It explains why making a good documentary requires much more than just aiming a camera at a piece of reality -- or compiling a list of people to be interviewed. It traces the two main themes in documentary -- recording behavior and recreating past events -- and shows you how to be successful at each.

It explains the difference between shooting and showing a documentary. It tells you why the camera doesn't lie, but can't be counted on to tell the truth. You'll learn how to plan, recognize, and record visual evidence, and how to organize it into a visual argument that brings your documentary to life.

The book covers the documentary idea, preproduction planning, selecting crew and equipment, directing actors and people who are not actors, and conducting an interview on camera -- all illustrated with stories from actual productions. And it shows why editing is the heart of the documentary process, organizing your story for the audience.

The book has been praised by documentary professionals and film educators and by the International Documentary Association. For example:

"A highly valuable book which covers the many aspects of producing a documentary. I recommend it to anyone embarking on such a project." -- Gordon Quinn, Executive Producer, "Hoop Dreams"

"I found the book informative, insightful, and useful -- the same qualities that are lacking in many documentaries today . . . helps newcomers learn the basics and good documentry producers become even more productive." -- Michael Cascio, Vice President, Documentary Programming, A & E (Arts and Entertainment Network)

"I thoroughly enjoyed the book. Hampe's narrative style is clear and concise with just the right amount of humor. While acknowledging the importance of technical expertise, he focuses on those aspects of filmmaking craft that create compelling stories. Careful reading by first-time filmmakers will allow them to avoid pitfalls many of us have made. Investing a few hours of time will pay many dividends to Mr. Hampe's readers." -- Clark Bunting, Senior Vice President, Discovery Networks

My other books include VIDEO SCRIPTWRITING: HOW TO WRITE FOR THE $4 BILLION COMMERCIAL VIDEO MARKET (Penguin Books, 1993) and MAKING VIDEOS FOR MONEY: PLANNING AND PRODUCING INFORMATION VIDEOS, COMMERCIALS, AND INFOMERCIALS (Henry Holt & Co., 1998), also available from Amazon.