The Best Craft of Film Documentaries

Film & Pop Culture - 42 free documentaries about the craft of film.

Start with Why Movies Just Don't Feel "Real" Anymore (29 min, Like Stories of Old), then In Praise of Great Exposition (19 min, Thomas Flight). All 42 documentaries here are free to watch from their makers' official uploads. To read deeper, the top-rated book on the craft of film is In the Blink of an Eye by Walter Murch.

• Why Movies Just Don't Feel "Real" Anymore (29 min, Like Stories of Old)
• In Praise of Great Exposition (19 min, Thomas Flight)
• The Marvelization of Cinema (37 min, Like Stories of Old)
• Perfect Moments in "Bad" Movies (23 min, Jacob Geller)
• Why Do Wes Anderson Movies Look Like That? (19 min, Thomas Flight)
• Movie Monologues That Changed My Entire Worldview (30 min, Like Stories of Old)
• In Praise of Character Acting (22 min, Thomas Flight)
• Why Do Movies Feel So Different Now? (38 min, Thomas Flight)
• Better Call Saul Did It Better (20 min, Thomas Flight)
• Why Horror Is The Last Real Genre Left (19 min, Thomas Flight)
• Hollywood's Obsession with Ambition (22 min, Thomas Flight)
• Lies of Heroism – Redefining the Anti-War Film (57 min, Like Stories of Old)
• The Best Cinematography I've Ever Seen (28 min, Thomas Flight)
• In Praise of Subtle Performance (15 min, Thomas Flight)
• Justice League vs. The Snyder Cut - Filmmaking Comparison (26 min, Thomas Flight)
• Annihilation and Decoding Metaphor (20 min, Folding Ideas)
• When a Woman Makes a Movie About Men (24 min, Like Stories of Old)
• Why The Movies Don't Feel The Same Anymore (62 min, Thomas Flight)
• Why Does Acting Feel So Different Now? (58 min, Thomas Flight)
• The Best Acting I've Ever Seen (34 min, Thomas Flight)
• Why Were David Lynch's Movies So Strange? (24 min, Thomas Flight)
• Why The Wire is one of the Most Brilliant TV Shows Ever (19 min, Thomas Flight)
• A.I. Filmmaking Is Not The Future. It's a Grift. (48 min, Patrick (H) Willems)
• In Praise of Subtle Cinematography (14 min, Thomas Flight)
• Lanterns and Lighting in the 18th Century - With Townsends (58 min, Townsends)
• The Lively Story Of America's Greatest Film Critic | What She Said: Pauline Kael (97 min, Perspective)
• How The Art of Filmmaking Is Still Evolving (22 min, Thomas Flight)
• A Musical Video Essay About The Greatest Showman (45 min, Patrick (H) Willems)
• Why Sinners' Cinematography is So Brilliant (17 min, Thomas Flight)
• The Changing Shape of Cinema: The History of Aspect Ratio (18 min, Filmmaker IQ)
• When you REALLY know how to use practical effects (16 min, Thomas Flight)
• The History and Science of Lenses (25 min, Filmmaker IQ)
• A Video Essay About My First Movie (19 min, Patrick (H) Willems)
• What Heist Movies Taught Me About Filmmaking (15 min, Patrick (H) Willems)
• 6 Reasons Why We Should Ditch the Exposure Triangle (27 min, Filmmaker IQ)
• Introduction to Color in Digital Filmmaking (20 min, Filmmaker IQ)
• Composition Techniques for Widescreen Aspect Ratios (10 min, Filmmaker IQ)
• Camera Men (14 min, National Film Board of Canada)
• The Life Cycle of Filmmaking Education... plus it's too darn hot. (178 min, Filmmaker IQ)
• 3 Basic DIY Lighting Techniques for shooting better Film Noir (11 min, Filmmaker IQ)
• Prepping for Teaching Cinematography + Your Chats (60 min, Filmmaker IQ)
• DIY Inline Dimmer Cable Switch (Lighting) (11 min, Filmmaker IQ)

Top-Rated Books About The Craft of Film

1. In the Blink of an Eye by Walter Murch (4.8/5) - View on Amazon
2. Making Movies by Sidney Lumet - View on Amazon
3. Story by Robert McKee - View on Amazon
4. Rebel Without a Crew by Robert Rodriguez - View on Amazon
5. Hitchcock by François Truffaut - View on Amazon
6. Save the Cat! by Blake Snyder (3.8/5) - View on Amazon