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Techniques for Independent Production
The challenges of creating Digital Cinema and other narrative forms.

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Old January 10th, 2007, 07:01 AM   #1
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Filmmaking books

Hi,
I love the internet but sometimes I need to give my eyes a rest and read a good old fashioned book... any recommendations on good/helpful/inspirational books for filmmakers?
p.s. some titles I have found helpful in the past include "The Guerilla Filmmakers Movie Blueprint" by Chris Jones, "Rebel Without A Crew" by Robert Rodriguez and "The Screenwriters Problem Solver" by Syd Field (or any book by Syd Field as they're all good)
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Old January 10th, 2007, 10:04 AM   #2
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Specific areas of interest?
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Old January 10th, 2007, 11:29 AM   #3
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A classic ...

"The 5 C's of Cinematography" by Mascelli

and 2 from my own holiday reading list,

"Sound for Film and Television" and "Sound for Digital Video" both by Tomlinson Holman (he's the 'TH' in 'THX Sound').
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Old January 10th, 2007, 11:42 AM   #4
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I would suggest you get "The Filmmakers Handbook." I also suggest you look in getting it from Amazon.com, not only because they have them used from $9.50 with less than $4.00 shipping, but also when you buy a book from them, their program will show you addition books on the same subject that others have bought. I is a great way to see the other offerings on the same subject.

I have bought about 5 books on filmmaking from them, and I have learned a lot.

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Old January 10th, 2007, 12:23 PM   #5
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Hi Paul

Scott Billups "Digital Moviemaking"

http://www.amazon.com/Digital-Moviem...e=UTF8&s=books

Steve: Joseph V. Mascelli's "The Five C's of Cinematography" was the very first moviemaking book I ever read while I was in high school! Great choice! I still have my original hardcover (but the dust jacket is in bad shape)

Paul, one other suggestion. Borders has a great filmmaker's section. You'll find some great books that you can actually inspect on the spot to see if they meet your needs. Also, take a gander at the computer section. I accidentally found a few digital moviemaking books there.

Good luck!
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Old January 10th, 2007, 12:41 PM   #6
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Don't forget to browse through the Read About It forum. Lots of good recommendations have been posted there as well.
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Old January 10th, 2007, 12:58 PM   #7
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Have to say that I really enjoyed "Digital Filmmaking for Teens". And the "Shot by Shot" Katz series.
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Old February 4th, 2007, 10:55 AM   #8
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From Reel to Deal by Dov Simens and Make Your Own Damn Movie by my dear friend Lloyd Kaufman. Hope that helps.
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Old February 4th, 2007, 11:46 AM   #9
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Cinematography by Blain Brown theres also a book called "story" i forget who its by tho
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Old February 18th, 2007, 08:25 PM   #10
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FilmCraft Books

Film Lighting, Cinematography, both by Kris Malkiewicz.
Matters of light and Depth, by Ross Lowell-THE best book on lighting ever written, bar none.
The DV Rebel's Guide: An All-Digital Approach to Making Killer Action Movies by Stu Maschwitz, recommended by Robert Rodriguez-and me!
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Old February 19th, 2007, 04:23 AM   #11
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Another for the 'must read' list: "Grammar of the Film Language" by Arijon
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Old February 19th, 2007, 08:01 AM   #12
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Wow, most of the books I'd mention have been brought up already!

I recommend "Practical DV Filmmaking" to anyone who wants to read about making independent films. It is somewhat of a beginners book but even now I find reading it is good for a "back to basics" reference and solving problems cheaply:

http://www.amazon.com/Practical-Film...e=UTF8&s=books
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Old February 19th, 2007, 09:33 PM   #13
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The Digital Filmmaking Handbook (Long & Schenk)
Film Directing Shot By Shot (Katz)
Elements of Film (Bobker)
The Directors Journey (Travis)

Mentioned above I also recommend THe Filmmaker's Handbook and without question, you MUST read Lloyd Kaufman's books (mentioned above plus "All I Need To Know About Filmmaking I Learned From The Toxic Avenger").

I respectfully disagree with the recomendation for Digital Moviemaking (Scott Billups) - others may have had different experiences but I didn't find this book to be particularly useful....to be honest, it's been a few years since I read it and I can't remember now why I didn't like it, but I know I found the Long & Schenk book above to be much more useful.

This is pathetic...I've spent more time reading about movie making than actually making movies!
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Old February 20th, 2007, 08:42 PM   #14
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Aside from the excellent recommendations, I love Feature Filmmaking at Used-Car Prices by Rick Schmidt:

http://lightvideo.com/

and

http://www.amazon.com/Feature-Filmma...e=UTF8&s=books

I'll be reading Extreme DV soon, but the chapter or section on Dogme 95 puts me off a bit. I've done dogme 95 twice and don't want to go back to that style.

Also, I think once you get some knowledge, START MAKING MOVIES! Shorts, though, to begin. Cheaper and easier and follow a 3-act structure. Oh, and don't shoot your film--hire a DP.

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