint of an award-winning filmmaker (she's a writer, director and producer), but the last 100 pages include extensive interviews with a wide range of acclaimed documentarians." --Bruce McKenna, Canadian Screenwriter, Writers Guild of Canada)
"...a pragmatic exploration of the role of narrative in nonfiction filmmaking...In writing this volume Bernard demonstrates to documentarians how story can be more effectively incorporated into every level of nonfiction filmmaking from conception to development and pre-production, in the field and in the editing room. Her discussions incorporate many examples from contemporary documentaries to illustrate a variety of salient points." --Ray Zone, Documentary (International Documentary Association)
"While documentaries are nonfiction, they are certainly not objective, and even the smallest choices in writing, filming, interviewing, narrating, or scoring can drastically alter the perspective of the film, and in turn, the audience. Bernard is keenly aware of the power of persuasive images, and her insistence on complexity and integrity is a consistent theme throughout the book." --Alyssa Worsham, The Independent (Association of Independent Video and Filmmakers)
"This book, as with many from Focal Press is just a really good book. Even if you consider yourself pro, it is a good read and worth the time. For the beginner it should be a required read. We can make it look great, but without a story it is nothing." --Dan Shellenbarger, dvartdan.com
"This book will help the reader to craft documentaries which tell great stories and have compelling narratives. It takes you through the fundamentals of storytelling and narrative structure from the three-act structure to developing narrative threads in a lively and articulate way...The book is logically laid out in four sections...All the sections are really useful and contain a wealth of practical information, tips and information, but particularly useful is the section on development, which guides the reader through the complex process of successfully developing and pitching an idea...If you fancy yourself as a documentary film-maker, or simply want to improve your understanding of observational storytelling, buy this book, read it, and apply the ideas contained within." --Quentin Budworth, Dr. Q's Reviews, Focus Magazine, October 2005
“Bernard also adds two case studies, the films Daughter from Danang and Bowling for Columbine, and deconstructs the structure of each in great detail. This process is particularly valuable and enlightening…The book is filled with in-depth questions; there’s a lot to think about here.” --Jay Rosenstein, University of Illinois, Urbana (Journalism & Mass Communication Educator
"Sheila Curran Bernard's Documentary Storytelling is an essential, pragmatic, common-sense approach to making non-fiction films for the student and/or first-time filmmaker, based on the author's deep awareness of documentary film history and theory, and her intimate knowledge of how today's most important documentarians formulate their works." --Gerald Peary, film critic, The Boston Phoenix
"This book is absolutely brilliant...First, the breadth of information in this book is superb. Written to take you through the process of making a documentary from initial concepts, to development, to production and post-production, Ms. Bernard covers all these elements...[T]he book is also packed full of interviews with award-winning documentary filmmakers offering up information, advice, and wisdom that you'll find interesting and useful...Another excellent trait of Ms. Bernard's writing style is that she ALWAYS uses examples to convey her meaning, and often uses more than one example...you'll benefit greatly from this book." --Krista Galyen, AAUG Reviews, The Alaskan Apple Users Group, September 2006
"Documentary Storytelling is one of the few books that focuses on making films from reality, and offers to videographers a clear education on how to transform the real events around you into a powerful story... I continue to use her ideas in the event videos I produce for my clients. One of the many concepts in her book that has inspired me is the idea of 'shooting for the story.' Since weddings and events are largely unscripted, her techniques for documentary storytelling have been invaluable." --Brett Culp, The CVP Experience (May 2008)
Selected as a "book of the month" by shortvillage.com, Rome, Italy (January 2005)
"The Story's the Thing, and this new book from Focal Press tells it." --In the Library, University of Hawai'i Academy for Creative Media