Festivals & Funding
Music Licensing for Documentaries: Avoid the Recut
A recorded song isn't one license, it's two — and the cheap 'festival use only' shortcut is what forces filmmakers to recut around music they can no longer afford.
Documentary · Independent Cinema · Craft
Documentary & independent cinema, taken seriously.
Reviews, watchlists and the gear and craft behind the films that matter — and where to watch them.
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Documentary Release Form: What It Must Cover
A release is not a courtesy to your subjects — it is the evidence that you own the footage you are trying to sell. Here is what the paperwork must actually cover.
Documentaries
Why 'Indian Point' Still Matters in the Nuclear Debate
Ivy Meeropol's portrait of an aging reactor on the Hudson is less about meltdowns than about who gets to decide what counts as safe.
Where to Watch
The Best Travel Documentaries to Watch Before You Go
The films to watch before you pack a bag — from the Himalayas to the Nile to the French Riviera.
Gear
The Best Cameras for Documentary Filmmaking
Forget the spec-sheet wars. Here's what a documentary camera actually needs to do, and the bodies that do it.
Where to Watch
The 25 Best Documentaries on Netflix Right Now
A working list of the Netflix documentaries I keep coming back to and pressing on friends.
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Documentaries
Reviews, essays and the directors, movements and ideas that shape non-fiction cinema.
Where to Watch
The best documentaries to stream right now — by platform, by topic and by mood.
Gear
Cameras, lenses, audio and lighting — what to buy to shoot a documentary on any budget.
Filmmaking
Editing, color, sound and the software and workflows behind a finished film.
Festivals & Funding
Submission strategy, grants, distribution and the legal side of getting a film seen.
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