Kim Ok-young: The Art of Documentary

The important thing is to recognize that a single documentary is a world in itself. Creating a narrative structure for a documentary means imposing an order on that world, and discerning what another person's documentary is saying means understanding that order. (p. 86) *The Art of Documentary: What a Documentaryist Discovers and How They Persuade*, the first introductory book on the subject written by Kim Ok-young, who has been active as a professional documentary writer and producer for 40 years, has been published by Munhak & Jiseongsa. Since entering the field as a broadcast writer in 1982 and writing over a hundred documentaries, the author has condensed the essence of documentary, learned through firsthand experience, into a single volume. Filled with the logical analytical skills and ceaseless experimental spirit the author has demonstrated as a documentary filmmaker, this book deserves to be called a "textbook of Korean documentary" (Director Lee Chang-jae). Befitting this praise as a "textbook," *The Art of Documentary* encompasses the entire production process—from the foundational theories of documentary production to planning, filming, and editing—and comprehensively covers the knowledge and techniques essential for documentary production. Furthermore, while grounded in these technical methodologies, the focus was precisely placed on capturing what lies beyond them. For the author, who has been active in the field for a long time, the driving force behind completing a documentary lies neither in proficiency in practical production skills—such as operating cameras or editors—nor in profound theoretical knowledge. Through this book, author Kim Ok-young poses questions to readers that differ from the documentary production guides previously introduced in Korea. “What documentary do you intend to make?” “What do you intend to say through your work, and why do you say it?”

Korean title: 다큐의 기술

Korean author: 김옥영

Korean publisher: 문학과지성사

ISBN-13: 9788932038100