Direction & Production Books - Page 12

The Film Director's Intuition: Script Analysis and Rehearsal Techniques

Judith Weston

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 16 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Interesting but not practical 3 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

The title of this book implies an offering of specific techniques for script analysis and rehearsal. However, it's really more of a general discussion on the craft. It's certainly interesting (although somewhat densely written). But I can't say it's really what I was expected. The bulk of the text reviews thoughts on acting and directing by people in the industry. I found it a bit too abstract to apply to practical filmmaking. If you dress in black and attend film school you'll probably eat this book up with a spoon, though.

Brilliant & Insightful 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

I cannot recommend this book enough. Judith is brilliant. I am a working director, and use her techniques on a regular basis. Both this book, and "Directing Actors" should be read and studied by anyone who calls themselves a director. Her books are to directing what Robert McKee's "Story" is to screenwriting.

My only complaint is I wish the book was longer. Give me more!

Editorial Review:

Acclaimed director Judith Weston offers a deeply creative exploration on how to access and stimulate the filmmaker's most precious assets: instincts, imagination, and intuition.

Movie-Star Portraits of the Forties

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 9 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Old Hollywood Glamour 4 out of 5 stars.
3 of 6 people found this review helpful.

if your looking for book with old hollywood glamour pictures
this is the book for you. You cant go wrong 30+ photos of mostly dead actors and actresses

Movie-Star Portraits of the Forties 5 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

Beautiful pictures! They sure don't make stars like these anymore. Wonderful glamour shots, men & women. Bygone era but at least we have these gorgeous photos to remember or to discover.

Great images and inspiring for photographers 4 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

If you love old style Hollywood photography this book is a must for your collection. My only wish was that it showed some of the lighting and techniques used to take the images. But as far as a straight forward picture book goes even if your not a photographer you'll enjoy the great looks and drama from the past.

Mom's favorite stars 5 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

I bought this book because it reminded me of my mother, who loved the movies. She used to buy the star magazines of the times and cut and pasted three scrapbooks with pictures, some of which I recognized in this book. My kids played with the scrapbooks, which got a little ragged, so I threw them out....oh, the unsentimentality of youth. I would love to have the books now, but since I can't ,Movie-Star Portraits of the Forties comes in a nice second. The pictures are beautiful and even if you don't remember the stars, (I do), you will enjoy the glamour and real sexiness of those movie stars of yore.

Editorial Review:

See Betty Grable, John Wayne, Rita Hayworth, Marilyn Monroe, 106 great stars in 163 fascinating photographs. Innovations in pose, angle, and composition are still major influences on modern Hollywood professionals. "An outstanding bargain, sure to please any movie nut." — Newsweek. Introduction. Captions.

Ray Harryhausen: An Animated Life

Ray Harryhausen, Tony Dalton

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 14 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Who among film fans and movie buffs cannot remember with fondness the marvelously realistic dinosaurs, fantastic aliens, and imaginative mythological creatures in 20 Millions Miles to Earth, Jason and the Argonauts, One Million Years B.C., and Clash of the Titans? Who cannot recall the battling skeletons in The 7th Voyage of Sinbad or the chaos and destruction wrought from the skies over our nation's capitol in Earth vs. The Flying Saucers? These and other classic movie moments represent the work of Ray Harryhausen, arguably the greatest stop-motion animator in the history of motion pictures.

Inspired by Willis O'Brien's King Kong and schooled by animation genius George Pal (The War of the Worlds, Time Machine, The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm), Harryhausen blazed new trails in special effects from the 1950s to the 1980s. Now, in the animator's own words, accompanied by hundreds of previously unpublished photos, sketches, and storyboards from his personal archive, comes Ray Harryhausen: An Animated Life.

Anecdotal, insightful, illuminating, and honest, the book takes readers through Harryhausen's entire career - film by film, triumph by triumph - from the impact that watching The Lost World and King Kong had on his life to creating the magnificent creatures seen in Clash of the Titans, his last movie. In words and images, it explains the basics of special effects and stop-motion animation, along the way telling tales of working with the film stars of the day - such as Laurence Olivier, Maggie Smith, and Lionel Jeffries, to name a few - and revealing how Raquel Welch was picked up by a flying dinosaur in One Million Years B.C., why the octopus in Mysterious Island was really only a sixtopus, and what Madusa's blood was made from in Clash of the Titans.

