Directing the Documentary Michael Rabiger (Professor Emeritus, Columbia College, Chicago, IL, USA) 9781032789286

Directing the Documentary is the definitive book on the documentary form. Focusing on the hands-on work needed to make your concept a reality, it covers the filmmaking process from top to bottom, providing in-depth lessons on every stage of production from idea development, pre-production, production, and post-production, while also addressing the nuances of documentary aesthetics, ethics, and career-building.

The 8th edition's new, user-friendly structure integrates what were previously divided introductory and advanced concepts into a single, unified volume that supports both comprehensive study and selective reference. It moves fluidly from context and concept to planning, production, editing, aesthetics, and professional practice-forming an organized and comprehensive guide that mirrors the filmmaker's own evolution of process, understanding, and vocation. This edition features a wider diversity of films and directors, inclusive language and terminology, an expanded discussion of documentary ethics, and updated coverage of documentary distribution practices.

By combining expert advice on the storytelling process, the technical aspects of filmmaking, and commentary on the philosophical underpinnings of the art, this book provides the practical and holistic understanding you need to become a highly regarded, original, and ethical contributor to the genre. Ideal for both aspiring and established filmmakers, this book has it all.

Michael Rabiger began in the cutting rooms of England's Pinewood and Shepperton Studios, became an editor and BBC director of documentaries, and then specialized for many years in the US as a production and aesthetics educator. At Columbia College Chicago he was co-founder, then chair of the Film/Video Department and founded the Michael Rabiger Center for Documentary. He directed or edited more than 35 films, gave workshops in many countries, designed and led a multinational European documentary workshop for CILECT, won the International Documentary Association's Scholarship and Preservation Award, and was also awarded the Genius/Career Achievement Award by the Chicago International Documentary Festival. He is the author of Developing Story Ideas and co-author of the enormously successful Directing: Film Techniques and Aesthetics.

Courtney Hermann is an award-winning documentary filmmaker and Associate Professor of Film at Portland State University. Her films are distributed by the Public Broadcasting Service and its affiliates, through educational film catalogs, at film festivals, and via impact distribution to community partners. Her filmmaking centers ethical collaboration and amplifies stories and communities underrepresented in mainstream media. Her documentaries include Standing Silent Nation (2007), Exotic World and the Burlesque Revival (2012), Crying Earth Rise Up (2015), Burton Before and After (2018), and Outliers and Outlaws (2024).

Praise for the previous edition:

"The USC documentary faculty has required this excellent book in all our documentary courses since its 1st edition. Rabiger has added to his in-depth analysis of the creative and practical implications of documentary production in this latest edition, with new sections on grant writing, technology, and case studies. The book is essential for students and it's also one that every professional documentary filmmaker can constantly refer to and be inspired by."

Doe Mayer, Professor, Mary Pickford Chair of Film and Television Production, School of Cinematic Arts, University of Southern California

"This book is a time-proof classic, a one-of-a kind roadmap to reaching excellence in documentary making that reads like good, inspiring literature. I have collected and read all of its editions avidly, and can already see that this new edition will serve as an invaluable companion for any documentary filmmaker."

Juan Francisco Urrusti, Professor, Centro de Capacitacion Cinematografica (Mexico); Documentary Filmmaker, A Long Journey to Guadalupe

"Rabiger's 'two-stage' approach to documentary filmmaking takes the reader on a comprehensive journey from concept development to finished documentary and distribution! His sixth edition of Directing the Documentary is a must-have in any serious documentary filmmaker's library."

Gene F., Digital Filmmaking Instructor, The Art Institute of CA - Silicon Valley