Bryan Fogel on Process

Bryan excavates his approach to making “feature thrillers that just so happen to be docs,” including THE DISSIDENT (2020) and Academy Award–winner ICARUS (2017). Using his love of propulsive cinema as a guide, he describes dispensing with nonfiction conventions—an overreliance on archival footage, a tendency to elongate the narrative—in favor of tightly paced storytelling that keeps the audience on its toes: “When you’re crafting a thriller, you’re always looking for less.”