documentary

Technology still demands a story

Technology still demands a story

Sam Wolson on finding the right medium for the right story. Plus: Terry Gross on 50 years of ‘Fresh Air’ and using narrative structure in interviews
The New Yorker's Sam Wolson on interactive storytelling about a mother and her trans teenager leaving the U.S.

The New Yorker’s Sam Wolson on interactive storytelling about a mother and her trans teenager leaving the U.S.

The Interactives Visual Features Editor discusses the intersection of VR, interactive design, documentary work, and reporting
A cure for story paralysis

A cure for story paralysis

Lane DeGregory's advice on not playing it safe, plus: how to interview shy people
How a love letter becomes a documentary (and vice versa)

How a love letter becomes a documentary (and vice versa)

Filmmaker Matt Wolf on the making of "Pee-wee as Himself," plus Bloomberg’s report on one city's relationship with a private ICE detention center
Ira Glass on storytelling lessons from 30 years of ‘This American Life’

Ira Glass on storytelling lessons from 30 years of ‘This American Life’

Plus: Producer Nadia Reiman tells the story of a young woman discovering that her fiancé has been taken to CECOT prison in El Salvador
Pulitzer winner Mary Schmich's journey from newspapers to podcasts with ‘Division Street Revisited’

Pulitzer winner Mary Schmich’s journey from newspapers to podcasts with ‘Division Street Revisited’

The former Chicago Tribune columnist shares insights into her decades-long experience as a journalist and writer
A doc film that gently unspools surprises

A doc film that gently unspools surprises

Filmmaker Eloisa Diez follows a trans man's journey to create a family of his own ~ and confronts her own storytelling stereotypes
How a documentary filmmaker captures "lived experience"

How a documentary filmmaker captures “lived experience”

By Kristen ChinA self-described “perennial schoolboy” at heart, Omar Mullick is both romantic daydreamer and pragmatic journalist. It’s in the first few moments speaking with him that I can tell…
Print beat reporting vs documentary film drama: Pros and cons

Print beat reporting vs documentary film drama: Pros and cons

The Pulitzer-winning aerospace reporter for the Seattle Times became both source and star of a doc film about the Boeing 737 MAX
A documentary film breaks rules and wins an Oscar

A documentary film breaks rules and wins an Oscar

EDITOR’S NOTE: All time codes in this post correspond to the YouTube version of “The Queen of Basketball.” It’s also available, with an introduction by filmmaker Ben Proudfoot, on The…