FMC Book Review: The Art of the Documentary: Ten Conversations with Leading Directors, Cinematographers, Editors, and Producers by Megan Cunningham

I just completed reading such a tremendous book: The Art of the Documentary: Ten Conversations with Leading Directors, Cinematographers, Editors, and Producers by Megan Cunningham. If you have ever had a desire to make a documentary film this book is a must have. Megan Cunningham rounds up the top industry folks and really gets into it. From Barbara Kopple's Foreward to the last page of the appendix this was a page turner for me.

The line up is amazing: director Ken Burns (The Civil War, Jazz, Baseball), director/cinematographer D A Pennebaker (Dont Look Back, The War Room), director/cinematographer Albert Maysles (Gimme Shelter, Grey Gardens), director Errol Morris (The Fog of War, The Thin Blue Line), director Chris Hegedus (Startup.com, Down from the Mountain), editor Larry Silk (Pumping Iron, Wild Man Blues), cinematographer Buddy Squires (The Civil War, Ram Dass, Fierce Grace), director/producer Lauren Lazin (Tupac: Resurrection, Journey of Dr. Dre), editor/director Paula Heredia (The Vagina Monologues, In Memoriam: New York City, 9/11/01), director/cinematographer Kirsten Johnson (Fahrenheit 9/11, Innocent Until Proven Guilty), and editor Geof Bartz (Lenny Bruce: Swear to Tell the Truth, He's Having a Baby). And with contributions by: Sheila Nevins, President of HBO Documentaries and HBO Family, Carol Dysinger, film editor and professor, NYU Film School, and Haskell Wexler, cinematographer.

Each master really gets into the nitty gritty and realities of the process. I hate sugar coated books and this certainly was not one of them! The are some great candid moments told to Ms Cunningham and she continues on very smoothly.

The book is filled with career advice from those who have been there and done that. From research idea to discovery of new ideas in the editing room you will get every pennies worth with this book. There is also some great contacts on festivals, professional associations, where to buy and more! I cannot recommend The Art of the Documentary: Ten Conversations with Leading Directors, Cinematographers, Editors, and Producers by Megan Cunningham enough. It is, quite frankly, a must have addition to your filmmaking library and an essential read on your path to making a documentary. I give it 5/5 Stars! This will be a go to book for me in all my filmmaking endeavors.