film-school My Top 5 Books on Filmmaking

[Chris Tempel]

5. Roadracers: The Making of a Degenerate Hotrod Flick
4. The Gurella Filmmakers Movie Blueprint
3. What They Don't Teach You In Filmschool
2. The DV Rebel's Guide
1. Rebel Without A Crew

What are some of your favorites? Can be instructional or motivational

 

[Nate North]

Joseph Campbell "The Hero's Journey"

I'll second no. one and two on the op list.

 

[sfoster]

In the first page of "Rebel Without a crew" it says you can learn everything about film making in 10 minutes.
I must one one gigantic dumb fuck cause here i am a decade later and im still learning stuff.

 

[mlesemann]

here i am a decade later and im still learning stuff.

That sounds more than reasonable to me

 

[Nate North]

In the first page of "Rebel Without a crew" it says you can learn everything about film making in 10 minutes.
I must one one gigantic dumb fuck cause here i am a decade later and im still learning stuff.

I think it's more of a memoir of better times for indie film. Also there's a semantics thing like always. Filmmaking is kind of a collection of 20 skills, so I doubt there's anyone who has mastered all of them, even after 20 years.

 

[chrisjmaes]

5. Roadracers: The Making of a Degenerate Hotrod Flick
4. The Gurella Filmmakers Movie Blueprint
3. What They Don't Teach You In Filmschool
2. The DV Rebel's Guide
1. Rebel Without A Crew

What are some of your favorites? Can be instructional or motivational

"George Lucas: A Life" - great history of his filmmaker days, "Spike Lee's Gotta Have It" - making of Spike's first feature, "Fast, Cheap and Under Control" - interviews w/ indie filmmakers.

 

[sonnyboo]

5. Roadracers: The Making of a Degenerate Hotrod Flick
4. The Gurella Filmmakers Movie Blueprint
3. What They Don't Teach You In Filmschool
2. The DV Rebel's Guide
1. Rebel Without A Crew

What are some of your favorites? Can be instructional or motivational

It took me YEARS to get #5. Roadracers book was only released limited run in the UK.

I think Film Directing Shot by Shot by Stephen Katz is a phenomenal book. And required reading is IN THE BLINK OF AN EYE by Walter Murch.

 

[Chris Tempel]

It took me YEARS to get #5. Roadracers book was only released limited run in the UK.

I think Film Directing Shot by Shot by Stephen Katz is a phenomenal book. And required reading is IN THE BLINK OF AN EYE by Walter Murch.

Yeah, it took me years as well. I actually found a PDF scan originally, but then kept looking at eBay for it. Finally won it for $45 a year ago. Fun fact, at the time I bought mine, there was another that was going for $300. Turns out it was sold by Tommy Nix, Rodriguez's friend from film school and co-writer of Road Racers. He was hocking a bunch of memorabilia.

I have Film Direction Shot by Shot but it's not one of my favorites. I also have In the Blink of an Eye and love that one!

 

[sonnyboo]

Yeah, it took me years as well. I actually found a PDF scan originally, but then kept looking at eBay for it. Finally won it for $45 a year ago. Fun fact, at the time I bought mine, there was another that was going for $300. Turns out it was sold by Tommy Nix, Rodriguez's friend from film school and co-writer of Road Racers. He was hocking a bunch of memorabilia.

I have Film Direction Shot by Shot but it's not one of my favorites. I also have In the Blink of an Eye and love that one!

I have that exact same PDF!!!! That sated me for a while, but I have a literal library of 8 bookshelves in my house of filmmaking books. It was essential to my collection.

 

[Chris Tempel]

I have that exact same PDF!!!! That sated me for a while, but I have a literal library of 8 bookshelves in my house of filmmaking books. It was essential to my collection.

That is awesome!!! I never felt bad about the PDF because hey, it was impossible to get the book here in the states anyway. Back in May, I got a new book that I would add to the list, "Directing Actors". I have learned more about working with actors from that book than I did even taking acting classes myself!

 

[sonnyboo]

That is awesome!!! I never felt bad about the PDF because hey, it was impossible to get the book here in the states anyway. Back in May, I got a new book that I would add to the list, "Directing Actors". I have learned more about working with actors from that book than I did even taking acting classes myself!

My prize possession book is the paperback "Once Upon a Galaxy: The Making of the Empire Strikes Back" because that is so interesting. They talk about Carrie Fisher's drug addiction, Harrison Ford being a backstabby actor, and all kinds of fights between George Lucas and Gary Kurtz. It was so honest and raw.

 

[James Rogers]

A good nuts and bolts book is The Filmmaker's Handbook- a comprehensive guide for the digital age.
I have the 2013 editing and although it's dated, it has a lot of the basics that are still relevant today. I just flips it open to refresh my memory and landed on a page the shows, with pictures, the difference between shooting a close up using a wide angle vs something closer to 55mm..... It's kind of fun book because it also discusses VHS tapes and other technology from yesteryear. and it also has sections on film cameras. Great book. There may be a revised edition.

Peter,
You would like' I am C-3PO,' by Anthony Daniels. He comes across as a charming man, and he has plenty of stories to tell about the making of the holy trilogy.