> The Indian Point Film blog: documentary reviews, watchlists, gear and software guides, and festival coverage. *Source : https://indianpointfilm.com/blog/* --- Documentary · Independent Cinema · Craft # Blog Every documentary review, watchlist, gear guide and festival dispatch — newest first. ## All articles 37 articles [![A power plant on a river](https://indianpointfilm.com/images/covers/indian-point-doc.webp)](https://indianpointfilm.com/documentaries/indian-point-documentary-nuclear-debate/) Documentaries ### [Why 'Indian Point' Still Matters in the Nuclear Debate](https://indianpointfilm.com/documentaries/indian-point-documentary-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. 4 Mar 2022 [![A travel map and passport](https://indianpointfilm.com/images/covers/travel-documentaries.webp)](https://indianpointfilm.com/where-to-watch/best-travel-documentaries/) Where to Watch ### [The Best Travel Documentaries to Watch Before You Go](https://indianpointfilm.com/where-to-watch/best-travel-documentaries/) The films to watch before you pack a bag — from the Himalayas to the Nile to the French Riviera. 25 Feb 2022 [![A videographer with a mirrorless camera](https://indianpointfilm.com/images/covers/best-camera-documentary.webp)](https://indianpointfilm.com/gear/best-cameras-for-documentary-filmmaking/) Gear ### [The Best Cameras for Documentary Filmmaking](https://indianpointfilm.com/gear/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. 18 Feb 2022 [![Streaming a documentary at home](https://indianpointfilm.com/images/covers/best-docs-netflix.webp)](https://indianpointfilm.com/where-to-watch/best-documentaries-on-netflix/) Where to Watch ### [The 25 Best Documentaries on Netflix Right Now](https://indianpointfilm.com/where-to-watch/best-documentaries-on-netflix/) A working list of the Netflix documentaries I keep coming back to and pressing on friends. 2 Feb 2022 [![An audience at a film festival](https://indianpointfilm.com/images/covers/submit-film-festivals.webp)](https://indianpointfilm.com/festivals-funding/how-to-submit-film-to-festivals/) Festivals & Funding ### [How to Submit Your Film to Festivals Without Going Broke](https://indianpointfilm.com/festivals-funding/how-to-submit-film-to-festivals/) Submitting to forty festivals at twice the fee will cost you more than your color grade. Here's how to be ruthless about where the money goes. 20 Jan 2022 [![A video editing timeline on screen](https://indianpointfilm.com/images/covers/resolve-vs-premiere.webp)](https://indianpointfilm.com/filmmaking/davinci-resolve-vs-premiere-pro/) Filmmaking ### [DaVinci Resolve vs Premiere Pro for Documentaries](https://indianpointfilm.com/filmmaking/davinci-resolve-vs-premiere-pro/) One is free and grew up in the color suite. The other has thirty years of editorial habits baked in. For documentary, the choice is closer than people think. 6 Jan 2022 [![A clip-on lavalier microphone](https://indianpointfilm.com/images/covers/best-lavalier-mic.webp)](https://indianpointfilm.com/gear/best-lavalier-microphones-interviews/) Gear ### [The Best Lavalier Microphones for Interviews on a Budget](https://indianpointfilm.com/gear/best-lavalier-microphones-interviews/) Bad sound kills a documentary faster than bad pictures. Here are the lav mics that'll save your interviews without draining the budget. 14 Dec 2021 [![The ghats of Varanasi on the Ganges](https://indianpointfilm.com/images/covers/india-documentaries.webp)](https://indianpointfilm.com/where-to-watch/best-documentaries-about-india/) Where to Watch ### [The Best Documentaries About India](https://indianpointfilm.com/where-to-watch/best-documentaries-about-india/) The films that capture India's contradictions — from Varanasi's ghats to the textile factories of Gujarat. 9 Dec 2021 [![Filling in a funding application](https://indianpointfilm.com/images/covers/documentary-grants.webp)](https://indianpointfilm.com/festivals-funding/documentary-film-grants-funding/) Festivals & Funding ### [Documentary Grants and Funding: Where to Actually Look](https://indianpointfilm.com/festivals-funding/documentary-film-grants-funding/) Most documentary grant advice is a list of names with no sense of which doors actually open. Here's the real landscape, stage by stage. 