New Books in Communications Jacob Bricca, "How Documentaries Work" (Oxford UP, 2023)
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Dec 28, 2025 Jacob Bricca is a documentary editor, director, and Peabody Award-winning filmmaker, renowned for his expertise in documentary production and teaching. In this discussion, he delves into the hidden conventions of documentaries, revealing how narrative techniques borrowed from fiction shape viewer perceptions. Bricca also explores the role of editing in storytelling, the impact of sound and music choices, and how TV shows fit within the documentary spectrum. He emphasizes the importance of 'presence framing' and discusses the evolving nature of documentary projects.
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Documentary Storytelling Is Constructed
- Documentaries reshuffle facts into narrative forms using many subtle, deliberate choices.
- Jacob Bricca argues this crafting creates the specific meaning audiences perceive.
Presence Framing Directs Viewer Trust
- Choice of presence framing sets the visible relationship between filmmaker and subject.
- That framing guides what rules the film follows and how the audience interprets scenes.
TV Docs Prioritize Immediate Stakes
- TV documentary formats often demand rapid setup and explicit stakes to retain viewers.
- Bricca contrasts this with feature docs that can use teasers and later explain stakes.