* No motion picture animator has greater recognition than Ray Harryhausen

* The book explores in detail how the animation models were made

* It also offers a film-by-film breakdown of the animation techniques used

* And it includes never before seen concept sketches and movie production drawings from films such as The 7th Voyage of Sinbad, Jason and the Argonauts, Clash of the Titans, and many more

* And provides frame-by-frame deconstructions of how ground-breaking effects were achieved

* Finally, it contains previously unpublished behind-the-scenes photos revealing Harryhausen's expert artistry, unique talent, and production secrets

* Foreword was written by Ray Bradbury, legendary author of fantasy and science fiction

Leni: The Life and Work of Leni Riefenstahl

Steven Bach

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 18 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

The definitive biography of Leni Riefenstahl, the woman best known as “Hitler’s filmmaker,” one of the most fascinating and controversial personalities of the twentieth century. It is the story of huge talent and huger ambition, one that probes the sometimes blurred borders dividing art and beauty from truth and humanity.

Two of Riefenstahl’s films, Olympia and Triumph of the Will, are universally regarded as the greatest and most innovative documentaries ever made, but they are also insidious glorifications of Adolf Hitler and the Third Reich. Now, in this masterful new biography, Steven Bach reveals the truths and lies behind this gifted woman’s lifelong self-vindication as an apolitical artist who claimed she knew nothing of the Holocaust and denied her complicity with the criminal regime she both used and sanctified.

The facts and her actions, many unknown until now, bear chilling witness: her passionate enthusiasm for Hitler from her first reading of Mein Kampf; her involvements with Nazi leaders Joseph Goebbels, Martin Bormann, Albert Speer, and Julius Streicher, who advanced her career, and with Hitler, who personally helped finance it; her role as silent eyewitness to wartime atrocities against Jews; and her use of slave labor in the form of concentration camp Gypsies destined for Auschwitz. We see her after the war trying to sell footage to Hollywood under an alias, manipulating a sham “discovery” of the Nuba tribes of Sudan into a career comeback, fighting to disinherit her closest living relatives, and—to the end—unable to express remorse for the millions murdered by the Nazi regime made mythic by her work.

Relying on new sources—including interviews with her colleagues and intimate friends, as well as on previously unknown recordings of Riefenstahl herself—Bach gives us an exceptional work of historical investigation that untangles the past and is also an objective but unsparing appraisal of a woman of spectacular gifts corrupted by ruthless personal ambition.

The Art of Film Funding: Alternative Financing Concepts

Carole Lee Dean

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 8 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Great Book - with Fantastic Reference Section 4 out of 5 stars.
2 of 4 people found this review helpful.

When I opened this book, I expected two things. One: Due to the sub-title "Alternative Financing Concepts" - I expected a chapter on "How to Sell Your Body Parts!" and, Two: I expected this book to be boring.

Happily, I was wrong on both parts - but why do I need an extra kidney anyways?

Ms. Dean does a great job in making the art of film fund finding, well, fun. With years of experience on both sides of the business, she explains in a mix of interviews and stories the process of pitching your idea, looking for those willing to fund your film and all the nuances and approaches you should take. Not only that, she includes an EXCELLENT reference section (50 pages of a 250 page book) with names, addresses, phone numbers, websites, etc. That alone is worth the price of the book.

Much of the first few chapters in the book revolve around pitching your idea. Even if you are on the fence in terms of whether to make your film or not, Ms. Dean emphasizes a lot of the aspects of Pitching that can come in handy in any situation where you have the opportunity to talk about your idea.

With my own independent film on the horizon, and the aspect of me trying to sell a kidney to raise funds, I was surprised when the first half of the book focused mostly on documentaries. I wondered as I read through those pages as to how the rules and ideas and suggestions she was giving would fit my project: A feature film with 15 actors using an original script written by me. Not my documentary on the slaughter of innocent ants by rabid 10 year old boys with magnifying glasses.

Half-way through the book, though, she does focus on the aspect of how to find funding for your independent film and then she goes on in later chapters to deal with "Branding" (making your pitch unique with photos or other graphics), "Finding Partnerships" and even a chapter on "Federal Tax Laws" - and again, if you think these chapters are pages and pages of droning commentary - think again: Most of these are interviews with people in the trenches who have worked through the process, know the process, live the process.

