Monday, December 28, 2009

Fave Film Books

One of the questions I get asked most often is what books I would recommend to people really interested in making films?  I didn't go to film school so aside from watching movies and making some of my own, some of my best education has come from reading.  Here is a list of some of the books that have been most useful to me:

1.  Anything in the Conversations with Filmmakers Series

(http://www.upress.state.ms.us/search/series/6

I'm particularly fond of the Coen Brothers, De Palma, Jarmusch, and Woody Allen books in the series.

2.  From Reel to Deal:  Everything You Need to Create a Successful Independent Film by Dov S-S Simens

(http://www.amazon.com/Reel-Deal-Everything-Successful-Independent/dp/0446674621/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1262030901&sr=1-1)

3.  My First Movie:  Twenty Celebrated Directors Talk about Their First Film

(http://www.amazon.com/My-First-Movie-Celebrated-Directors/dp/0142002208/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1262031186&sr=1-1)

4.  I Wake up Screening:  What to Do Once You've Made That Movie by John Anderson and Laura Kim

(http://www.amazon.com/Wake-Screening-What-Youve-Movie/dp/0823088987/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1262031265&sr=1-1)

5.  Directing Actors:  Creating Memorable Performances for Film & Television by Judith Weston

(http://www.amazon.com/Directing-Actors-Memorable-Performances-Television/dp/0941188248/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1262031435&sr=1-1)

6.  Godard On Godard

(http://www.amazon.com/Godard-Da-Capo-Paperback/dp/0306802597/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1262031547&sr=1-1-spell)

7.  The Films in My Life by Francois Truffaut

(http://www.amazon.com/Films-My-Life-Fran%C3%A7ois-Truffaut/dp/0306805995/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1262031618&sr=1-1)

8.  Everything by Pauline Kael

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pauline_Kael)

*I'm also anxiously awaiting Jon Reiss' Think Outside the Box Office:  The Ultimate Guide to Film Distribution and Marketing for the Digital Era

(http://www.amazon.com/Think-Outside-Box-Office-Distribution/dp/098257620X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1262031712&sr=1-1)

What are your favorite film books?

4 comments:

  1. Great stuff and quite a few I don't have. Thanks for the tips!

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  2. Thanks so much, Jeremy! Yeah, I really love all of these.

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  3. I got a great one for Christmas - if you're a Stanley Kubrick fan: http://www.amazon.com/Stanley-Kubrick-Narrative-Stylistic-Analysis/dp/0275972917/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1262379994&sr=1-2

    Will be checking out some of these you listed. Thanks.

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  4. Hey Jeremy,

    I'll definitely pick that Kubrick up. I haven't seen that one yet. Thanks so much for the heads up!

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