The Rhetoric of the New Political Documentary
“In one sense, the title says it all. The Rhetoric of the New Political Documentary is a classic university press publication, in this case written by scholars who are based in the discipline of rhetorical inquiry. …That said, The Rhetoric of the New Political Documentary contains some well-considered nuggets of information and opinion that make it worth perusing for those who make and watch ‘political documentaries.’”
—Posted 8/26/2008

Now We Are Seven: Parsing ‘The Up Series’
“The British Film Institute once again proves itself to be an invaluable institution with the publication of Seven Up, Stella Bruzzi’s book-length analysis of Michael Apted’s landmark British television documentary, The Up Series.…”
—Posted 7/11/2008

Listen to Britain: 100 Docs from Across the Pond
“Even before I read the entire book, 100 British Documentaries proved to be an indispensable resource. Two key lectures I recently presented were greatly enhanced by Patrick Russell’s research and knowledgeable opinions…”
—Posted 6/4/2008

A review of Ray Zone’s STEREOSCOPC CINEMA AND THE ORIGINS OF 3-D FILM 1838–1952
“If it was acceptable to begin a book review with WOW! that’s what I would say about Ray Zone’s STEREOSCOPIC CINEMA AND THE ORIGINS OF 3-D FILM: 1838–1952. The book is a thorough, precise, comprehensive and deeply revealing analysis of its subject. And perhaps, surprisingly, it is engaging and, to me, inspirational. Did I mention that I like it?”
—Posted 2/21/2008

The River Runs Through It: The Lost Legacy of Pare Lorentz
“A man—backed with respectable financing—steps forward to direct a powerful documentary film that reveals the essence of this tragedy and brings it stingingly home to the public. The film is greeted with wide acclaim, compassionate outcry, and no little shame about the fact that Americans have let this disaster happen to their land and to their own people.”
—Posted 9/11/2007

MY SECOND LIFE and DREAMWORLD film review
Betsy reviews two recent documentaries about the online world Second Life: MY SECOND LIFE and DREAMWORLD
—Posted 6/4/2007

The Measure of Success for Documentaries in U.S. Political Scene 2007
“Written in response to this request from THE VELVET LIGHT TRAP: In recent years, there has been an upswing in commercially successful documentaries as well as increased visibility for documentaries with overtly political messages. Along with these two trends, there has been more public attention to the political potential of documentary films from Fahrenheit 911 to March of the Penguins. Reflect on the place of documentary in the present American political climate.”
—Posted 1/29/2007

The War Game
“Peter Watkins THE WAR GAME is one of the most controversial films ever to win the Academy Awards for Best Documentary Feature. Produced in 1965 by BBC television, it relates the story of a possible Russian missile attack and its aftermath in southeastern England, during a limited nuclear war. This stark and powerful work continues to move audiences and incite debate some forty years after it was made.” —Posted 7/19/2006

SIGHTS UNSEEN: a Discourse on the History of Mass Mediated War
“…That which a 21st Century audience accepts as real—the veracity of the immediately witnessed—is different from earlier audience realities. Since photography began, viewers have been questioning the veracity of its images. The technology and the craft of war documentary change radically in 150 years, but the questions of what to believe remain unanswered…”

Program Notes for THE SEA AROUND US, part of a screening of Academy Award-winning documentaries at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Fall 2005
“…Neither the book nor the film contains a storyline. Rather, episodes that describe the origin of the earth, the lives of various undersea creatures, the jobs done by fisherman and others who work with marine life, along with scientific explorations are presented in episodic style.…”

Editor Tina Hirsch at 2005 UFVA Conference — Columbia College, Chicago (From THE EDITORS GUILD MAGAZINE)
“…In hundreds of other film, television and communications programs, access to guild level professionals is limited. Who then, is teaching editing, and who is training the teachers of editing? Part of the answer is found each year at the conference of the University Film and Video Association (UFVA), the academic organizationfor people who teach production as well as critical studies in North American colleges and universities…”