About
"Why have just a single voice-of-God narrator when you could have first person voices reading newspaper accounts, or letters or diaries?... And rather than hold old photographs at arm's length, why not go inside them to the reality that each represented."
In his two-hour interview, Ken Burns talks about his modest upbringing and his early interest in filmmaking. He describes creating his own company in the 1970s, Florentine Films, and the 1981 documentary Brooklyn Bridge. He describes the style in which the film was made: the use of first-person narrative and an easel system for filming still photographs. He discusses his relationship with PBS and his continued work in both feature film and television documentaries throughout the 1980s, including: The Shakers: Hands to Work, Hearts to God; The Statue of Liberty; Huey Long; Thomas Hart Benton; and The Congress. He then speaks in great detail about his breakthrough work, The Civil War. He talks about how the nine-hour documentary was made (shooting at 163 archives). He then details his subsequent projects, including the ambitious documentaries Empire of the Air: Men Who Made Radio, Baseball, Jazz, and The War. Throughout the interview, Burns speaks about his process, including the art of the interview and what he feels makes a good story. Ron Simon conducted the interview on October 19, 2007 in New York, NY.
Highlights
Ken Burns on developing his approach to using photographs in documentaries during the development of Brooklyn Bridge
Ken Burns on the power of television
Ken Burns the "Ken Burns effect" and his documentary style
Ken Burns on the documentary genre and how he'd like to be remembered
Ken Burns on developing, selling and filming his first major historical documentary, Brooklyn Bridge
Full Interview
Chapter 1
On his childhood and family life
On his education and his early interest in photography and film
On starting his own film company Florentine Films after graduating from college
On making his first groundbreaking documentary, Brooklyn Bridge
Chapter 2
On his relationship with PBS and the evolution of the working style at Florentine Films
On making the documentaries The Shakers and The Statue of Liberty
On making the documentary Huey Long
On making The Civil War
On the power of television
On selecting photographs for The Civil War and making the war experience come alive
Chapter 3
On the "Ken Burns effect" and his documentary style
On getting funding for his documentaries
On celebrity
On his documentary series Baseball, and his career-long exploration of race in America
On the components of documentary including selecting a subject and the process of interviewing
On his use of technology and the storytelling process in his work
Chapter 4
On the editing process
On producing the documentary, The West and his work on biographical documentaries of Lewis & Clark, Mark Twain, and others
On producing Jazz: A Film By Ken Burns
On producing the documentary of the first road trip, Horatio's Drive
On producing the WWII documentary The War: A Ken Burns Film
On the documentary genre and how he'd like to be remembered
Shows
Baseball: A Film by Ken Burns
Ken Burns on his documentary series Baseball, and his career-long exploration of race in America
Civil War, The
Ken Burns on making his documentary series The Civil War
Ken Burns the "Ken Burns effect" and his documentary style
Empire of the Air
Ken Burns on producing the documentary on the evolution of radio, Empire of the Air
Horatio's Drive
Ken Burns on producing the documentary of the first road trip, Horatio's Drive
Huey Long
Ken Burns on making the 1985 documentary Huey Long
Jazz: A Film by Ken Burns
Ken Burns on producing Jazz: A Film By Ken Burns
National Parks, The: America's Best Idea
Ken Burns on his then-current PBS project The National Parks: America's Best Idea
Shakers, The: Hands To Work, Hearts To God
Ken Burns on making the documentary The Shakers
Statue of Liberty, The
Ken Burns on making the documentary The Statue of Liberty
Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, The
Ken Burns on his appearance on Tonight after the broadcast of his documentary, The Civil War
War, The
Ken Burns on producing the WWII documentary The War: A Ken Burns Film
Topics
Censorship / Standards & Practices
Ken Burns on producing the WWII documentary The War: A Ken Burns Film
Creative Influences and Inspiration
Documentarian Ken Burns on developing his approach to using photographs in documentaries during the development of Brooklyn Bridge
Fame and Celebrity
Ken Burns on his celebrity
Representation on Television
Ken Burns on his documentary series Baseball, and his career-long exploration of race in America
Sports
Ken Burns on his documentary series Baseball, and his career-long exploration of race in America
Studio and Network Management
Ken Burns on his relationship with PBS throughout his career
Technological Innovation
Ken Burns on the use of technology in his work
Television Industry
Ken Burns on his celebrity
Underrepresented Voices
Ken Burns on his documentary series Baseball, and his career-long exploration of race in America
Ken Burns on producing the WWII documentary The War: A Ken Burns Film
War on Terror
Ken Burns on The Civil War's effect on public perception of the War in Iraq
World War II
Ken Burns on producing the WWII documentary The War: A Ken Burns Film
Professions
Documentarian
Ken Burns the "Ken Burns effect" and his documentary style
Ken Burns on getting funding for his documentaries
Ken Burns on the components of documentary including selecting a subject and the process of interviewing
Documentarian Ken Burns on developing his approach to using photographs in documentaries during the development of Brooklyn Bridge
Ken Burns on the documentary genre and how he'd like to be remembered
Genres
News and Documentary
Documentarian Ken Burns on the power of television
Ken Burns the "Ken Burns effect" and his documentary style
Ken Burns on the components of documentary including selecting a subject and the process of interviewing
Documentarian Ken Burns on developing his approach to using photographs in documentaries during the development of Brooklyn Bridge
Ken Burns on the documentary genre and how he'd like to be remembered
Sports
Ken Burns on his documentary series Baseball, and his career-long exploration of race in America
People
Louis Armstrong
Ken Burns on producing Jazz: A Film By Ken Burns
Ric Burns
Ken Burns on his childhood and family life
Dayton Duncan
Ken Burns on producing the documentary of the first road trip, Horatio's Drive
Larry Hott
Ken Burns on his relationship with PBS early in his career and the evolution of the working style at Florentine Films
Steve Jobs
Ken Burns the "Ken Burns effect" and his documentary style
Jerome Liebling
Ken Burns on studying still photography with Jerome Liebling and Elaine Mayes
Wynton Marsalis
Ken Burns on producing Jazz: A Film By Ken Burns
Elaine Mayes
Ken Burns on studying still photography with Jerome Liebling and Elaine Mayes
David McCollough
Ken Burns on making his documentary series The Civil War
Ken Burns on developing, selling and filming his first major historcal documentary, Brooklyn Bridge
Roger Sherman
Ken Burns on his relationship with PBS early in his career and the evolution of the working style at Florentine Films
Buddy Squires
Ken Burns on his relationship with PBS early in his career and the evolution of the working style at Florentine Films
Amy Stechler
Ken Burns on his relationship with PBS early in his career and the evolution of the working style at Florentine Films
Geoffrey C. Ward
Ken Burns on making the 1985 documentary Huey Long