Deadline, which chronicles Illinois Governor George Ryan's decision in 2003 to give clemency to all Death Row inmates, is a breakthrough for an independent documentary. NBC acquired broadcast rights to it after its chairman and CEO, Robert Wright, saw the film at this year's Sundance Film Festival. It will air July 30 as a two-hour Dateline NBC special, seen by an expected audience of 10 million. But when directors Katy Chevigny and Kirsten Johnson brought their labor-of-love documentary to Sundance in January, they were on a deadline themselves. Something good had to happen soon, or else. The
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Landscapes of the Self: The Cinema of Ross McElwee Editors: Efren Cuevas and Alberto N. Garcia Ediciones Internacionales Universitarias; 1st edition (February 15, 2008) 337 pages $34.00 Sitting on the back porch of my home in a Southern metropolitan city, I begin to write this review of a new, edited book about documentary filmmaker Ross McElwee. I am taking a break from editing my first personal documentary. Two days ago I experienced a "Ross McElwee moment" when a local news crew interviewed me while I was behind my camera, shooting a scene for my own film. McElwee's narration has been
Archival Storytelling, released this month through Focal Press, addresses one of the most challenging issues facing filmmakers today: the use of images and music that belong to someone else. Where do producers go for affordable stills and footage? What do vérité producers need to know when documenting a world filled with rights-protected images and sounds? How do filmmakers protect their own creative efforts from infringement? And how do filmmakers evaluate the historical value of archival materials and use them ethically? In October 2007, as research for the book, Sheila Curran Bernard and I
The nonfiction/reality winners among the Creative Arts Emmy Awards.