Latest

Documentary vs. Feature Conversation with Walter Murch

Documentary Notebook is a weekly newsletter for people interested in the state of the genre, people behind the camera, and the process of making documentaries. In the previous Notebook, I wrote about documentaries that inspire fiction features, and vice-versa. To follow up on that theme I spoke with Walter

When Documentaries and Features Collide

Documentary Notebook is a weekly newsletter for people interested in the state of the genre, people behind the camera, and the process of making documentaries. I am interested when documentaries inspire dramatic feature films. Which is pretty unusual. More often, feature films lead to documentaries — normally a behind the scenes

Editing, Brazil-Style

Documentary Notebook is a weekly newsletter for people interested in the state of the genre, people behind the camera, and the process of making documentaries. Was away last week. Catching up now. I recently watched Apocalypse in the Tropics. This feature documentary from Brazil directed by Petra Costa is about

AIM FOR A “B”

Documentary Notebook is a weekly newsletter for people interested in the state of the genre, people behind the camera, and the process of making documentaries. This will be a short one. Walter Murch — acclaimed multi-Oscar winning film editor, sound designer, sound mixer — was the subject of my book, Behind

Point-of-View vs.Taking Sides

Documentary Notebook is a weekly newsletter for people interested in the state of the genre, people behind the camera, and the process of making documentaries. Fell a week behind as family activities took over. But this story from last week’s New York Times caught my eye. Here’s the

Documentary, For Real?

Anthony Kaufman is a film programmer at the Chicago International Film Festival who teaches film at DePaul University in Chicago. I subscribe to his Substack newsletter. His latest edition intrigued me, so I wanted to focus this week on his analysis. First off, he notes that Netflix released its semi-

Sources Sometimes Just Show Up

A couple of weeks ago I was sitting in the lobby bar at the hotel Melia Cohiba in Havana. Sipping an afternoon coke because the espresso machine was broken. Welcome to Cuba.  I was scrolling through news on my phone (the hotel had great WiFi), when the phone rang. The

Yes, We Have No Cigars

Documentary Notebook is a weekly newsletter for people interested in the state of the genre, people behind the camera, and the process of making documentaries. Back from Havana. And sad to say, without two boxes of cigars or two bottles of rum, which I used to be able to bring

Act One, On to Havana

Documentary Notebook is a weekly newsletter for people interested in the state of the genre, people behind the camera, and the process of making documentaries. It does feel like a milestone of sorts. Editor Graeme Butler delivered a rough cut of the first act of the Tom Girardi film a

From Beverly Hills to Beijing

Documentary Notebook is a weekly newsletter for people interested in the state of the genre, people behind the camera, and the process of making documentaries. This was the first week of Erika Girardi’s $25 million civil trial I planned to document for my film about her husband Tom Girardi

Back to the Source

Documentary Notebook is a weekly newsletter for people interested in the state of the genre, people behind the camera, and the process of making documentaries. In a recent Newsletter I wrote about a documentary I’m finishing and a dilemma about helping a source. The film is about notorious Los

Nepal Update and Documentary Surprises

Documentary Notebook is a weekly newsletter for people interested in the state of the genre, people behind the camera, and the process of making documentaries.  First, an update about Discord Democracy (working title) the documentary I am doing with Jon Lee Anderson of the New Yorker magazine. Our intention, as

Dylan and Lennon: Documentary Questions

Documentary Notebook is a weekly newsletter for people interested in the state of the genre, people behind the camera, and the process of making documentaries. After recently going back and forth with a source, I was thinking about ethics and documentary filmmaking. That's always been a healthy debate

My Friend Barbara

Documentary Notebook is a weekly newsletter for people interested in the state of the genre, people behind the camera, and the process of making documentaries. This newsletter is devoted to documentary filmmaker Barbara Kopple, a longtime friend and mentor. We first met before I became a filmmaker. I was working