Highly recommended handbook on documentary and ethnographic filmmaking with information on shooting, funding, distribution and ethics.

Important documentary film scholar that comprehensively, but succinctly covers the issues surrounding documentary history and criticism.

Comprehensive guide to making documentary films and video.

Provides counter theory and critical insight into some of the more widely established documentary issues.

A series of thirteen interviews from documentary filmmakers such as Nick Broomfield to Albert Maysles.

A series of essays ranging from the influence of early-documentary filmmaking to digital filmmaking's influence and possible destruction of the documentary form.

Covers many ethical issues surrounding documentary filmmaking especially in regard to contemporary television forms.

A compassionate and ethical history of documentary films providing such breadth that most people will want to reread several times to absorb Barnouw's rich historical information.

Analysis of important documentaries that have defined the field of documentary filmmaking.

A compilation of edited articles from important documentary scholars and filmmakers. Offers more depth than general documentary history books.

An important ethnographic filmmaker's frank ruminations on his life-long documentary subject: the !Kung of Africa. Marshall addresses pioneering field techniques as well as the dispossession of the !Kung.

Extensively covers anthropological research as it relates to photography. A sample from chapter 5 here.

Illustrated anthology of essays published in Visual Anthropology Review from 1990 to 1994. Contains essays from indigenous media to postmodern theories on documentary filmmaking.

Important academic scholar of visual anthropology who covers a variety of topics as it relates to ethics, research, ethnographic image making, and important filmmakers such as Tim Asch and Robert Garner.

Technically focused book covering aspects of visual research, especially as it relates to sociology. The book focuses on photography as a research tool.

A collection of essays on films representation of the other and the creation of cultural understanding from that representation.

Exploration of visual ethnographic research qualitative abilities and the problems associated with visual information. Extensive review here.

This book explores early-twentieth-century representations of non-Western indigenous people in films ranging from the documentary to the spectacular to the scientific. (From the Publisher)

A collection of essays by leading anthropologists covering topics from Balinese television to the study of landscapes from the perspective of visual anthropology.

A collection of essays on the history of visual anthropology and issues surrounding the field. Important are the challanges to thinking that visual anthropology is just a visual record of traditional ethnography.

A history and analysis of visual ethnographic image making from important historical figures such as Malinowski, Radcliffe-Brown, Jean Rouch, and David and Judith MacDougall.

A survey of the development and achievements of documentary films from the 1920s to 1970. The books includes the writings of nearly 100 filmmakers and critics.

An overview of visual perception in how it relates to drawing, problem-solving, and mind-brain interaction. The book contains puzzles, experiments, and problems.

Excellent resource and theorizing on visual communication, especially in using the visual form for learning and teaching.

Technical book on planning and executing shots. Presents a wide variety of approaches to filmic composition.

A sequel to Katz other book, it offers insights into filmic composition and direction from a wide variety of directors.

A technical book on creating film budgets, includes details on documentary budgets large and small. Line-by-line budgets included in book.

Information about resources, risk capital, pre-sales, finding investors, and case studies from independent filmmakers.

Templates, detailed explanations and legal advise concerning intellectual property contracts and movie production. Geared toward British law, but suitable for understanding U.S. contracts.

Covers most of the useful contracts for producers ranging from music license rights to depiction and copyright release.

General guide to digital filmmaking and production from low-cost techniques to promotion.

Details the process of making documentary films from structuring an idea to controlling crew and participants during a shoot.