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Making Documentary Films and Reality Videos: A Practical Guide to Planning, Filming, and Editing Documentaries of Real Events Paperback – January 15, 1997
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Making Documentary Films and Reality Videos is the perfect text for students of filmmaking who would like to make a documentary. Barry Hampe, who has made more than 150 documentary films and videos, traces the two main approaches to documentary--recording behavior and re-creating past events―and shows students how to do both effectively. Covering all the steps, from conceptualization to completion, the book includes chapters on visual evidence; documentary ethics; why reality is not enough; budgeting; and casting, crew, and equipment selection.
- Print length368 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherHolt Paperbacks
- Publication dateJanuary 15, 1997
- Dimensions5.5 x 0.81 x 8.5 inches
- ISBN-100805044515
- ISBN-13978-0805044515
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Review
“Clear, informative, and a valuable resource that combines professional expertise with personal experience.” ―Betsy McLane, Ph.D., Executive Director, International Documentary Association
“A thoroughly researched and informative guide for new documentary makers.” ―Pat Mitchell, President, Turner Original Productions
About the Author
Product details
- Publisher : Holt Paperbacks; First Edition (January 15, 1997)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 368 pages
- ISBN-10 : 0805044515
- ISBN-13 : 978-0805044515
- Item Weight : 13.1 ounces
- Dimensions : 5.5 x 0.81 x 8.5 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #2,870,891 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #397 in Documentary Movies
- #2,462 in Video Direction & Production (Books)
- #2,711 in Movie Direction & Production
- Customer Reviews:
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About the author

Documentary filmmaker and scriptwriter turned author. My latest book is 'Making Documentary Films and Videos.' I'm currently writing a book on creating client videos and researching a book on making documentaries of behavior. I'm married to the wife I started with. We have four fine sons, four handsome grandsons, and three beautiful granddaughters. I invite you to visit my websites: www.makingdocumentaryfilms.com, www.barryhampe.com, and my new blog site, www.makingdocsblog.com.
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Top reviews from the United States
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Overall a great book. I give it a 4 out of 5 simply because it could have been a little shorter making it less repetitive towards the end.
Still, a great read!!
I would have liked the chapters on the Documentary Idea and Writing the Documentary to be longer. Personally, I would have benefited more from extending the discussions here. Also the author tends to drive the book along at a fiercely anecdotal rate which is great if you can imagine yourself in the author's shoes, but may not suit everyone's style.
Overall I found this to be a most useful manual and certainly find myself returning to it for advice. What better recommendation can I offer?
But you know what would make this book a lot better? Illustrations and/or photos. Shooting technique is discussed but not shown. Editing technique is discussed but not shown. Ironically, Hampe spends a lot of time driving home the point that it's important to SHOW the action as opposed to relying on interviews and narration.
Another problem is that the book is grossly outdated. The updated version of the book is here: Making Documentary Films and Videos: A Practical Guide to Planning, Filming, and Editing Documentaries .
Hampe delves into his experiences of shooting on film throughout the 70's & 80's, and talks a bit about video. He seems to mention his own work quite a bit. One more thing: If Hampe refrained from needlessly repeating himself, the book would be half as thick.
I would recommend a far better book on documentary filmmaking, which is The Shut Up and Shoot Documentary Guide: A Down & Dirty DV Production
I used this book as my introduction to documentary production, because though it is based on Hampe's work specifically with behavioral documentary, the information is easily transferable to any documentary/reality video project. The book stresses concepts in creating a form of reality through visual medium, called verisimilitude, and Barry Hampe demonstrates very carefully the indepth process in which an audience recieves the final cut out of what was originially a simple idea. If Barry Hampe can communicate his ideas so clearly in writing this book, I imagine his documentaries must be stunning.
The part of the book I thought was most helpful was content dealing with the type of interview appropriate for a documentary. It really made me think a little more about that particular element and why it is so critical to approach an interview carefully.
Quite of few of the works listed in the filmography, (at the end of the book), are actually available in the Netflix service, and I look forward to watching the documentaries with a new perspective!
This was really a great book:)
Top reviews from other countries
Ich habe mir das Buch gekauft, weil ich einen kurzen Dokumentarfilm für meine Abschlussprüfung drehen möchte. Um mir ein besseres Verständnis über den Vorgang anzueignen, suchte ich nach einem Buch, was mir verdeutlicht was es eigentlich heißt, eine Doku zu produzieren und worauf man achten muss.
Dieses Buch ist sehr verständlich und vor allem interessant geschrieben. Es hat mir geholfen zu verstehen, worum es eigentlich geht, wenn man einen Dokumentarfilm plant und auf was zu achten ist. Die vielen Beispiele und Tips, sowie der Humor in diesem Buch sind unglaublich erfrischend - es macht wirklich spaß die verschiedenen Kapitel zu lesen!
Für angehende Filmemacher ist dieses Buch ein muss, ich kann es nur empfehlen!
Good on ya Barry!!!!