2 Dec 2021 [![A vintage film camera](https://indianpointfilm.com/images/covers/direct-cinema-vs-verite.webp)](https://indianpointfilm.com/documentaries/direct-cinema-vs-cinema-verite/) Documentaries ### [Direct Cinema vs Cinéma Vérité: What's the Difference?](https://indianpointfilm.com/documentaries/direct-cinema-vs-cinema-verite/) The fly on the wall versus the provocateur with a camera — the two great observational traditions are closer in look than in belief. 1 Dec 2021 [![Editing video on a computer](https://indianpointfilm.com/images/covers/best-editing-software-doc.webp)](https://indianpointfilm.com/filmmaking/best-video-editing-software-documentary/) Filmmaking ### [The Best Video Editing Software for Documentaries](https://indianpointfilm.com/filmmaking/best-video-editing-software-documentary/) Documentary editing is an organization problem before it's a creative one. The best software is the one that keeps a thousand hours of footage findable. 23 Nov 2021 [![A film projector in a dark room](https://indianpointfilm.com/images/covers/best-docs-mubi.webp)](https://indianpointfilm.com/where-to-watch/best-documentaries-on-mubi/) Where to Watch ### [The Best Documentaries on MUBI Worth Your Subscription](https://indianpointfilm.com/where-to-watch/best-documentaries-on-mubi/) MUBI's small, rotating slate is the opposite of Netflix — and for nonfiction, that's a feature. 9 Nov 2021 [![A portable audio field recorder](https://indianpointfilm.com/images/covers/best-field-recorder.webp)](https://indianpointfilm.com/gear/best-audio-recorders-documentary/) Gear ### [The Best Audio Recorders for Documentary Sound](https://indianpointfilm.com/gear/best-audio-recorders-documentary/) Your camera records sound. It records it badly. Here's why a dedicated field recorder belongs in your bag, and which one to buy. 20 Oct 2021 [![A meeting and handshake](https://indianpointfilm.com/images/covers/fiscal-sponsorship.webp)](https://indianpointfilm.com/festivals-funding/fiscal-sponsorship-for-filmmakers/) Festivals & Funding ### [Fiscal Sponsorship for Filmmakers, Explained](https://indianpointfilm.com/festivals-funding/fiscal-sponsorship-for-filmmakers/) It's the most confusing two words in indie film funding. Strip away the jargon and fiscal sponsorship is just borrowing a nonprofit's tax status. 7 Oct 2021 [![A film camera lens](https://indianpointfilm.com/images/covers/documentary-modes-nichols.webp)](https://indianpointfilm.com/documentaries/documentary-modes-bill-nichols/) Documentaries ### [The Six Documentary Modes of Bill Nichols, Explained](https://indianpointfilm.com/documentaries/documentary-modes-bill-nichols/) Poetic, expository, observational, participatory, reflexive, performative — a working map of how documentaries actually behave. 28 Sept 2021 [![Transcribing audio at a laptop](https://indianpointfilm.com/images/covers/transcribe-interviews.webp)](https://indianpointfilm.com/filmmaking/transcribe-interviews-fast/) Filmmaking ### [How to Transcribe Interviews Fast (Without Losing Your Mind)](https://indianpointfilm.com/filmmaking/transcribe-interviews-fast/) The transcript is where the documentary starts to take shape. Get it right and the edit half-writes itself; get it wrong and you'll scrub tape for months. 14 Sept 2021 [![Watching a film on a laptop at night](https://indianpointfilm.com/images/covers/free-documentaries.webp)](https://indianpointfilm.com/where-to-watch/where-to-watch-free-documentaries/) Where to Watch ### [Where to Watch the Best Free Documentaries (Legally)](https://indianpointfilm.com/where-to-watch/where-to-watch-free-documentaries/) A map of the legal, no-cost corners of the internet where great documentaries actually live. 17 Aug 2021 [![Law books on a desk](https://indianpointfilm.com/images/covers/fair-use-documentary.webp)](https://indianpointfilm.com/festivals-funding/fair-use-documentary-guide/) Festivals & Funding ### [Fair Use in Documentary: A Practical Guide](https://indianpointfilm.com/festivals-funding/fair-use-documentary-guide/) Fair use is the most misunderstood doctrine in documentary. It's not a loophole and it's not nothing — it's a judgment call you have to make defensibly. 