Documentary First

Welcome back to another exciting week of Documentary First. In part two of our conversation with documentary legend, Ken Burns, we dive into the vital aspect of collaboration in filmmaking. Ken emphasizes the profound history he shares with two of his current collaborators, who are stepping into new endeavors as his company continues it’s storytelling journey. Drawing an analogy to a conductor orchestrating a musical ensemble, Ken underscores the significance of every individual involved in the filmmaking process. While he acknowledges a roster of long-term collaborators, he underscores a core group of key individuals. Ken's distinctive approach to documentary filmmaking involves eschewing rigid timelines, allowing stories to organically evolve. His mission is to craft narratives of depth and richness, achieved through meticulous research. This ethos means that he and his team are in a perpetual state of pre-production, research, and filming until each project reaches its fullest potential. The conversation p