One of the things I found surprising in this book is there is a lack of focus on story and the story you are trying to tell (whether it is in Documentary Form or Fictional/Non-Fictional 3-Act Structure Story Telling). A recent seminar I went to on Independent Film one of the speakers came right out and said: "Is your story worth telling?" Though Ms. Dean touches on it a little, there is not a lot of time spent on making sure that your story is one that has an audience. Granted, a book about film financing should be about film financing not a book on whether your documentary of sadistic 10 year old boys is worthy for a slot on PBS during their next pledge drive.

Another issue I have with this book is a common one: Create a list of all the websites mentioned in the chapters for easy reference. Though the expansive reference section alone is worth the price of the book, Ms. Dean sprinkles almost every chapter with names, websites, even phone numbers of people to contact. It would have been the icing on the cake to also include those in the reference section under a separate heading broken down by chapter. That way lazy writers like me don't have to skim through the chapters looking for the familiar www. Though, in their defense, they did a unique thing of highlighting the interviews so they could be found quickly.

Once again Michael Weise Productions has produced a great book, unique to the marketplace filled with all the nitty-gritty details of what it takes to find financing for your film. Hats off to them, and Ms. Dean.

Editorial Review:

This book is your reference guide for creating the perfect pitch, inspiring your winning application, finding and connecting with funding organizations, making a successful "ask," and landing the money to make your film.

The Art of Cars

Suzanne Fitzgerald Wallis, Michael Wallis

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 18 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

In the tradition of the smash hits Toy Story, A Bug's Life, Toy Story 2, Monsters, Inc., Finding Nemo, and The Incredibles comes the newest film from Pixar Animation Studios, Cars, the story of a race car who learns that it's not all about the fast lane. (In fact, life begins at the off-ramp.) Offering an insider's view into the artistic development of Cars, this gorgeously illustrated book celebrates the whimsical yet painstaking research that fueled Pixar's directors, production designers, and artists. Fascinating storyboards, full-color pastels, on-the-road snapshots, and hundreds of character sketches reveal the origins of Pixar's charming and clever automobile-based world. Gleaned from the team's trips to racetracks and down the famed Route 66, The Art of Cars is as colorful as its memorable story and characters, making this book the only movie tie-in for adults a spirited ride down the road of a masterful animated feature film.

Cars is a Walt Disney Pictures presentation of a Pixar Animation Studios film. 2006 by Disney Enterprises, Inc./Pixar Animation Studios. All rights reserved.

Stealing Fire from the Gods: The Complete Guide to Story for Writers and Filmmakers (2nd Edition)

James Bonnet

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 19 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Stealing Money From The Schlubs 1 out of 5 stars.
6 of 9 people found this review helpful.

Okay, I have my MFA in screenwriting, and have read many a book on writing (and there are some very good ones out there). But if, like me, you want additional tools or methods to improve your story/writing/script, then this book is "practically" useless. I say "practically", because after spending half the book on the history of story and other incidentals (academic), the author reserves the last quarter of the book for a complicated bit of story construction/deconstruction mumbo-jumbo that was part Joseph Campbell, part mysticism, and part fevered-dream. There is no "practical" here. Oh, there are boxes for you to put your story into, then based on that box (or paradigm), specific paths for your story to follow. However, so many other books do it so much better (and more practically). Heck, read Michael Hague, he'll give you four fundamental hero types/goals; and read Joseph Campbell yourself. And for gosh sakes, there's nothing like reading screenplays.

The book made me mad. This much money for this little is a bookish crime.

Editorial Review:

A revised and expanded sequel to Stealing Fire from the Gods, this 2nd edition includes important new revelations concerning the ultimate source of unity, the structures of the whole story passage, the anti-hero's journey, the high-concept great idea, the secrets of charismatic characters, and the analyses of many important new stories and successful films.

This Is Orson Welles

Orson Welles, Peter Bogdonavich

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 14 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Oh, Orson... you glorious self-promoter... 5 out of 5 stars.
6 of 11 people found this review helpful.

has a very distinct voice. It has the voice of Orson himself.

