5 Non-Filmmaking Books Every Documentary Filmmaker Should Read
Your bookshelf might be fully stocked with filmmaking how-to books but I think the most powerful books a filmmaker can read aren’t related to filmmaking at all. In order to be an effective documentary storyteller, you need to have insight into how people think and what motivates them to do the things that they do.
An understanding of human behavior will help you conduct interviews, research, and explore the narrative. Here are 5 books that’ll make you a better journalist and filmmaker.
1. “Merchants of Doubt”, Erik M. Conway & Naomi Oreskes
We live in a world that’s orchestrated by spin; where PR professionals are ring leaders of the spectacle and we’re both the audience and the main attraction. Merchants of Doubt explores the idea that we live in a post-truth world, meaning that people are, in fact, entitled to their own facts. It proves that a side doesn’t need to prove that they’re right— they just need to inject enough doubt to make the audience believe that there’s still a debate to be had.
The book begins with the political and public relations machines that manipulated the American public’s consciousness for decades in regards to the potential for tobacco to cause cancer and continues to explore how systems played the same script with acid rain and climate change, among others.
Miseducation campaigns only promise to grow in size and scope, making this a timeless and timely read. Don’t be surprised if you find yourself highlighting the majority of every page.
2. “Predictably Irrational”, Dan Ariely
A hot political talking point is about our need to have a “rational debate”; one that favors facts over feelings and statistics over heart-warming gibberish. But is the line separating the two that easy to draw or even easy to see?
To enter into a scenario with the assumption that humans will naturally shy away from emotions can produce potentially disturbing and disrupting consequences because it ignores the real fact: at their core, humans are emotional beings, incapable of ignoring an irrational urge even when faced with a much smarter solution.
We do ourselves a disservice by ignoring this certainty but also insult the beautiful humanity in our choices. Predictably Irrational is an engaging, quintessential read to gain a better understanding of our irrational tendencies that are, in fact, completely predictable.
3. “Drive”, Daniel H. Pink
Carrots and sticks: it’s supposedly the force that guides what we do and even influences who we become but what really motivates us? What pushes us to work, to create, to pursue? How do we influence others to do the same? The answer isn’t what you might think.
There’s a mismatch, a culture clash, between what science says and what business believes, and bridging the divide is how we can grow as a society and enrich the world. Understanding motivation is a critical issue in crafting a narrative in stories. What pushes your character towards their goal? That’s where your story lies.
4. “40 Psychology Studies That Changed The World”, Roger Hock
The Stanford Prison Experiment. Stanley Milgram. Being sane in insane places. These might be events, people, or concepts you know but what do you really know about them? The title isn’t hyperbolic: these studies really did change the world and this book highlights the beautiful and the macabre findings and all the triumphs and the shortcomings of our humanity that have been discovered.
The stories that are explored here can give you insight into your subject matter, the people involved, or perhaps will motivate you to explore the study itself. The subjects are cumbersome but the writing is accessible and although the chapters are technically snapshots, they’re never lacking in substance.
I’ll admit, this particular choice is incredibly biased—and yes, I know the whole list is but this one, specifically, is—this book is one of my favorites, and I don’t just mean for this list.
5. “Dealing With An Angry Public”, Lawrence Susskind & Patrick Field
Every industry has a plethora of skeletons in its closet; secrets buried deep that must remain hidden in order for power players to not only survive, but thrive. What happens when sunlight is let in and nerves are exposed? How do you handle the backlash and the inevitable fallout?
This book is based on the infamous MIT-Harvard “Angry Public” seminars. It’s even been used as part of the marketing strategy for certain natural gas companies (as explored in Gasland 2). I’ve read reviews of this book in which readers seem outraged by the authors interpretations and proposed manipulative behavior but I don’t think that’s an effective interpretation nor is it accurate.
It’s actually a powerful tool if you’re trying to understand the marketing and public relations strategies that are typically employed by corporations in the aftermath of a scandal. It’s, in fact, a playbook of sorts; and in that regard, it provides remarkably valuable insight into the maneuvers and skills that are necessary for a business to survive a reckoning.
I hope these book suggestions help you in crafting your next masterpiece 😉 Let me know what adventure they lead you too 🤘
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