List of 10 books for Filmmakers. Filmmaking, simply put, is the art and the craft of visual storytelling. You are showing the story rather than telling the story through moving pictures. Elements for filmmaking include things like: Theme, Rhythm, shape, color, space and a couple of others.
Author : Steven Ascher
FIFTH EDITION, UPDATED FOR 2020. The authoritative guide to producing, directing, shooting, editing, and distributing your video or film. Whether you aspire to be a great filmmaker yourself or are looking for movie gifts, this comprehensive guide to filmmaking is the first step in turning a hobby into a career.
Widely acknowledged as the “bible” of video and film production, and used in courses around the world, The Filmmaker’s Handbook is now updated with the latest advances in HD and digital formats. For students and teachers, professionals and novices, this indispensable handbook covers all aspects of movie making.
Author : Gustavo Mercado
This is the only book that combines conceptual and practical instruction on creating polished and eloquent images for film and video with the technical know-how to achieve them. Loaded with hundreds of full-color examples, The Filmmaker's Eye is a focused, easy-to-reference guide that shows you how to become a strong visual storyteller through smart, effective choices for your shots. This book has struck a chord worldwide and is being translated into several languages
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Author : Greg Keast
The Art of the Cut is a clear and concise introduction into many of the most important concepts in film editing. The book is written primarily for those who wish to learn the basic principles of editing but who may also be filmmakers or close to the filmmaking process. For this reason, some of the editing concepts are actually filmmaking concepts but are absolutely critical for both the editor and filmmaker to appreciate and understand. With the aid of photographs and graphics, the book neatly summarizes over 100 concepts related to the practice of editing and serves as an easy-to-understand and handy reference guide. If you want to master the art of editing and learn the key principles quickly, then this book is the perfect resource to have.
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Author : David Mamet
A masterclass on the art of directing from the Pulitzer Prize-winning (and Oscar and Tony-nominated) writer of Glengarry Glen Ross, Speed the Plow, The Verdict, and Wag the Dog
Calling on his unique perspective as playwright, screenwriter, and director of his own critically acclaimed movies like House of Games, State and Main, and Things Change, David Mamet illuminates how a film comes to be. He looks at every aspect of directing—from script to cutting room—to show the many tasks directors undertake in reaching their prime objective: presenting a story that will be understood by the audience and has the power to be both surprising and inevitable at the same time. Based on a series of classes Mamet taught at Columbia University's film school, On Directing Film will be indispensible not only to students but to anyone interested in an overview of the craft of filmmaking.
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Author : Robert Rodriguez
TFamed independent screenwriter and director Robert Rodriguez (Sin City, Once Upon a Time in Mexico, Spy Kids, Machete) discloses all the unique strategies and original techniques he used to make his remarkable debut film El Mariachi on a shoestring budget.
This is both one man's remarkable story and an essential guide for anyone who has a celluloid story to tell and the dreams and determination to see it through. Part production diary, part how-to manual, Rodriguez unveils how he was able to make his influential first film on only a $7,000 budget. Also included is the appendix, "The Ten Minute Film Course,” a tell-all on how to save thousands of dollars on film school and teach yourself the ropes of film production, directing, and screenwriting.
A perfect gift for the aspiring filmmaker.
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Author : William Ball
A Sense of Direction represents a life s work at the art and craft of directing. Founder and long-time general director of the acclaimed American Conservatory Theatre, Bill Ball engages his audience in a wide-ranging discussion of the director s process from first reading through opening night. Speaking as a director s director, Ball offers a candid, personal account of his method of working including the choice of a play s essential elements, preproduction homework, casting, and rehearsal techniques. Throughout, his discovering and insights guide the director in building the world of the play and bringing it to life.
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Author : Sidney Lumet
Why does a director choose a particular script? What must they do in order to keep actors fresh and truthful through take after take of a single scene? How do you stage a shootout—involving more than one hundred extras and three colliding taxis—in the heart of New York’s diamond district? What does it take to keep the studio honchos happy? From the first rehearsal to the final screening, Making Movies is a master’s take, delivered with clarity, candor, and a wealth of anecdote.
For in this book, Sidney Lumet, one of our most consistently acclaimed directors, gives us both a professional memoir and a definitive guide to the art, craft, and business of the motion picture. Drawing on forty years of experience on movies that range from Long Day’s Journey into Night to Network and The Verdict—and with such stars as Katharine Hepburn, Paul Newman, Marlon Brando, and Al Pacino—Lumet explains how painstaking labor and inspired split-second decisions can result in two hours of screen magic.
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Author : Christopher Kenworthy
Building on the success of the best-selling 'Master Shots', this book goes much deeper, revealing the great directors' secrets for making the most of the visual during the usual static dialogue scene.
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Author : Frank Hauser, Russell Reich
Some years ago, Frank Hauser, then a retired freelance director, and writer Russell Reich, his former student, self-published Notes on Directing in hardcover. It was immediately acclaimed as "a gem-witty and full of insight;" "so sensible, so complete, and so right;" and "amazingly illuminating" by the likes of Judi Dench, Edward Albee, and Terry Teachout. Gathered over Frank Hauser's long career, and polished to a sharp edge by Russell Reich, the 130 "Notes" address a wide range of topics, from understanding the script and defining the director's role, to casting, how to handle a first read-through of a script, rules for rehearsal, how to talk to actors, how to get a laugh, and the key elements of staging. Filled with enduring good advice expressed in assertive, no-nonsense language, and supported with explanatory commentary, insightful quotes and examples, and six valuable appendices, this deceptively slim book has the impact of a privileged apprenticeship, providing deep insight into the hidden process of creating a live, shared experience. For the student or professional engaged in a directing or acting career, the executive or manager looking for inspiring new ideas on leadership, or the arts lover wanting insight into the creative process, this book will be an invaluable experience. This new edition includes an interview with the co-author.
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Author : Syd Field
Screenplay: The Foundations Of Screenwriting offers a step-by-step guide about screenwriting, from the concept to a finished script, and is written by the master screenwriter himself.
Screenplay: The Foundations Of Screenwriting is an upgraded version of Syd Field’s classical guide in screenwriting for aspiring and experienced writers. The book deals with the inception of a concept, crafting and development of characters, and plotting the opening scene to the completion of a script. The book is updated with trends and perspectives on the evolving film industry. The book helps writers on the basics of screenwriting including building up engaging dialogues, character creation and development, how to build the story line, finding the right agent to market your book, and much more.
The book also throws a fresh perspective on marketing and collaborations, along with the assessment of successful films, including American Beauty and the Lord Of The Rings series. Screenplay: The Foundations Of Screenwriting is available in paperback and was published by RHUS in 2005.
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