Perhaps the most intriguing aspect of the book was the voyeuristic personal insight I was able to get from Welles and-despite his relatively passive role of interviewer-Bogdonovich as well. In this sense, is quite unlike the other required texts, and I do not read too much into the title of "author" that is loftily bestowed upon Bogdonovich and Welles. Through a brief surface comparison between this book and several other texts on Welles, it's clear that there is a great difference between a removed, historical opinion and a defensive individual discussing his own life. Although much could be said about Welles' misleading-albeit thoroughly entertaining-statements, I cannot fault a man for being unable to have sound perspective on his own affairs. I can only read the book as a historical text, but Welles was being asked questions about his life, and I cannot fault him for his oft-grandiose replies. The sheer nature of an interview such as this places an enormous amount of attention on Welles, so I can only smile pleasantly at his recurring ego, wondering if I could be any more impartial or less boastful in his place.

Back to the question of authorship though.

While I readily disregard comparisons between and, say, Thomson's due to their drastic differences in intent, tone and content, the strong yet shadowy hand of the omnipotent editor is ever present in all forms of biographical text. Cut this, change that, add this, move that. A book like Thomson's may greatly benefit from such professional revision, but in the cases of I felt as though the authorship accreditation was misplaced. "Edited by Jonathan Rosenbaum" should have graced the cover, replacing the names of Welles and Bogdonovich. Much like any documentary invariably guides an audience along a certain path, Rosenbaum has reconstructed the interviews amidst other such historical documentation in a very calculated and meticulous fashion. In this sense then there is no author at all, and I find it very difficult to discuss the book as a biography written by anyone.

In truth, this may be one of the worst biography's one could possibly pick up if they wanted to learn more about Welles and his life, and I doubt I would call it a biography at all. As required course reading, I am wholly appreciative that I was given the chance to "hear" the words of Orson Welles as he spoke of his own creations, idly gossiping about other actors and filmmakers. Is it all truth? No, it is laughably biased, but it is the bias of Orson Welles, and definitely a very unique variation on accepted truth. If I can trust that Rosenbaum left the integrity intact, then Welles' half-truths are just as important to understanding the man than commonly accepted "whole-truths" by some biographer.

Whereas can never stand on its own as an investigative biography of the filmmaker's life, it remains as the text that helped me to understand the man behind the myth above all others.

Editorial Review:

The correspondence between Orson Welles and Peter Bogdanovich reveals Welles's true feelings about films, theater, the radio and television industries, and various Hollywood directors and stars. $25,000 ad/promo.

Adult Video Business:By Rayscorner.com Founder Ray West (2001 version) How You Can Find Attractive Women to Star in Your Own Adult Films, Make Money, and Quit Work in 7 Weeks

Ray West

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Total reviews: 62 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

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After speaking in Las Vegas at Adult X-Media, West realized there were many scams that took advantage of people wishing to make a fresh start in the adult business world. Motivated by that fact, he took 6 months off from consulting to write "Adult Video Business", to reveal his little known information and the REAL TRUTH.

West shares an encyclopedic guide to the various components to starting an adult video business, at little to NO COST-- from finding attractive women to star in adult films to GAINING an income that could easily pay the rent or mortgage each month, and then some.

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The Biz: The Basic Business, Legal and Financial Aspects of the Film Industry (Biz: The Basic Business, Legal & Financial Aspects of the Film)

Schulyler M. Moore

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 3 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Handbook for Entertainment Lawyers 5 out of 5 stars.
18 of 19 people found this review helpful.

Mr. Moore teaches at UCLA, and his course is extraordinarily well attended. His book is considered a must-have for lawyers working in Entertainment, and although the focus is law, I think it would be a handy reference for anyone new to the creative side of Entertainment, especially those seeking to protect themselves and their interests when making deals and such.

Editorial Review:

Today's film industry is a legal and financial obstacle course that all independent filmmakers must learn to master. In view of this, "The Biz" - a highly accessible overview of the industry's important business, legal and financial aspect - is a must-read for all filmmakers. It includes thorough explanations and discussions of: film-industry business jargon; raising financing; business structuring; securities laws; budgeting essentials; dealing with the guilds; loans; completion guarantees; the legal and financial ramifications of distribution deals; calculating net profits; film-industry accounting practices and contingent payments; copyright, publicity, and trademark laws; screen credits; talent demands; litigation problems; bankruptcy; taxation of film companies; and, the Internet distribution of film ...and much more. It also includes a dozen useful sample forms and agreements.