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Season 40

Ken Burns Teaches Documentary Filmmaking

Since its 2017 debut, Ken Burns’s The Vietnam War has enthralled over 39 million viewers by painting an intimate and revealing portrait of history. Learn how Ken captivates audiences with his ability to distill vast research and complex truths into compelling narratives. From first treatment to final edit, Ken teaches his documentary filmmaking techniques that “wake the dead” to bring their stories to life.

English
General
Artwork
  • TheTVDB.com Season ID 1815168
  • Created April 7, 2019
  • Modified July 18, 2025
When available, episode names will be translated into your preferred language. Otherwise they will be shown using the series' origin language.
Name First Aired Runtime Image
S40E01 Introduction
July 31, 2018
 5
S40E02 What It Takes
July 31, 2018
 15
S40E03 Choosing Your Story
July 31, 2018
 10
S40E04 Finding Your Story Within The Subject
July 31, 2018
 13
S40E05 Telling A True Story
July 31, 2018
 10
S40E06 Treatments, Pitching, and Funding
July 31, 2018
 14
S40E07 Structuring a Documentary Narrative
July 31, 2018
 15
S40E08 Sourcing Archival Materials
July 31, 2018
 13
S40E09 Shaping Nonfiction Characters
July 31, 2018
 9
S40E10 Case Study: The Vietnam War Episode Boards
July 31, 2018
 8
S40E11 Writing a Script
July 31, 2018
 19
S40E12 Visual Storytelling: Cinematic Techniques
July 31, 2018
 15
S40E13 Visual Storytelling: Unforgivable Blackness Case Study
July 31, 2018
 10
S40E14 Selecting Interview Subjects
July 31, 2018
 9
S40E15 Conducting an Interview
July 31, 2018
 12
S40E16 Case Study: Navigating a Challenging Interview
July 31, 2018
 12
S40E17 Nonfiction Cinematography
July 31, 2018
 17
S40E18 The Power of Music
July 31, 2018
 15
S40E19 Editing: Process
July 31, 2018
 10
S40E20 Editing: Principles
July 31, 2018
 10
S40E21 Editing Case Study: The Vietnam War Introduction
July 31, 2018
 19
S40E22 Recording and Using Voice Over
July 31, 2018
 9
S40E23 Sound Design
July 31, 2018
 10
S40E24 The Artist's Responsibility
July 31, 2018
 5
S40E25 Sharing Your Film
July 31, 2018
 6
S40E26 Jump The Chasm
season finale
July 31, 2018
 3