11 Aug 2021 [![A camera on a gimbal stabiliser](https://indianpointfilm.com/images/covers/best-budget-gimbal.webp)](https://indianpointfilm.com/gear/best-budget-gimbals-filmmaking/) Gear ### [The Best Budget Gimbals for Run-and-Gun Shooting](https://indianpointfilm.com/gear/best-budget-gimbals-filmmaking/) A gimbal turns shaky handheld into smooth, moving footage — if you pick the right one and don't fight it. Here's what to buy. 3 Aug 2021 [![A colour-grading monitor](https://indianpointfilm.com/images/covers/color-grade-documentary.webp)](https://indianpointfilm.com/filmmaking/how-to-color-grade-documentary/) Filmmaking ### [How to Color Grade a Documentary: A Beginner's Guide](https://indianpointfilm.com/filmmaking/how-to-color-grade-documentary/) Documentary grading is mostly about making mismatched footage look like one film — and resisting the urge to make it look like a film it isn't. 27 Jul 2021 [![A dramatic wilderness landscape](https://indianpointfilm.com/images/covers/herzog-docs-ranked.webp)](https://indianpointfilm.com/documentaries/werner-herzog-documentaries-ranked/) Documentaries ### [Werner Herzog's Documentaries, Ranked](https://indianpointfilm.com/documentaries/werner-herzog-documentaries-ranked/) He'd tell you facts are the truth of accountants. Here's a ranking of the films where Herzog goes hunting for something stranger. 6 Jul 2021 [![Cinema seats facing the screen](https://indianpointfilm.com/images/covers/film-distribution-deal.webp)](https://indianpointfilm.com/festivals-funding/how-film-distribution-deals-work/) Festivals & Funding ### [How Film Distribution Deals Actually Work](https://indianpointfilm.com/festivals-funding/how-film-distribution-deals-work/) The premiere is the easy part. Then a distributor offers you a deal, and you discover that 'we'll handle everything' can mean very different things. 1 Jun 2021 [![A studio lighting setup](https://indianpointfilm.com/images/covers/interview-lighting.webp)](https://indianpointfilm.com/gear/interview-lighting-setup-guide/) Gear ### [How to Light an Interview: A Practical Setup Guide](https://indianpointfilm.com/gear/interview-lighting-setup-guide/) A well-lit talking head separates a real documentary from a webcam call. Here's the setup, the gear, and the thinking behind both. 25 May 2021 [![A nuclear power plant](https://indianpointfilm.com/images/covers/nuclear-energy-docs.webp)](https://indianpointfilm.com/where-to-watch/best-nuclear-energy-documentaries/) Where to Watch ### [The Best Nuclear and Energy Documentaries to Watch](https://indianpointfilm.com/where-to-watch/best-nuclear-energy-documentaries/) The films that wrestle honestly with nuclear power, disaster and the energy choices ahead — including the one that gave this site its name. 11 May 2021 [![A team reviewing footage on a screen](https://indianpointfilm.com/images/covers/frameio-alternatives.webp)](https://indianpointfilm.com/filmmaking/frame-io-alternatives/) Filmmaking ### [Frame.io vs the Alternatives for Remote Video Review](https://indianpointfilm.com/filmmaking/frame-io-alternatives/) When notes arrive by email at three timecodes that don't exist, you need a proper review tool. Frame.io leads, but it isn't the only sane choice. 4 May 2021 [![Filming on a city street](https://indianpointfilm.com/images/covers/observational-documentary.webp)](https://indianpointfilm.com/documentaries/what-makes-great-observational-documentary/) Documentaries ### [What Makes a Great Observational Documentary](https://indianpointfilm.com/documentaries/what-makes-great-observational-documentary/) No narration, no interviews, no music telling you how to feel. So why do the best observational docs grip you harder than anything? 13 Apr 2021 [![Signing a contract](https://indianpointfilm.com/images/covers/eo-insurance-film.webp)](https://indianpointfilm.com/festivals-funding/eo-insurance-documentary-guide/) Festivals & Funding ### [Do You Need E&O Insurance for Your Documentary?](https://indianpointfilm.com/festivals-funding/eo-insurance-documentary-guide/) E&O insurance is the unglamorous thing standing between your finished film and a distribution deal. Here's what it is and when you actually need it. 30 Mar 2021 [![A camera gear kit laid out](https://indianpointfilm.com/images/covers/documentary-gear-kit.webp)](https://indianpointfilm.com/gear/documentary-gear-kit-under-2000/) Gear ### [A Complete Documentary Gear Kit Under $2,000](https://indianpointfilm.com/gear/documentary-gear-kit-under-2000/) Camera, lens, sound, light, support — a real, usable documentary kit that comes in under two grand. Here's exactly how I'd spend it. 16 Mar 2021 [![An editor at work in a dark studio](https://indianpointfilm.com/images/covers/documentary-editing-workflow.webp)](https://indianpointfilm.com/filmmaking/documentary-editing-workflow/) Filmmaking ### [Building an Editing Workflow for a Feature Documentary](https://indianpointfilm.com/filmmaking/documentary-editing-workflow/) A feature doc lives for months and drowns in footage. The film gets made or lost in the workflow you set up before you cut a single frame. 23 Feb 2021 [![Old film archive reels](https://indianpointfilm.com/images/covers/archival-footage-docs.webp)](https://indianpointfilm.com/documentaries/how-documentaries-use-archival-footage/) Documentaries ### [How Documentaries Use Archival Footage (and Clear It)](https://indianpointfilm.com/documentaries/how-documentaries-use-archival-footage/) That grainy newsreel doing all the emotional heavy lifting? Someone tracked it down, paid for it, and lost sleep over the rights. 9 Feb 2021 [![A dark, cinematic interior](https://indianpointfilm.com/images/covers/best-true-crime-docs.webp)](https://indianpointfilm.com/where-to-watch/best-true-crime-documentaries/) Where to Watch ### [The Best True Crime Documentaries, by Platform](https://indianpointfilm.com/where-to-watch/best-true-crime-documentaries/) The true crime documentaries actually worth your time, sorted by where they stream. 14 Jan 2021 [![A cinema marquee at night](https://indianpointfilm.com/images/covers/documentary-festival-circuit.webp)](https://indianpointfilm.com/festivals-funding/documentary-film-festival-circuit/) Festivals & Funding ### [The Documentary Festival Circuit, Mapped (Sundance to IDFA)](https://indianpointfilm.com/festivals-funding/documentary-film-festival-circuit/) Festivals aren't a random list — they're a calendar with a logic. Premiere in the right slot and one selection generates the next. 15 Dec 2020 [![A collection of camera lenses](https://indianpointfilm.com/images/covers/best-lens-documentary.webp)](https://indianpointfilm.com/gear/best-lenses-documentary-interviews/) Gear ### [The Best Lenses for Documentary and Interview Work](https://indianpointfilm.com/gear/best-lenses-documentary-interviews/) The lens shapes your image more than the camera does. Here's the glass that earns its place in a documentary bag. 8 Dec 2020 [![A checklist on a desk](https://indianpointfilm.com/images/covers/deliverables-checklist.webp)](https://indianpointfilm.com/filmmaking/film-deliverables-checklist/) Filmmaking ### [The Deliverables Checklist Every Documentary Needs](https://indianpointfilm.com/filmmaking/film-deliverables-checklist/) Picture lock feels like the finish line. It isn't. Deliverables are the unglamorous stage that decides whether your film can actually be shown. 17 Nov 2020 [![An interview set in silhouette](https://indianpointfilm.com/images/covers/documentary-ethics.webp)](https://indianpointfilm.com/documentaries/documentary-filmmaking-ethics/) Documentaries ### [The Ethics of Documentary Filmmaking, Explained](https://indianpointfilm.com/documentaries/documentary-filmmaking-ethics/) A documentary is a relationship with real people who can't control how they're shown. That asymmetry is where all the hard questions start. 3 Nov 2020 [![A melting glacier](https://indianpointfilm.com/images/covers/climate-change-docs.webp)](https://indianpointfilm.com/where-to-watch/best-climate-change-documentaries/) Where to Watch ### [The Best Climate Change Documentaries to Watch](https://indianpointfilm.com/where-to-watch/best-climate-change-documentaries/) Climate documentaries that inform without numbing — the ones that actually changed how I see the problem. 5 Oct 2020 [![A vintage film reel](https://indianpointfilm.com/images/covers/criterion-channel-docs.webp)](https://indianpointfilm.com/where-to-watch/best-documentaries-criterion-channel/) Where to Watch ### [The Best Documentaries on the Criterion Channel for Newcomers](https://indianpointfilm.com/where-to-watch/best-documentaries-criterion-channel/) An on-ramp into the Criterion Channel's documentary shelf, for people who find it intimidating. 22 Jun 2020